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janhoistad@drjanhoistad.com

You Want to Grow, but Your Business Has Stalled. It’s Time For a Reset

When your business has taken off and is growing successfully, it's tempting to just keep increasing the desired numbers. Going for bigger gains. Because you think you can. But "soaring to the mountaintop" with your newfound climbing skills doesn't work for the long haul. Eventually you'll have to come down from the peak of Mount Everest, back into everyday life which has more variation. It present new and different challenges. And just like re-entry from a peak performance experience, facing those every day peaks and valleys is bound to make you feel like your business is stalling out. You probably feel like you and your business are in a lull.Here's where a lot of people become dissatisfied. Some even give up. Let me offer you an alternative: A lull is a time to take stock of what you learned and to assess what's working, what needs fixing and what to let go. Most owners don't plan for a lull or stall-out as their business takes off. But they should. It’s not uncommon as owners set their sites on next-level business growth to experience a sense of deflation. The "high" of going for and achieving the peak in the start-up phase of growth is often a demanding whirlwind of excitement. When the rush dies down there's often a sense of loss. It's deflating. The literature on post peak experience let-down finds it can lead to feelings of dissatisfaction. Often for good reasons. Limping along or stalling out are signals that [...]

How to Take Your Business to the Next Level

  Taking a company through many phases of growth requires unique skills at each stage. Working with many owners who experience rapid early success yet want to continue growing, they exhibit a similar strength and common stumbling block. The strength is an enthusiasm fueled by being so successful so fast. The stumbling block can be a lack of awareness or acceptance that taking a pause to evaluate, and then fix the foundations of the business will ultimately strengthen the long-term outcomes. Let me share an example of business owners and partners who worked through this exact point in their business growth.   This start-up literally “exploded” into being. Forging a bond while working in a highly demanding, toxic environment, Carmen and Inez brought their work friendship and capabilities together to develop their own company 3 years ago. Offering the exact same legal services, family, friends and professional colleagues beat a path to their door to work for this woman owned, minority owned new venture. Work poured in and the coffers filled. Why? Because they made a cultural “promise,” based on their authentic values to interact with employees and customers alike from a place of collaboration, mutual communication and responsiveness. Totally unlike their previous toxic environment. And... they delivered. It’s been a thrilling 3 year ride! (Hear outtakes: Massive applause and cheers, awards ceremonies and testimonials, cha-ching and more cha-ching.) New owners like Carmen and Inez come to their business with well-honed professional expertise for which they have been acknowledged as [...]

Coaching for Business Partners: 4 Times to Work with a Skilled Business Relationships Coach

Business partnerships have a lasting impact on how and where a business will grow. It takes clarity and communication to make it work. All parties understanding their responsibilities, fulfilling the expectations of the mutually agreed-upon objectives for growing the business. Establishing processes to maximize each other’s strengths, focusing on commonalities in values, and shared visions for business outcomes creates a foundation of trust from which to grow. Business partner and owner coaching lead to successful outcomes. Figuring out how to bring unique individuals together in a successful business partnership is the goal. Because when things are going well, there’s an almost indescribable energy. And when things are going well between you, it carries throughout your organization and all relationships. Together you create better. You communicate better. You work better. You play better. You just do it all better. - Jan Hoistad This article takes a look at coaching for business partners and breaks down 4 times when you need the expertise of an experienced Business Relationships Coach whether you've been in business for a while or just starting a new business. How To Make a Business Partnership Work Business Partner Case Study Focusing For Better Alignment and Successful Outcomes Preventing or Repairing Difficulties in Business Partnerships Summary If you’re looking for guidance on improving your relationships in the business world, you’ll find lots of information on developing sales and management or leadership styles. Some resources focus on aspects such as presence, empathy, confidence, and listening skills. Information on how these [...]

