Hello I'm Brian Cooke.

This is Note # 13 on Big Career Questions.

Are you considering a new leadership role or career venture?

Here are several keys and questions to help you evaluate a new opportunity.

People. Do you respect, trust, and enjoy being with people associated with this venture? Will they encourage, support, and challenge you to be the best you can be?

Value Proposition. Do you believe in the business purpose, product, or service? Would you invest a significant amount of your own money in this enterprise?

Career Advancement. Assuming you are successful, where will this new experience position you professionally and financially in three years?

Risk. What is the risk of remaining in your current role? What is the worst thing that could happen if you accept and fail at this new venture? 

Rewards. Is this venture the most rewarding use of your time and talent? Will you have any significant regret if you decline this opportunity?

For more coaching and leadership lessons, connect with me at BCedX.com.

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Hello I'm Brian Cooke.

This is Note # 14 on Big Career Questions.

How do you know it is time to move on to a new role or different company?

Here are ten signs it may be time!

• It is becoming harder to get up and go to work every day with positive energy.
• You are doing the same work today that you were doing twelve months ago.
• You are spending too much time fixing yesterday’s problems and too little time designing tomorrow’s solutions.
• Your family and friends are concerned about your health, stress, and job satisfaction.
• Your company is struggling to retain key clients and win new work.
• Your boss takes your loyalty, production, and performance for granted.
• Your boss assigns the most interesting new work and high-profile projects to other people.
• Your compensation is falling behind market rates; your equity is becoming significantly diluted; or you are missing bonuses due to poor company-wide performance.
• Two or more colleagues you respect have left your firm and are prospering happily in new companies.
• Your skills and experience should be positioning you for bigger opportunities, but you feel boxed-in by the culture, leadership, and performance of your current business.

Is it time to move on to a new role or different company?

Although recognizing it is time to go is a big step, make sure odds are good that you are moving toward a better place!

For more coaching and leadership lessons, connect with me at BCedX.com.

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Hello I'm Brian Cooke.

This is Note # 15 on Big Career Questions.

In many industries, the current job market is the best it has been in years.

If you are not working at a great job or looking for a better one, you may be missing a career opportunity of a lifetime!

Here are ten signs to confirm you have a great job or nudge you to begin looking for a better one.

• Your work has a purpose that is especially meaningful for you!
• You like, respect, and trust your boss.
• The people you work with are smart, can-do professionals who appreciate your talent and welcome your leadership.
•  The culture of your workplace is positive, healthy, ethical, collaborative, and creative.
•  There is increasing customer demand for the product or service your workplace designs or delivers.
•  Your workplace manages its sales, operations, people, and investments reliably and effectively.
•  You are gaining valuable experience and learning a lot of things to accelerate your career. You are meeting interesting people and building a deep, diverse professional network.
• You are paid well and have potential to earn significant wealth.
• You know - in your heart – you have a great job … or you are ready for to find a better one!

For more coaching and leadership lessons, connect with me at BCedX.com.

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Hello I'm Brian Cooke.

This is Note # 16 on Career Success in Business.

Great leaders ask good questions.

Influenced by fundamentals of “design thinking,” here are some questions to help breakthrough to new levels of business performance.

What’s your why? Managers tend to focus on what needs to be done while leaders emphasize why something is worth doing. When we understand why something is worth doing, we are more motivated to do it.

What if? Leaders who explore possibilities are more likely to achieve breakthroughs than managers who dwell on obstacles and limitations.  Considering “what if” is a more powerful and creative mindset than dwelling on reasons “we can’t” do something.

What wows? Although incremental improvement is good, leaders earn big rewards when they design and deliver services that exceed customers’ expectations. What wows you? What could you do to wow others?

How might we? Intentions without action are unkept promises. Once we choose a destination, we must begin charting the course we will sail. What options are you considering for action? How will you proceed to achieve your goal?

What would have to be true for us to? Different market conditions reward different strategies. Does your strategy favor your skills, resources, and capabilities? Are you ready to adjust or pivot if the market turns unfavorable for the strategy you have chosen?

For more coaching and leadership lessons, connect with me at BCedX.com.

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Hello I'm Brian Cooke.

This is Note # 17 on Career Success in Business.

Although everyone has problems to solve, successful business leaders are better problem-solvers.

Are you solving the right problems?

Here are some practical suggestions for effective problem-solving and bigger performance breakthroughs.

Use the Pareto Principle. 80% of our performance is determined by 20% of our activities. Make a list of all the problems you are experiencing. Prioritize the “significant few” big problems that matter most. 

Define the problem. Write down your problem statement. For example, “we are focusing on ‘A’ as measured by ‘B.’” A written problem statement helps check for understanding and assure operational agreement on the problem you are solving.

Begin with the end in mind. Who will benefit most when this problem is solved? What is the cost of not solving this problem? How much will people pay for a solution? Do potential rewards for a solution justify investment needed to solve the problem?

The right problem solvers. Assign the right people to solve the problem. Who has firsthand experience with this problem and the people it impacts? Who has the knowledge, skills, and experience to design a winning solution? 

Root cause analysis and solution theory. Identify and analyze root causes – not symptoms - of the problem. Write down the proposed solution and action plan. For example, “In order to achieve X as measured by Y, we will do Z.”   

Build. Test. Learn. Repeat (Quickly). Build a prototype to test the proposed solution. Study how people use the prototype to validate or modify your design assumptions. Succeed or fail fast. Repeat this cycle to drive continual improvement and innovation.

How well do you solve big problems?

If we want to make a bigger difference, we need to be better problem solvers!

For more coaching and leadership lessons, connect with me at BCedX.com.

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Hello I'm Brian Cooke.

This is Note # 18 on Career Success in Business

Is the work you are doing today creating or eroding value in your business?

