How Can We Develop More Women Leaders?

There is far more opportunity in the world today for women than there was a generation ago, but there is still a long way to go until men and women are truly equal at the top of the business world.

The equality that women have found in most aspects of life seems to end at the boardroom. Women are increasingly making up a larger percentage of the work force and are more likely to graduate from college, but the same percentage, if not less, are reaching the upper echelon in terms of their careers.

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg gave an interesting speech on the topic in December 2010 at that year’s TED Conference and she offered some things women can do to reach their career potential.

I saw the speech again recently and I felt what she had to say about women reaching their potential was interesting.

Too often women are dismissive of their own successes and abilities and, as she says, “No one gets to the corner office by underestimating their abilities.”

By underestimating their own abilities, many women fail to “Sit at the table,” as Sandberg puts it, and aren’t taken seriously when it comes to leadership and decision making.

This becomes even more interesting when we consider that, while success and likability correlate positively for men, they negatively correlate for women. As one writer on the topic put it, in our culture, good girls are taught to be nice, while good boys are simply taught to be good.

In the competitive world of business, nice just doesn’t always equate to capable or successful or to a leader. And when you combine the cultural undertones of what makes a “good boy” versus what makes a “good girl” with the difficult choices many women have to make when it comes to the balance between work and personal life, it’s easy to see why so many women choose to leave the playing field rather than compete with men.

So how do we change this scenario?

First, as the working force changes to more and more women, there is little doubt that new companies and corporate cultures will emerge that focus more on the woman entrepreneur, her skills, talents and aptitudes and how she works.

Secondly, as women we have to take a role in changing the culture itself. As a CEO myself, I feel it’s very important to empower the women who work for me to reach their full potential and grow.

Finally, we have to teach the next generation of women that being nice isn’t the same as being good and there will be times when difficult choices have to be made between your cultural identity and delivering on your potential, and that’s it’s okay to choose the later.

Is information that I find on the internet (by Googling) reliable?

The internet can be a fantastic source of high quality information, but it is also a place where anyone can say anything they choose about any subject.

There is no fact-checking for blog posts, and the ignorant and uninformed have the same right to speak their mind as the world’s experts, on any topic. Even competitors can easily pose anonymously as either disgruntled coach or a client. So use a little common sense. If you want the most reliable information, it is all at your disposal at the ActionCOACH website, the International Franchising Association website or any of the National Franchising websites.

In most of the developed nations in which we operate – franchising is heavily regulated. Which means that we have fully disclose on all the numbers and legal proceedings (existing and pending) on our business. Even though less than 20% of franchisors put in an earnings claim in their disclosure document – we do.

Our business has been around since 1993, and operates today in 34 countries. Every year – we are named in the Franchise Business Review Franchise 50 – 50 franchise concepts that rank high in franchisee satisfaction.

Our company gives back in a profound and lasting way to the Small to Medium Sized business community and their communities at large. This is best shown by three (of many examples). 1) The Indonesian government created an award and gave it to ActionCOACH for their contribution to entrepreneurialism and growth in their country.  2) Coaching for a Cause (our pro bono coaching program to charities around the world) in its first year (during an economic recession) helped non-profits raise an 2.5 million in charitable contributions through coaching them. Coaching has a compound effect, you cannot unlearn what you learn through coaching. So these non-profits have been taught “how to fish” rather than “given a fish” and will continue to apply lessons  learned via coaching year on year. 3) In Florida USA, a year-long study of businesses being coached by ActionCOACH showed an average $7.50 profit return for every $1 invested in 12 months.

ActionCOACH is the only coaching company who guarantees your coaching will be self-funding on or before the seventeenth week. If you really want to know about a company – you need to look at the source of the information. Is it reliable? We welcome you (in fact we insist) that you speak to our coaches and our clients. Only then will you be able to determine what a company and its people is really like.

So if the information is not true, why don’t you defend yourself in the blogs or forums?

In some instances we do, albeit not publicly.

To understand why we choose not to – you might want to read our 14 Points of Culture – especially our Communication point to understand why.

