Lorna's Business Box

I’m almost afraid to write this post because it might expose me as a fraud. But hey, since when do I let a little thing like fear stop me from doing anything?

You see, I train and coach in leadership and team building. I’ve also been fortunate to work

Teamwork - Is it for you?

on great teams and I’ve had the opportunity to forge ordinary groups into high-performance teams.

On the other side of that coin,  I was invited on to teams that I was so honoured by the invitation but by the second meeting I knew the project was doomed to failure. I also led some teams (just a few!) that the outcomes were so below expectations that it rinsed out my belly and sent me back to the Leadership and Team-building drawing board.

In both the good teams and the bad, I always asked myself “does every project, issue, etc require a team?”  Every time I attend some form of training that insists that I have to work on a team, I ask myself “are teams always necessary for someone to learn something better?”

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About two days ago, I read an article by Peter Bregman called “Play the Game You Know You Can Win”.  In essence he discussed the strategy in which instead of playing the game (of anything) by the established rules, you either rewrite the rules or apply your unique strengths and talents to the game in creative and different ways.

For me, that article was “sweet like cook food” as we say in our country because it’s the way I approach everything and what I call “knowing the rules to break the rules.”

What this strategic advisor to CEOs and their teams did not discuss in any depth was what is required to play the game that you can win. Now that’s what I want to talk a little bit about. (more…)

There is something about business plans and strategic plans (do you know the difference between the two?) that encourage some of the people who request them to eventually leave them on a shelf. Many times they don’t even move them to chase the dust which has so lovingly settled for the long haul.

It’s true. Most business people pay to have business plans written to get

Businessman reviewing business plan

funding for their business and then afterwards they don’t seem to find them very useful. I’ve often wondered why. Could it be that they are usually written from a long term perspective (typically five years) and the owners cannot find any short term uses for them?

Well, I’m here to help. I’m going to suggest at least three ways in which you can get more out of your business plans. Ready?

1)    Review your business plan frequently

Business plans aren’t meant to be static. They are mostly a long-term strategic tool, but to be effective you need to look at them regularly and update your strategies. How often should you do this? I would suggest quarterly. Look at which of your strategies are working and which are not. Do more of what is working and less of what isn’t but learn lessons from both. The whole idea is to use the business plan to make you business stronger. (more…)

I cannot believe this! I have written so many articles and even an e-book on  public speaking and I have not really written on how to write a speech. If you can forgive me, I’ll make it up to you right now.

First of all you will need to remember that writing a speech is not like writing a report or a proposal. These are usually delivered to the user to be read and decided on in the user’s time. These users do not care about your body language when you hit the send button on the email or the fact that you’re not making eye contact with them as the document sails down the cyber highway.

On the other hand, the speech that you write will be listened to by an audience whose mood you cannot predict, whose eyes you will have to meet at some time and whose attention you had better win within the first 8.57 seconds of your speech.

So, do you want to write a speech that grabs your audience’s attention, one that is fit for its purpose and rushes you to the top of the “must listen to” speakers? Then here are some tips to have you writing speeches like a boss!

Begin writing your speech by being clear about your purpose for

The Best Way to Write a Speech

speaking. Write it out if you have to. The first thing I write for every speech is “the purpose of this speech is to…” Remember that there are 6 main purposes for speaking: to inform, explain, entertain, inspire, persuade and to impress.

Then you want to collect all your ideas and information on the topic. A good place to begin is by asking the question “what do I know on this topic?” Unless it’s a topic that you know little or nothing about (in that case you should politely refuse the speaking opportunity) inside your head is a good place to start. Then you can follow this with the regular research that you’re familiar with, you know: searching the internet, the library, friends and colleagues, etc (more…)

You will do it again this year.

You will spend all your money on Christmas items you will no longer want in the New Year. You will eat and drink food that will be distributed evenly across your butt and gut in unseemly proportions.

And on New Year’s Eve you will become contrite and remorseful and you will make New Year’s resolutions designed to ensure it does not happen next year!