Simple as they may seem, here are six fundamentals every employee in a growing, profitable business ought to know.

Customers. A business will succeed when it solves significant client problems, meets client expectations, and anticipates clients’ future needs. What problem is your business solving? Is the work you are doing making a difference for your customers? Is your business growing through repeat business from satisfied customers and additional business new accounts?

Products and Services. Customers pay for products and services that make a difference in their lives. Do you understand what your customers require? Do you design, engineer, and deliver products that meet client expectations? Do you simplify your design and eliminate features that do not add value? Is your work evolving and adapting to changes in your customers’ lives? Are your products reliable and defect free?

Sales Revenue. Sales are fuel required for a business engine. Sales reflect and affirm value clients believe they receive from your products and services. Are your sales trends positive? Are you meeting or exceeding sales forecasts?  All customers matter but some customers matter more than others. What are your current sales from key accounts? How well are you pursuing and winning sales from new customers?

Cost/Expenses. Over time, successful businesses reduce cost to produce or deliver services and increase efficiency in overhead and general expenses. These efficiencies are tied to higher volume of production and relentless ongoing cost saving initiatives. What are you doing today to increase your productivity and efficiency? How could you accelerate process improvement and innovation to achieve efficiencies or cost reductions?

Gross Profit = Sales Revenue – Cost of Goods Sold.

Gross profit is the profit a business earns after deducting the direct costs of making and delivering its products or services. To increase gross profit, a successful business could: increase prices; reduce direct cost of goods sold; reduce scrap, waste, or unsold inventory; sell a greater quantity of more profitable products; and introduce new, more profitable products. What are you doing to help your company increase gross profit?

Cash Flow. Cash flow is the net amount of cash moving into and out of a business on a daily or periodic basis. Positive cash flow enables a business to pay its bills, settle its debts, reinvest in its business, and pay its shareholders. To assure and improve cash flow, successful businesses: reduce cycle time for production; ship and deliver product on-time; invoice promptly; offer favorable pricing or discounts for early payment; and manage inventory to accelerate turnover and eliminate slow-selling products. What are you doing to help improve cash flow?

Is the work you are doing today creating or eroding value in your business?

Once you understand how your business makes and loses money, you increase your ability to contribute to business change, growth, and performance. This is good for your company and your career!

For more coaching and leadership lessons, connect with me at BCedX.com.

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Hello I'm Brian Cooke.

This is Note # 19 on Health and Wealth.

For most executives there is a tension between earning wealth and maintaining health.

Sooner or later, the swift pace, demanding travel, and relentless performance expectations take a physical toll on leaders who neglect their health.  

Sometimes we do not appreciate the importance of health until we lose it. 

Here are suggestions for maintaining your health while earning wealth to enjoy for many years to come.

Physical Health. It is impossible to achieve and sustain peak performance unless you are physically fit. While some leaders have time and discipline for a regular workout program, we all can stand-up, stretch and walk more. Buy a pedometer and aim for a minimum of 7,500 steps every day. Insist on at least thirty minutes outdoors. Experiment with a stand-up desk. Try holding walking or stand-up meetings. Elevate your heart rate. Eat and drink smarter. No excuses!

Emotional Health. It is challenging to maintain emotional health in a fast-paced competitive marketplace. It can also be difficult to maintain a healthy attitude in a world that swamps us 24/7 with information, noise, and bad news. Beware of negativity. Adopt a “neutral or positive” mindset instead. Look for good news and celebrate achievements. Accept failure with humility. Be thankful for lessons from setbacks that may help you work smarter or pivot to a different target. 

Leaders who aim high bounce back stronger from setbacks.

Here are several considerations for quicker recovery and greater resilience. 

• Leaders who aim high are more likely to fail than those who believe good is good enough. Failure is a price champions pay from time-to-time while pursuing big goals and ambitions. 
• Expect occasional setbacks. Setbacks test our commitments. Setbacks challenge us to examine our preparation, evaluate our choices, and modify our strategy and practice.
• The sooner we acknowledge failure, the quicker we begin to prepare for our next achievement. Denying or rationalizing poor performance guarantees more poor performance.
• Take responsibility for your practice and performance. Making excuses or blaming others will not improve your preparation or sharpen your competitiveness.
• Win or lose, learn from experience. We learn more from failure than success. Analyze and learn from losses!

For more coaching and leadership lessons, connect with me at BCedX.com.

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Hello I'm Brian Cooke.

This is Note # 21 on Success.

Most successful leaders align their strategy with their competitive context. 

They anticipate diverse market scenarios, acknowledge headwinds, accept limitations, and adapt their game plan to actual circumstances.

Be the best at the game being played. 

You may prefer a specific strategy, but you must win the game you are playing!

For more coaching and leadership lessons, connect with me at BCedX.com.

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Hello I'm Brian Cooke.

This is Note # 22 on Success.

Here are four phases of a game and keys to winning performance.

Early Game. Prioritize opportunities and choose a game plan that will reward your strengths. Set a small yet significant goal to achieve in the opening phase of competition. Recognize and celebrate early achievements to gain confidence and build momentum.

Middle Game. Mastery of fundamentals and consistency in execution are hallmarks of teams that gain or extend their lead in the middle game. Excel at fundamentals. Trust your talent, teammates, systems, and routines. 

End Game. Confidence and conditioning are keys to finishing strong. Maintain a neutral or positive outlook no matter the score. Be prepared and committed physically, mentally, and emotionally to finish strong. Enjoy the competition.

Next Game. Learn from every game. Adjust your practice, preparation, and strategy to apply and leverage lessons learned. Move on quickly to your next opportunity. Believe in yourself. Keep moving forward!

For more coaching and leadership lessons, connect with me at BCedX.com.

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