Business coaching and the essence of our company is about growth, forward thinking and positivity. What is truly unique about our business is our culture and the people. We have a belief that action truly speaks louder than words. So rather than spend time on the fruitless endeavor of convincing anonymous haters and cyber-bullies – we created a forum for people to ask questions of our Founder, Brad Sugars directly. We have regular webinars with our coaches so people can find out direct. You can even find many of us on Social Media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn including executives.

Our CEOs will speak direct to any person interested in becoming a coach or being coached who may have concerns. Unlike the anonymous posters – we are not hiding. We figured if intelligent and genuine people were truly concerned with anything they read online – they would ask us and our team so they can come up with their own opinion.

Just Because Google Suggests It Doesn’t Mean It’s True- 12 Examples

When you begin typing a phrase into Google, the suggest feature may offer some that are downright funny.

Here are 12 real examples of Google suggestions, which should make it clear that just because Google suggests it, that doesn’t mean it’s true.

1

Google might be making us stupid (many of us have lost our research skills thanks to it) but one things I know for sure is that Google is not God.

By the way, it’s not a number either.

2

“I am extremely terrified of Chinese people” is one of the five most popular suggestions. At least the phrase makes sense grammatically. Three of these five responses don’t.

Must be an “I am error.”

3

While I don’t pretend to be a theologian or know the bible inside and out, I’m pretty sure Jesus can’t fly, nor has he ever used a microwave to heat up a burrito.

4

Yes, we Aussies are many things, but can’t any positive adjectives pop up in this search? Okay, we are hot, but bad losers!?

5

“What kind of bike did you get for your birthday, Johnny?”
“I got the new Barack Obama 1500 series.”
“Do you like it?”
“It’s better than my old bike, but I don’t know if it’s as cool as the Barack Obama Cactus I got last year.”

6

I’m confused… which one is it, alive, dead, not dead or still alive?

Google, you’re supposed to make my life easier but I feel myself getting stupider!

(Oh wait, that’s a different search)

7

I thought an apple a day kept the doctor away, but now I learn an Apple is overrated.

Or maybe they aren’t talking about the fruit!

8

I think I first learned about people that like to tape their thumb to their hand on a television show about strange addictions.

9

So there are only four more important questions we should be asking Google than “why are flamingos pink?”

I’ll be honest, I don’t care why they’re pink, but all of a sudden I’m curious as to why manhole covers are round.

10

Huh? What does this mean? Is it like playing “Dark Side of the Moon” backwards? I’m a bit scared.

11

If a tree falls on a woman in a trailer at lunch period in the woods and nobody hears it, does it make a sound?

12

Blogging can be stupid, but it’s not for dorks, unless you’re writing a blog about dorks themselves. And Blogging is certainly not dead or dying. It’s a vitally important tool to use when growing your business.

You Are the Chips You Eat

Building the business you want comes down to finding your perfect customers and to find the perfect customers, you have to target your marketing correctly.

It’s kind of like potato chips.

No matter where you are or what you call them, people like potato chips, as they are called in America, or crisps as they are called in other parts of the world.

While people from virtually every culture love the crisp, salty treats, that’s where the similarities end. If you travel the world, you’ll notice how the popularity of flavors vary, depending on the nation.

For instance, squid flavored chips that are popular in Japan would be a very hard sell in the United States, while the ever-popular sour cream and onion variety favored in The States probably wouldn’t have the same affect on Spaniards who prefer ham-flavored chips.

The fact that everyone likes chips, but each culture, and even in some cases, each region of the same countries prefer and buy different flavors, is a pretty interesting scenario when you look at it through the scope of marketing.

One of the basic principles of good business is sell what people want to buy.

After all, I know very few Americans that are looking for those Mint Laccha chips that are so popular in India.

Targeting the correct audience with an offer they are interested in means you’re well on your way to developing a customer base that is a powerful resource for your business.

When you look at marketing critically, you see that many businesses produce marketing that is akin to selling Spicy Rice Cake chips in Texas or Marmite-flavored chips in Thailand.

