Is it important that your employees follow the company's rules?

Or, is it more important that your employees understand how their work aligns with the vision of the company?

It is my strong belief that if your employees just follow the rules, you might as well have hired robots. There will be no feeling or passion in their actions. If you can help your employees understand how their thoughts, feelings, and beliefs can be aligned with their work for you, they will do better work.

This is where the problem is! Most business owners are wary or nervous about approaching the so called ‘touchy feely’ topics. Sadly, because they avoid these areas the business loses; this is because the business owner has not been able to help create an alignment between the business goals and the personal goals of the employees. Thus there is no motivation for the employees to really apply themselves for the good of all.

What is one thing you can do today that will create a stronger more aligned work-force?

Do you feel that improving your business writing is important?

Would an improvement have an impact on your business?

Recently I came across an article called ’10 Tips on Writing from David Ogilvy’ by Maria Popova. For those of you who don’t know who David Ogilvy is, he was an advertising executive. He was called by many as "The Father of Advertising." In 1962 Time Magazine called him "the most sought-after wizard in today's advertising industry."  Now that you have the background I would like to give you the 10 Tips as mentioned in the article;

1. Read the Roman-Raphaelson book on writing. Read it three times.
2. Write the way you talk. Naturally.
3. Use short words, short sentences and short paragraphs.
4. Never use jargon words like reconceptualize, demassification, attitudinally, judgmentally. They are hallmarks of a pretentious ass.
5. Never write more than two pages on any subject.
6. Check your quotations.
7. Never send a letter or a memo on the day you write it. Read it aloud the next morning — and then edit it.
8. If it is something important, get a colleague to improve it.
9. Before you send your letter or your memo, make sure it is crystal clear what you want the recipient to do.
10. If you want ACTION, don’t write. Go and tell the guy what you want.

Speaking of action, when will you start to use these tips?

Do you have an important concept or idea that you need to tell others?

Is it something you are deeply passionate about?

Is this concept or idea something that you know can make a difference in the lives of others. If it is, what is stopping you from taking action?

If this idea has got you passionate about it, it is your mission in life. If it is that intense you have a responsibility to take strong action. Strong action requires that you do not quit until you have tried every possible way until you succeed.

The saddest part of life is having the great ideas we have die within inside us.

When will you take action on all of your great ideas?

What is your breakthrough goal for this week?

What do you mean that you haven’t got one?

I believe the word ‘breakthrough’ is the most descriptive word because it means that you have broken through a challenge or barrier in your own thinking. Let me give you an example. Let’s say you’ve been having difficulty getting in contact with a key prospect. So you make this a breakthrough goal. Then you follow it up with a session to help you will come up with new and unique ideas that you have not used before to get in contact with this key prospect. You list all of the ideas, and select the top 5 that you want to work on this week. Then you take action.

How do you expect to move forward or enhance your life if you have not set (in writing) what you want to achieve this week?

When will you take action on this?

What is your prime business focus?

Are you sure that is what it is?

To me the prime focus in business is what you concentrate the majority of your time on. So if you spend the majority of your time looking at Facebook or being on Twitter, then that is the prime focus. Tell me, how much have you earned on Facebook or Twitter? If you are saying that your company pays you anyway – think again. If they see you slacking off, some one else can surely improve on your results, couldn’t they?

Can I make a suggestion? Why don’t you keep track of the time you spend doing all your activities for one week? This way you can really see your focus.

Then you can make the decision to improve your life.

Will you start this today?