Following on from the ongoing sucessful REV business group I chair in Horsham I will soon be starting a new monthly business owners roundtable made up of business owners  from Stawell and Ararat.

In Horsham eleven owners of successful Wimmera businesses meet in a confidential forum for half a day each month to share issues, business ideas, and to improve their own business performance. This group has developed into a network built on trust and a willingness to help each other. They are now  looking to help others in the regional business community.

The new group will alternate between meetimngs between Stawell and Ararat and we are looking for nominations to join the group.

The cost is $2000 per year each member and any surpus after operating expenses are used to fund field trips to successful businesses in Melbourne or send a local up and coming entrepreneur to a business development program.

 The funds are managed by the Wimmera Development Association in Horsham

Contact Bill Winter on 0411536424    email:  www.billwinter@bigpond.com.au

Executive Accelerators have established a Rountable Group for business leaders in a small, confidential and supportive environmment where successful CEO's, MDs or emerging leaders from non-competing businesses meeting every month in greater Geelong.

This group is in collaboration with G21 - Geelong Region Alliance and is modelled on two very succesful groups currently operating in the City of Kingston in Melbourne and include the City CEO and the leaders of a number of successful local business and social entities.

The primary focus of the Geelong group is business model innovation and accelerating the potential and growth of business and leaders. In today's fast changing business environment everyone should be challenging their current business model and seek to create innovation as a core business culture.

G21 is the alliance of a variety of independant organisation with a shared vision for the Geelong Region and inlcudesfive local councils and I strongly believe this rountable fits within their goals of sustainable development for business and leaders in the region.

The groups will meet once a month for a breakfast session for two and a half hours.

For further information contact myself on 0411536424 or  email info@executiveacccelerators.com.au

In recent times I have been exposed to a number of companies in various market segments and they all are questioning the future of business, the economy, the lack of trust and confusion from Canberra and inability to predict the short term business climate.

There is so much negativity in the press, not helped by journalist looking for senational stories and writing without really understanding the facts or the sniping between rival media giants.

There is no doubt in my mind that, for business to survive, you must have a focus on some essential strategies such as a culture for innovation, low cost manufacturing, staff who are engaged and who understand what the vision is that everyone is striving to achieve. And, a product or service that fills a need in the community

The real key is the Vision. Once you can clearly articulate a Vision that is achievable and believable then it is strong and effective leadership that will guide business success.

A leader in any situation who cannot win the hearts and minds is bound to fail. An effective leader has to influence behaviours and, according to some, there are two ways to influence human behaviour: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it.

A great leader commands and not demands respect. The successful  companies I come across in my work are those who understand the value of vision driven by leadership throughout the organisation. I often refer people back to the work of Kouzes and Posner who wrote their Ten Commitments of Leadership nearly twenty years ago and holds true today. The key practices as mentioned them  are well worth repeating as the attributes of  practices of exemplary leadership.

Challenge the process:

Insiring a shared vision

Enabling others to act

Modelling the way

Encouarge the heart

There is no room for egos or silos within a successful business. It's 2012 not the 1960s. There is no more damaging leader than one who will not take advice or accept that they have to keep learning themsleves.

 

There are thousands of business people operating from home and serviced offices throughout Australia. In Victoria, for example, the Government says that there are over 500,000 businesses in the State. The ACCC states that only 6 per cent turnover more than  $2 million out of more than 2,000,000 million enterprises.

Motels and hotels are full of people during the week who are on their own going about their business.

I recently read a comment that stated:

Lonelines may be the real disease of this century, as we work remotely, live alone, and play alone, insulated by our online forums, iphone, ipod, facebook, linkedin, skype and twenty four hour news on cable television.

I sometimes feel like that and make a real effort to get involved in groups and networks where you are meeting with people face to face. The opportunities are endless through business groups, not for profit/charity  groups, sporting groups, fitness groups,social groups, Rotary, Lions, Apex, book clubs, card groups, etc etc..

However, you have to make the first step and break the habit of living on your PC and get out and meet and communicate with others in the real world.

Do you have a vision of where your company or organisation will be in three years? Five years ? or even 10 years? ( how do you plan beyond three to five years is beyond me )

Over the years I have been preaching the importance of having a vision for your business that is clear, understood and can be embraced by employees, owners, suppliers and customers. Too many time I see vision statements on the wall that have no relationship to the business or staff and have just become wallpaper. Or, something the CEO or owner has thought up themselves without any discusssion or involvement with all employees and then  issues it to everyone, places it in wall frames and it has no meaning or inspires no one.

I recently read a great article in INC magazine by the owners of a family group of companies in the US who operates under the name of Zingermans.

To use some quotes from this article I present the following:

Firstly You should develop and write your vision statement as if you are actually at that point of time in the future.

A vision, quite simply, is a picture of what success will be at a particular time in the future. It embraces what does our business look like ? How big is it ? What are we famous for ? How do the people who work here feel about our their jobs ? etc.

A vision statement is not a strategic plan.The vision articulates where we are going; the strategic and business plan tells us how we are going to get there. We should start the planning after we have agreed the vision.

How can your Sat Nav tell you how to get to where you are going if you don't put in the destination?

To quote Joel Barker. " vision without action is merely a dream, action without vision is a waste of time "

There is a post on a linkedin site that asked the question Do you think living by values and having integrity is a thing of the past ?

It has prompted a large number responses where many just assume that human nature is such that we should accept that it is a thing of the past. Naturally many also believe it is not a thing of the past

My personal response is to quote Stephen Covey's 7 habits of highly successful people and point to habit 4 Think Win Win.

Over the years I have worked in situations where senior executuives and some CEOs only think I win you lose. Being an accredited mediator, I have also never seen a successful mediation unless both side come away with a win.

There was an article in a business supplement this week end titled When your boss is a sociopath that talks about the damage done by corporate bullies and what we should do about it.

I could name a few CEO's who believe they must win at all costs. They are the ones who have no values or act without integrity in my mind. They are control freaks and unforunately exist in many businesses. Ego driven and think being tough is a badge of honour.

The best organisations are run by resonant leaders. I recommend you read Resonant Leadership written by Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee from Harvard Business School

This quote is an endorsement for coaching or as I call it, individual continuous improvement.

"Everyone requires a coach. Every famous athlete, every famous performer has someone who is coach - someone who knows 'Is that that which you really mean?' and provide them perspective. The thing individuals are not necessarily proficient at is seeing themselves as others see them. a coach really helps.

Eric Schmidt, CEO Google.