In other words, their offer isn’t matching their target.

If the market isn’t selling what you’re buying, it could be you don’t understand the flavor your local market craves and you have to take the time to learn.

Start by writing down who your ideal customer is, what they do, where they live, why they will buy from you and any other factor that makes them your theoretical ideal. From there, develop offers in your marketing that match their tastes.

How Do The Rich Get Richer?

All of the indicators tell us the economy is growing at a snail’s pace, except for one.

While the U.S. economy grew at about 3 percent in 2010, the wealth of American billionaires grew by 13 percent, to $1.5 trillion, according to Forbes.

The common American is still struggling to make ends meet, but it’s clear that the rich aren’t struggling at all. In fact, they are thriving, not just in America, but around the world.

A decade ago, half of all billionaires in the world were American, but these days the number is closer to one third as China, Russia and Brazil have seen a significant increase in the amount of billionaires they produce.

While there are fewer billionaires in the U.S. today compared to the rest of the world by percentage, American billionaires earned a total of $181 billion more in 2010 than they did the year before.

Meanwhile, the bulk of Americans saw their buying power remain the same if not decrease slightly.

Most people aspire to get rich, but you have to learn before you earn, so what can we learn from these billionaires? What do they all have in common?

The most important trait these billionaires share is they are business owners with the vision to diversify and invest whenever and wherever the best opportunity presents itself.

But that sounds like a lot of millionaires too, so what takes billionaires to the next level?

According to The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley Ph.D and William Danko Ph.D, the average American millionaire is 57 years, while Forbes tells us the average American billionaire is 66.

Could it be that those nine years make the difference? Could it be that many who become millionaires take a step back once they’ve achieved that level, without pushing to the next while billionaires simply never stop looking for the next great opportunity?

And when it comes, they take full advantage.

Turn Your Challenges into Opportunities

I love to read.

I read voraciously, because I’m always trying to find the next thing that can take me and my business to the next level.

While reading is a regular part of my schedule, I’ve met a lot of people who just don’t have the time to read business books. Luckily, a small publishing company in Chicago has decided to tackle this problem head-on by converting business books into easier to read formats that some might even call comic books.

The ideas are still there, and in many ways they are easier to understand and take in than the conventional way.

By converting the power-point presentation of these books onto the page, Round Table Companies has come up with a much easier way to connect with potential customers.

The person who came up with this idea, Corey Michael Blake told Forbes, “People in this economy are so busy, they’re freaking out.”

By converting books to this format, his hope is to be able to reach more people, people who may have been intimidated or disinterested in reading, while turning a nice profit for his publishing house.

What makes this story more compelling is the fact that this company has taken something that seems to be waning, the art of reading, and made it more modern and appealing to potential customers.

Blake obviously understands one of the most important concepts of business, sell what people want to buy.

If they aren’t buying long business books with no pictures, make a shorter, picture version for them and watch it fly off the shelves.

It’s the old “build a better mousetrap” theory at its best and an exciting development for people that just don’t have the time or inclination to read.

So what business book would you like to see turned into a comic book?

Does Business Coaching Work? Check the Numbers

We know business coaching works. We see it every day, in the success stories of our clients, and even the successes of our coaches that use those same principles to run their businesses.

But for some who haven’t experienced coaching, objections still abound. Often these people see putting money toward coaching as an expense rather than an investment.

But we have definitive studies that prove that coaching provides a terrific return on investment for businesses.

In fact, businesses that have been coached by an ActionCOACH Business Coach have seen a return of $7.50 for every dollar they invested. If you knew you could get that kind of return on your investment, wouldn’t you do it straight away?

So where did we come up with those numbers?

Our terrific Florida ML’s, Nick and Arcelia Dove commissioned a study of their clients by a financial analyst.

The study showed that the team in Florida not only proved a return of 7.5 to one, but they also helped their clients increase revenues by 79% and grow profits by 106%.

