Category Archives: Management Focus

The power of writing it down

What are the things you write down every day? My guess is your to-do’s and calendar/schedule comprise 90% of what you write down these days – items you record for yourself with keystrokes or by hand so as not to forget. Most of our other keystrokes are messaging and emailing with others.  Communication  that used to be by phone or in person or in a letter. Did you ever sit down and write a friend a long letter? Who does that now?

I am not advocating for a return to handwritten letters especially given how awful most peoples’ handwriting is. Remedial penmanship for this leftie was one of my worst memories of Catholic School. Rather, I am advocating for a time to reflect – to come back to center in a too urgent world. How you do it may need to fit your learning style. If you are a reader/writer, writing it down might be the hack. More on learning style in a minute.

So what would you write down? If your reflection time is just before bed, perhaps what went well today, or what you are grateful for. Who do you appreciate? What was the funniest thing that happened today? What do you want for tomorrow?

If your reflection time is in the morning, how does your body feel? Where will your focus be today? Who or what do you want to spotlight today?

If you are an auditory person, you might want to record your thoughts. If you are a kinesthetic learner, you might want to dance or exercise or stretch in this reflection time. If we work backwards from how you unconsciously process your day, does it reveal that you are a kinesthetic learner trying to fit in the box of a reader/writer? Don’t do that if it doesn’t excite you.

You do you. Find your style and seize the moment…..every day. Find a way to track it that works for you.

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Image courtesy of https://chopra.com/articles/journaling-exercise-end-of-year-reflections

Celebrating your peers

It has been 4 years since the Vistage Members in L.A. county got together for a Vistage Executive Summit, and this was a super event. The hotel was great, staff was so friendly and so competent and it was great to meet Vistage Members who were not in your own group. Every Vistage Member takes at least a day a month to be with their peers working on getting better as leaders and running their organizations. Meeting a room full of fellow Vistage Members, peers who are aligned with your goals to be better in leadership and business is pretty sweet. >

Give Finance some love

For most of the US, taxes were due last week. For most counties in California, all returns AND tax payments have been delayed until October. Yay for us, not so good for the tax preparers come September. So let’s give Finance some love now. >

What is privilege?

When you have privilege it is just your normal. There is no friction, no fear, nothing that concerns you. Lacking privilege, you feel injustice, then you become numb to it until something provokes you again–friction, fear, concern. >

Achieving goals with “BE-DO-HAVE” exercise

Have you ever set a goal year after year and not achieved it? Losing 10 pounds shows up for many people as sure as the sun comes up in the morning. Why is that? For most of us, we know what to do, we just don’t actually do it because it is really hard, it requires more thought and careful planning than we have allotted, or other habits trump this goal. >

Be-Do-Have strategy

In Vistage we have an exercise called be-do-have where in a particular situation you evaluate

  • who are you being?
  • what are you doing? and
  • what do you have to get to a result?

In relation to your goals for 2023, what is your be-do-have strategy? >

Managing amidst the uncertainty…

What an interesting week! Twitter falling apart, tech companies laying off, inflation stabilizing but high, stock market going up, mid-term elections going calmly – so much happening. Add to that the continuing Russian defeats, meeting of global leaders over climate change and Xi and Biden about to meet in Indonesia, Hard to know the best way of managing amidst the uncertainty. >

Focus on fundamentals

Fall is a time of transition. Daytime gets shorter, temperatures drop. This year seems more transitional with inflation, midterm elections, the war in Ukraine. SO much going on outside that we cannot control. It seems like a good time to focus on what we can control – focus on the fundamentals. >

BIZ PIE – ingredients

I was asked recently why I called my company BIZPIE. As I paused to compose a response, a swirl of thoughts, memories and long held opinions jumbled up in my head. Like a fog that suddenly cleared, it came to me – because running a business is so darn hard. >

Say “no” to clients

Does it scare you to say “no” to clients? This is the time to try it with great consideration for the consequences. Many times when you or your sales team says yes, the internal cost is extremely high. With the supply chain disrupted, salaries going up, price of gas soaring, etc., anything out of your sweet spot may need to be repriced or refused. >