Isn't It Time Your Business had a Simple Strategy?

Woosley Coaching

Helping You Build Your Business Roadmap

By Leave a Comment

Groundhog Your Development

One of my favorite movies is Bill Murray’s Groundhog Day from 1993. The story follows a bitter weatherman who is covering Punxsutawney Phil’s emergence and winter prediction for his TV network. A storm moves in and they are forced to spend the night in town. He wakes up the next morning and it’s Groundhog Day again. This continues as lives all day and no matter what happens (even his death), he wakes up the next day and it’s the same day all over again.

There are real parallels to our lives in this movie.

At first is confused and not sure what’s happening. Then he starts to have fun with it. Then he uses it to manipulate people. Then he has a change of heart and applies himself to learn new skills, helping others and finds a new approach to life.

We are born confused and not sure what’s happening. We have fun for a while as kids (and even into adulthood). We don’t take things seriously and try to manipulate people to get what we want. Then we eventually learn that we must apply ourselves, take responsibility for our own personal and professional development, and treat other people with respect and appreciation.

So what if you used this approach for the next year? From Groundhog Day 2013 to Groundhog Day 2014, set out on a journey to develop yourself. Get out of the rut of living every day in the same way with what are likely diminishing results. Do something different and learn from the experience.

It’ll be an amazing year that sees you poke your head out of the ground, see your shadow and know that no matter how many more weeks of winter there are, you’re in charge of yourself and the path you take. And that will change your world and the world around you.

Today is a new day…what are you going to do with it?

By 3 Comments

My Weaknesses

People are always telling me how organized I am and amazed at how much I get done with such high quality. Want to know my secret?

I’m a horrific procrastinator (but I work well under pressure). I’m a perfectionist to the point of OCD. And I see every little mistake or thing that’s out of place (eventually).

To me, I’m not very organized. I love things to be organized, but perfection is an elusive master and I am her slave.

Still, the world goes on and one day slams into the next. Somehow, it’s a matter of just putting it out there and seeing what happens.

I dreaded finals week in college. The stress was thick and I would panic at the lessons I hadn’t studied for (I rarely studied) and assignments I hadn’t completed (see procrastinator above). But one finals week I realized that in just seven days it would be over. School would be out for the summer and finals would be done.

Somehow that thought was comforting to me. There was nothing I could do to delay it, so just roll with it.

Sorry that’s not a more profound post, but it’s real. It’s how life works for me, though I struggle with it all the time.

On Tuesday night, November 29th 2011 I’m hosting a free teleseminar to help offer more insight on planning and mainly why people don’t plan well. There are four key lessons I want to share, and I invite you to listen in. There’s wisdom here, even if I still fall into these traps myself from time to time.

Please join me — details are at http://www.woosleycoaching.com/2012-roadmap-teleseminar

By 2 Comments

I Can’t Help You

It’s my job, my mission to help people with their careers and finances. I enjoy it and I’m good at it. But that doesn’t mean I can help you.

The simple fact is that some people are beyond help.

It’s not that their situations are beyond repair. I’ve seen some pretty bad situations while coaching, but there are paths forward for all of them. The problem is that some people simply want a magic pill to solve all of their problems. They have blinded themselves to the reality of their situations and don’t want help…or won’t admit they need it.

So, if you simply need a friend to pat you on the back and let you wallow in the pit you’re in, I’m not the coach for you. But if you’re sick of where you’re at…if you hate your job or aren’t reaching your financial goals…let’s talk. If you’re ready to make changes and work hard, let me know.

I can help you.

By Leave a Comment

Death Spiral

If you’ve ever been to an air show, you’ve probably seen a pilot put an old airplane into what appears to be an out of control tumble towards the ground, only to save the plane and pull out of the spin at the last moment. It’s really a cool stunt, and it’s really dangerous.

But sometimes they don’t make it.

These death spirals can pop up in other areas as well, and no one but a stunt pilot would enter into them on purpose. In business, we can be doing good work, but market changes or internal inefficiencies multiply, and before we know it we’re spinning out of control. Most businesses will just keep doing what they’re doing, hoping to do it better enough that they survive. Most don’t.

It happens in our relationships as well. We wake up one day and poof…who is that person we’re married to or in business with? Remind me again why we are friends? How did I end up hating my job? All too often we only notice that we’re in a death spiral once it’s too late.

What do we do about the dreaded death spiral?

1 – Learn to Recognize It
How do we know when we’re in a death spiral? It’s hard, but there are signs. Look for complacency or unjustified optimism. Look for silent arguments or issues swept under the table. If there’s an elephant in the room stinking up the place (trust me, both real and metaphorical elephants stink), and no one is saying anything about it, you are already there.

2 – Recovering from the Death Spiral
There is only one thing that can save you (beyond divine intervention or accident, and while I’d hope for the former, I wouldn’t expect the either). That one thing will depend on your exact situation and environment and can take many forms. The one thing is drastic and immediate change.

You have to stay calm and assess the situation. But you have to act, and act quickly. The longer you spiral out of control, the more difficult it will be to recover.

The status quo has got you where you are. Sticking to the same route will only get you killed (only figuratively, I hope).

Small changes may only mask the problem or give the illusion of recovery. You need to zig when everyone else zags.

John G. Miller tells a story in his book QBQ: The Question Behind the Question, about a father flying with his daughter. When the engine of their small plane cuts out, he smoothly tells her that something is wrong and he has to fly the plane differently. Had he continued flying as if he had an engine when he didn’t, he wouldn’t have been able to tell the story.

Drastic and immediate change in response to the circumstances, even if all you have is a Hail Mary pass.

3 – No Guarantees
By the time you realize you’re in a death spiral, it may be too late. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t try, but you should be realistic. Even if you do all the right things, you may not recover.

If I fall out of an airplane without a parachute, I’m going to do two things: pray and flap my arms. Flapping my arms is not a sign of lack of faith…it’s meeting God halfway. It may or may not help, but I’m going down fighting and I’ll have a great story to tell either in the hospital or in Heaven.

Can the Death Spiral Be Avoided?
Probably not always. But if you keep your eyes on where you are going and where you are, you’ll see when you get off course. Constant minor adjustments will keep you on the path. Fail to pay attention, and you veer off course. And pay full attention, and external forces can still knock you off course. In your life, career, business or marriage…be prepared and be alert.

What do you think?

Connect with James