It’s time to pause and find optimism
We regularly see articles in the media about consumer optimism or business sentiment – and they are an important measure of the mood or feeling in the economy – are things getting better or worse? What does the future look like? They give us a good indication of how our customers might be feeling – are they likely to spend more money?
In the same way we should be looking internally – I wonder what response you would get if you surveyed your employees, your own customers, your suppliers?
As business owners we need to manage the energy and feeling within the business – many articles have been written about CEO standing for Chief Energy Officer – there is a reason for this and its important.
People generally dislike negativity and doom & gloom. How many times have you been next to someone at a dinner or social event and ended up feeling depressed by the end of the night because of their outlook or mood. In the same way customers don’t like to buy from , employees don’t like to work for and people generally don’t like to be around negative leaders.
BUT – what if you have had a terrible week – employees called in sick, a major client still hasn’t paid your bill and the BAS is due next week and you haven’t had time to look at it.
The key is to be aware of and manage your own energy. Your energy as a business owner or leader will rub off on those around you, your language is vitally important to those around you.
We recently hosted a lunch where the Coach Whisperer – Bradley Stubbs briefed several of our clients (all business owners and CEO’s) on the importance of language and belief in business. We are also often guilty as business owners of being so busy we never stop to “smell the roses”. We should pause daily and acknowledge the positives we live in the best country in the world, we have a stable economy, a safe and relatively trouble free community and it is an easy place to do business.
In order to approach business optimistically – simply pause, smell the roses and acknowledge all of the good things. Take time out to rest and be with family and friends, plan positively for the future (both yours and the business) and watch the changes around you.
Would you like to share your views on Optimism and how a positive approach can help your mid sized business and its employees. Contact First 5000 editor Helen Hull at editor@first5000.com.au.
Craig West is the CEO of Succession Plus, a boutique advisory firm specialising in business succession and exit planning. In addition to earning some of the industry’s highest awards, he is also the author of ‘Enjoy It’, a business succession and exit planning guide for small and medium business owners. Craig received the Doctor of Business Administration award for his research thesis titled “Examination of the key factors driving business exit options in Australian Small and Medium Enterprises” in 2022. Craig is passionate about encouraging business owners to think strategically, maximise the value of their business and achieve a successful exit.
