Do You Have What it Takes to Drive Growth?
Crystal posted this on April 4, 2008
Today’s post was submitted by Kelly from MaximumCustomerExperience, who I call the Queen of Customer Consciousness. Absorb and savor her perspective on the topic of Vision:
EnVisioning the Future for Your Small Business
(Besides perhaps comics…) How many closed-minded and pessimistic success stories are there?
I had a conversation not long ago with a mentor who said he thought there were many business owners who did not have a Vision going in. I disagreed. Very few, I said, or not really thriving; people may not call it Vision, but passion, Purpose, optimism, driving force… Whatever you call it, it has to be there for optimum growth.
It’s not all there is
What is “The Secret†for your business? There is no secret. Positive thinking alone will not get you what you desire. Bad results are not somehow brought on from within. Passion will not always take you where you want to go, but I sure do believe that a lack of passion will stop you. If you believe you can… maybe you will. But if you believe you can’t, you won’t. That’s for sure. Not because you brought it on yourself; because if you believe you can’t, you simply won’t try hard enough to push past that belief. In business, you won’t inspire others in your firm if you’ve lost track of your inspiration.
On my wall, in one-foot tall gold lettering: “It’s on its way.†A phrase from Dr. Wayne Dyer that resonates with me and reminds me to keep my eyes on the big picture, for myself, for my family, and for my clients. The most important lesson is the one that’s not spelled out here: it’s on it’s way if you seek it out and bring it to you. If you sit on your duff and read the gold letters on the wall, it ain’t comin’ on its own.
So what does it take to drive growth?
A big picture. A Vision. A dream, goals, Purpose, all rolled into one.
Your Vision has to be aligned with the real world. Customers have got to love, want, need what you offer.
The most important ingredient is execution: take this fresh, focused Vision to the customer in the most clear and effective manner, demonstrate this focus in all interactions with the customer, and they will perceive that you will deliver on your promise.
There are surely lots of unsuccessful visionaries and optimists, but how many great successes are there who never knew what they were doing, were too busy too reflect or change course, and never believed in a purpose beyond getting to the end of another day’s work?
What’s your Vision?
Grow and be well,
Kelly Erickson
About Kelly Erickson
I’ve got a Vision: Your small business, growing in just the way you plan it. As the owner of VisionPoints, The Experience Designers, I’m obsessed with your success.
For more writings about Experience Design, visit the Maximum Customer Experience Blog.
Tagged with: big picture · pep talk
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28 Responses to “Do You Have What it Takes to Drive Growth?”
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Crystal,
Thanks for inviting me here. You’ve got a Vision for the Big Bright Bulb, and that’s what makes it such a neat place to hang out. I know exactly what you’re serving up here, and you come through every time with another article that’s right on target.
“Crystal Clear.”
Regards,
Kelly
Queen for a day of Customer Consciousness
(Y’think I could keep this neat crown?)
Kelly’s last blog post..Road Trip: Guest Post at Big Bright Bulb
Kelly - I like the words you keep on your wall. I have a vision board myself, with things like that, pictures, goals. As I reach them, I cross them off, add new goals, new pictures.
It really works. Thanks for inspiration today, and thanks also to Crystal for having Kelly here today.
Brett Legree’s last blog post..the power of one.
Brett,
My Vision organization system is similar to yours, but kept in my planner, so it can be with me everywhere. I’m a write-it-and-forget-it person, so that planner at my side is essential.
I sent Crystal a snapshot of the wall, which she wisely decided not to use. It wasn’t ready for its closeup.
Maybe now that it’s famous, I’ll gussy it up and do a nice photo shoot. I think it’s secretly always longed to be immortalized on the web.
Regards,
Kelly
Kelly’s last blog post..Road Trip: Guest Post at Big Bright Bulb
Kelly,
I think I should look more closely at your system. I never thought to do that, although I keep a list of my goals with me at all times - goals, mission statement, etc.
That’s a great idea
Brett Legree’s last blog post..the power of one.
@Kelly—The crown is all yours, babe
MCE is the most entertainingly useful blog I’ve found on customer service/satisfaction. Your real-world examples raise the bar on what I expect from other people, and what I offer folks, too.