The tradition of the New Year’s Resolutions goes all the way back to 153 B.C. when Janus, a mythical king of early Rome was placed at the head of the calendar. With his two faces, Janus could look back on past events and look forward to the future all at the same time.

New Year’s is the only holiday that celebrates the passage of time and as one year closes and another opens, people become introspective and often make lofty but well-meaning resolutions intended to bring about meaningful change in their lives.

However well-intended, research and reality shows that a high percentage of these resolutions are not kept. Don’t ask me why because I can only speculate!

Perhaps too many are made because you’re swept along on the holiday tide. Or maybe you do want to make some changes in your life and you believe that making profound declaration on how these will happen at the beginning of the calendar year will actually make them happen.

Whatever your reason, I’d like to increase your chances of keeping those resolutions. So I’m sharing the best way I know how for making resolutions and actually keeping them, including my SUPER “New Year” approach that guarantees me almost 100% success every time.

I will share with you:

1. The best way to make your resolutions so that you will keep them
2. What to do to increase your “keeping” success rate by at least 45%
3. Some of the personal attributes that will help you
4. Why you need to celebrate your successes
5. And my SUPER “New Year” approach that works every time!

So go on!  Discover how to make and keep New Year’s Resolutions!

Happy New Year to You! And I want you to start the New Year right!

Ever since I wrote my report “10 Rules for Success in Business” and gave it away for free (get your copy here) some people have been asking me: How can I be successful not only in business but also as a person?

In response, I was so tempted to point out that if you’re in the business of delivering a service especially if it’s in the information sector, then you and your business are one and the same. But not being one to miss an opportunity to add insight, I decided that if you and your business are so connected, personal success must equal business success.

So I asked myself what makes me successful as a person? Assuming that you’re just like me, I sharing my top 7 principles of success that I know help me to be the person and then the business person that I am, hoping that they will help you too. Are you ready? (more…)

Last time out, I shared five of ten HR functions that small business people should consider and I promise you that in the next post I will share the other five. So here’s to keeping my promise:

6. Coaching an employee who is having trouble with company policies, another co-worker or having performance issues. You want the best for your business, don’t you? Then you have to be able to coach your employees to give you just that. (more…)

There’s no disputing it.

Human Resources Management (HRM) is a delicate balancing act in allocating resources that you can’t continue to ignore and be successful. Don’t believe me?

 Try solving this equation that I came up with:

[Mhr = (Xcs + Ie/er)c ] =SROIf   

Give up? Would the key below help?

M = management

hr = human resource

X = Excellent

cs = customer service

I = improved

e/er = employee/employer relations

n = infinite

S = Superior

ROI = Return on Investments

f = forever

Did you come up with something like this? (more…)

In my country Barbados, fishing is big part of the economy. Not only for the fishermen to earn income but to feed the nation as well. So at the first sign of rough weather, the Meteorological Department will issue a warning for fishermen to haul their boats to safe harbor.

But vessels weren’t meant to remain in safe harbor. So, pretty soon, I will  watch in awe as another fishing boat loads up with bait and supplies and sail into the mighty ocean for the fishermen to ply their trade. To get the best catch, they have to lose sight of the shore and occasionally we hear of fishermen who go missing for sometimes more than 20 days and then turn up safe in another island.

 The true spirit of an entrepreneur is evident when you can live your life and grow your business using this “fisherman approach”. (more…)

It’s every small business owner, consultant and entrepreneur’s dream: Big contracts for their small businesses.

What am I talking about? You know, that large contract from a prestigious  client that sets you up for at least a year. It lets you pay off all the non-routine bills and buy a membership in the local “Holier-than-thou club.” Your colleagues regard you with awe and admiration and your competition coughs and sneezes from all the dust you kick in their faces.

So you’re fortunate and your dreams come true and now you’re asking: How did this gem of a contract morph into the worse nightmare of my life?

I know. In the excitement of bidding for the contract, you forgot to consider the cons and pros of delivering on the contract. Well, let me examine some of them for you. (more…)