4 Steps to Frame a Change and Manage Your Team During a Transition Period Within Your Business

When business owners, business partners, and leaders learn to carefully frame a change for their team, group, or employees, they assume the position of role model and outline how they intend to approach the change, and how they expect others to respond and behave. This 4 Step approach to FRAME IT ensures greater success and more efficient outcomes. Unanticipated change within your company can elicit a wide range of emotional responses in you and your team. On one end of the continuum, change is sometimes met with enthusiasm if it's perceived as a positive. For example, if you provide increased healthcare or child care, or time off benefits, you will likely see relief, even joy, among your employees. Other types of changes however may be met with anxiety, even fear, when perceived as a threat to the status quo. This often occurs when there is a change of ownership when new leadership is brought on or there are shifts in roles and responsibilities. A third reaction to change in the work environment is a more neutral — a go with the flow, matter-of-fact, seemingly resilient response to shifts being implemented. This indicates the change is not threatening. No matter the size of your business, owners, business partners, group leaders, and team managers are faced with many demands in the work environment. Decisions made at these times roll out a series of change events for small business teams or for multiple business groups in a large organization. Success, for [...]

Cultivate Your Leadership Skills for Business Development Success

  In the rapidly changing business landscape, there are key leadership skills that executives and their top people need to cultivate for long-term success. There are many important skills that can be developed at the leadership level. If you study well-known top leaders you’ll find many different qualities and strengths are highlighted. Some say these differences reflect key personality characteristics. Whatever the skills, these leaders are accomplished and laser-focused on two things: They see the big picture, building businesses that have solid foundation, while taking the pulse of the future. They make people want to follow their lead and contribute to that “cause.” That’s quite a combination. Such skills are inherent, inseparable from the person, like intelligence and aspects of personality. Other skills can be developed, such as emotionally intelligent awareness and communication skills. No matter your level of development along the leadership path, top level leaders and executives continue to challenge themselves and grow their skills. For the business this means: Keeping the focus on the “big picture,” delegating the details and management to effective people down the line. That means surrounding themselves with the right people to do every job within the organization. Facing daily and long-term realities and desired objectives, then making clear-eyed, effective decisions. Providing context, communicating not only cultural values and big picture objectives, but having a system of communication to swiftly and efficiently relay rapid changes,“why”those changes are necessary, and expectations. How can a business development consultant and executive coach assist in honing the [...]

How to Run a Successful Business Together as Business Partners

As in all close interpersonal relationships, when business professionals are unaware of different relationship styles—without a compatible mindset, and set of tools, and skills they can use together—each partner individually reverts to what they know best. What they know best is typically unconscious, old, less functional, patterns. This article will tackle these three points of context and answer the following questions... What are the pitfalls of co-owning or operating a business with your partner Understanding the choices and consequences of relationship styles What are the four keys to a successful business partnership Like everyone else, put two business owners together and you’ll find some random combination of approaches to relating which can get them in trouble when faced with conflict and their styles are different. Married couples in business together can be doubly susceptible since they live and work together. I always say when partnerships (personal or professional) are going well, they are wonderful. It's when faced with conflict or disagreements that relationship style differences bring on a challenge to change. What originally feels like a positive connection becomes confusing. Responses that used to work no longer work. Without new information, people do not know how to work themselves out of this sticky situation on their own. They can push it under the rug, but typically it does not go away without being addressed. That's why many couples work with therapists or life coaches. In the world of work, business, and careers, having a business coach or business transformation consultant [...]

Learn How to Face Demands of Responding to Life & Business Stages Together

All businesses and all individuals grow through natural stages of development over the course of a lifetime. Or they stagnate. They cease to grow. Growth spurts and developmental transitions naturally occur approximately every 7–10 years for individuals. Businesses also go through transitions and developmental stages when they grow from start-up through expansion. In business these stages are often marked by additional products, enlarged customer reach, and of course  increased revenues. Having a smooth functioning culture with happy employees who have the support they require to do their job and the resources for their personal and professional development all begins at the top—it starts with the leadership. For business owners and business partners, having a long-view toward future transition out of the company or sale of the business puts markers for growth into perspective. Business Partners Need to Learn How to Face Demands of Responding to Life & Business Stages Together When business partners are aware of these long-term objectives—and their partnering relationship is solid—communicating through growth stages and transitions, providing access to resources for individual development, and other cultural values, naturally go hand-in-hand with productivity expectations and profit markers. Even though it's a necessary and natural part of growth, transitioning into the next stage always provokes some discomfort, and even anxiety about the changes to come. Some owners are more sensitive to changes on the horizon, expect and anticipate them, and plan ahead. Others are heads-down focused on the day-to-day demands. These heads-down types are often blindsided by the new [...]