By any measure, these figures are outstanding and proof that working with world class ActionCOACH business coaches can help any business grow revenue and profits.

So if you’re looking to grow your business, what is the best option?

With our Guarantee and this evidence supporting the power of business coaching, there is nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Are You Getting the Results You Want?

We’ve all seen those inspirational posters. The ones with someone on top of mountain and the word RESULTS in big letters underneath them.

But getting results isn’t really like climbing a mountain, is it?

Success, excellence, they aren’t things you achieve and then step back and appreciate the view. They are ongoing processes and everyday you have to find a way to keep moving forward, keep climbing that mountain.

We all know this can be a tall order, but by remembering that excellence and achievements are journeys, not destinations, we can go a long way toward building a better life and a better business.

That’s one of the reasons we list Fun and Abundance in our points of culture.

These aren’t just buzz words at ActionCOACH. They are ideals that allow us to keep track of the journey we are always on toward success, even as we reach goals along the way.

In the latest edition of Forbes, Northwestern Mutual CEO John Schlifske talks about the importance of taking a step back and appreciating the journey.

“You don’t walk into retirement having put your life’s work into retirement having put your life’s work into a company only to say, ‘Gosh I’m miserable.’”

Schlifske went on to say, “You’ve got to insert fun into the workplace now and them.” And I couldn’t agree more.

We encourage fun at the Global Office through various methods. We have our High Five meeting on Monday mornings, we WIFLE on Friday afternoons and we often have lunch together and celebrate each others’ happiness, whether it’s through birthday parties, baby showers or our team trainings.

So what are you doing to encourage your team to have fun?

There Goes the Neighborhood!

Would you be willing to have your neighbors hate you to have someone else pay your mortgage?

That is essentially the question Adzookie, a free advertising network for mobile devices, is asking.

In return for their paying your mortgage, the company wants to turn your house into a billboard.

Do you live on one of those streets where all the houses share a uniform look and have a real desire to never be invited to a block party with your neighbors again?

Then this might be a good way.

There is no doubt this is a unique way to market a business, but there are some questions that pop up on this topic.

First of all, how will this strategy work in areas where it simply isn’t legal?

Local municipalities have the ability to zone both residential and commercial areas and won’t often let a people in residential areas generate commercial profits.

Secondly, how many residential neighborhoods have so much traffic that the ads will be seen enough to deliver a nice return on investment for Adzookie?

Hopefully the company has done their homework and has reason to believe this marketing campaign will be profitable, but it remains to be seen.

Still, just the fact that we are talking about Adzookie makes it clear that this campaign does have some merit. After all, did you ever even hear of them before reading this blog?

Entertainment Industry Doesn’t Escape the Reality of Economics

We consider the Return on Investment in any project we do, in any team member we hire, in every hour of the day.

Without a Return on Investment, the quality of a particular project is irrelevant.

Even businesses based on fantasy, like the entertainment industry, have been forced to face reality head on and cut corners, because the ROI on some of their best products has been so poor.

Literally dozens of quality shows have been cancelled because of poor ROI.

One-hour scripted shows generally cost about $2 or $3 million to produce, while reality shows can be made for a percentage of that cost.

If a season of shows in the United States lasts 20 to 26 episodes, you’re talking about an investment of anywhere from $40 to almost $80 million in just one show.

Even for networks with the most viewership, that is a steep number.

These days some shows are taking proactive stances so they don’t get cancelled.

Take critically acclaimed crime drama Southland for instance.

Since its inception, Southland has been fighting a budget battle. Southland began on NBC but the price tag was simply too much and the show moved to TNT.

The show is generally filmed on location rather than on sets to help cut costs and now they are getting rid of cast members.

Southland originally had eight main cast members, but now they are down to four and many of the peripheral characters are now only seen every few episodes.

As with most businesses, the cost of staffing is high in Hollywood and the easiest way to cut costs is to simply use less actors.

This is another example of doing less with more and accentuating this particular product’s ROI but it remains to be seen whether it will be enough to keep Southland on the air while not reducing the quality of the show.