Choosing Among 4 Business Partnering Styles to Understand Their Impacts Your Business

Business partners work successfully together when they are coached to acknowledge individual differences but work toward common agreements. By doing so, they acquire the mindset, tools, and skills of a long-lasting and successful partnership. In this article, you’ll be introduced to four relationship styles entered into by business partners. In the four articles indicated throughout and at the end of this overview, each style will be discussed in greater detail. Unlike relationship therapy or counseling, coaching for relationship style empowers you with skills and tools so you start and stay aligned as business partners. This way you can focus on building your business together! Unconscious Assumptions and Expectations of Varying Relationship Styles Each business partnering style comes with conscious or unconscious assumptions and expectations. These in turn contribute in different ways to the communication and decision-making between the business partners or owners. These interpersonal aspects include: Feelings of ease, trust, respect, and the ability to count on one another. A sense of individual contribution, recognition, and loyalty. Ease and openness of communication. Invitation, support, and encouragement of unique perspectives as part of creative culture. A commitment to working on the “same team,” An attitude that “We can resolve anything together,” in navigating decisions and differences that impact personal satisfaction, as well as business success. Unique Differences Between Relationship Styles Each style is briefly analyzed along the following dimensions: The conscious or unconscious relationship mindset or perspective. This dimension is about ultimate decision-making power within the partnerships. It [...]

5 Ways to Improve Feedback So You Energize and Retain Your Valuable Business Team Members

A Growth Mindset approach to feedback will grow your team. Focus employees on how their contributions meet desired outcomes. It brings purpose to their work and energizes everyone to share creativity, be more efficient. Change occurs more quickly with clearly stated expectations and mentoring from you as a leader.   The media often presents a contradictory picture of young people, focusing on their almost constant need for praise and feedback. While the desire for a little praise and feedback is true of all generations and some personalities, too much praise—without problem-solving encouragement—has been found to be detrimental for individual growth from early childhood on. It can affect personal and professional growth. A few years back, the concern about over-praising and feedback was focused on Millennials. In my experience coaching professionals at all stages, it is more common among that generation. For those who are older, I notice a maturing of this need as they are guided to develop their talents. However there are others who rely on their out-going personal style and exhibit a people-pleasing drive. Everyone in the work world has experienced this aspect of the millennial charm. They’re the first to describe themselves as energetic can-doers — fast, smart, eager, and exuding self-confidence. They’re often great in an interview and show up to take on many tasks. Plus, they’re usually fun to be around. For this group and any generation, Professor of Psychology and researcher at Stanford, Dr. Carol Dweck, explores how doling out praise and [...]

Crafting Your Career and Life Story One Life-Stage at a Time

Careers, businesses and family lives develop through a series of phases. When fully—some would say success"fully" lived—each phase has an arc that rises, peaks, descends and resolves as the next begins. If you approach your career, business and personal developments with this natural structure and rhythm in mind, it allows you to live the current stage fully, anticipate and plan for next phase. This is true no matter your age, life stage or generation. Coaching can help you excavate these aspects of your life, oftentimes making a life feel richer in the reflection and taking intentional action. Nowadays, with such long-life, you have the opportunity to approach each decade, each 10 - 15 year phase acknowledging an underlying natural rhythm, focusing the arc of your activities toward outcomes—the personal and career growth, self-development learning and chronological life-stage accomplishments you desire—as you design, craft and create your life story. If you are a business leader, business owner or entrepreneur, on this foundation you can successfully craft the arc of business developments and plan the future with eyes wide open. Couples and Dual-Career Couples can integrate personal and professional with eyes wide open.   It's Your Story—You Get to Rewrite and Build Each Stage When you acknowledge the context of multiple 10-15 year phases, your career story takes on personal meaning—because you write it, and live it. Like many authors, the outcomes for their characters are not always fully known, but various factors compel the actions and eventual outcomes. The [...]

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