I am SO glad you ‘get’ the purpose of Bx3! It’s good to hear that I’m doing my job. Credit goes to my business coach, Christine at ralliance.biz, who pushes me on wide thinking with focused action.
And y’all’s vision boards sound so interesting? I have a one page business plan for easy reference, but no imagery. I better get on that…it’s easy to lose sight of the “big picture”, and some actual pictures would help prevent that.
Thanks for commenting, guest posting, and all your big ideas
Looking forward to more photos of your Vision!
Brett, Crystal,
I read the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People years and years ago. It changed my life in a lot of ways, maybe the most important of which was, write everything in at least two places (planner plus computer, these days), then move on to the important stuff. Trying to remember, prioritize, keep straight, in one’s head, wastes a lot of time, and I’ve always been the happier for that lesson. Then I can concentrate on Vision and big picture!
Until later,
Kelly
Kelly’s last blog post..Road Trip: Guest Post at Big Bright Bulb
Howdy Brett, thanks for dropping in
I’m really keen on your vision board and its portable version, with goals and mission and whatnot. I have a dozen questions, like what all is on it, how big are they (wall size and wallet size?), is there a format? A template?
With all that you do (work, family, blogs), I can see where focal points and checkpoints would be useful. Your success with all of those things is why I’m hounding you for more
ps Aren’t Kelly’s ideas great? And she jokes that I mind her long comments…as if?
@Kelly—If the book impacted you that deeply, it’s worth investigating. I haven’t read it, so I’m off to bookmooch it! Thanks for the tip!
Nice job, Kelly. You make a lovely Queen.
Amy’s last blog post..HELP: an Acronym, a Tall Order
@ Kelly & Crystal,
I took a 7 Habits course at work last year, and although I was generally on the right path, it totally focussed me and changed me, I think. And that was a good thing.
I carry two items with me at all times, a stack of 3×5 index cards (aka a Hipster PDA) and a Moleskine notebook. The cards are for short term ideas like tasks to add to a task list, the notebook for writing ideas and journaling.
I keep my task list on Google Docs (and back it up regularly) so I can get to it anywhere. I also keep a local copy with my paper items (print it out in small font), along with my mission statement and goals.
My vision board I use for inspiration when I need to rest my eyes or look at the long term. I’ll take a photo and post it up somewhere or email it to you.
It is a large corkboard on my home office wall, and I have photos of places I’d like to visit or live, different things I’d like to have (hey, why not?), some motivational sayings and my goals list.
Kelly, you made me think though and I think I’ll print out the photo of it and carry it with me also.
You know, the more I think about it maybe I’ll write an off the wall blog post about this, I’m sure others would find it useful!
Thank you for your encouraging words about my success at what I do, it is nice to hear it from someone else as sometimes it seems there is so much going on and I have to do a reality check to see that I’m actually getting somewhere!
And yes, Kelly’s ideas are *excellent*!
Thanks for the words - Brett
Brett Legree’s last blog post..the power of one.
Brett & Kelly—Now I’m really excited about doing a vision board.
My coach suggested I do it, but I didn’t appreciate the value until y’all wrote about how it affected and (re)focused you. The portable version has my attention, too.
Now Sandy has reminder to tell me to do it AND 7 Habits is bookmooched and should ship tomorrow. You guys rock!
@Brett—Looking forward to that post (and the photo)! Was “off the wall” meant as a pun? Good’un
Crystal,
I’ll take a pic and send it to you tonight (Kelly too, if she’s interested). That will give me a chance to print it out in 3×5 size for my portable version (I love my colour laser printer).
The neat thing is that everyone’s vision board is different. I also play “don’t break the chain” with a wipe-off calendar board for my writing and exercise routines. I have to thank Jerry Seinfeld for that one. Smart guy.
I’m going to do the post for sure. I thought more about it on my lunch, and I think it will be a great post about something I love to do (I’m a closet personal productivity nut).
You caught that, eh?
I didn’t think about it until after I had posted it… LOL
Brett Legree’s last blog post..the power of one.
Oooo, a portable version printed to scale in color? It’s on now (as the kids say)!
And you’ve commented on your vision board, your index cards, and Jerry’s chain—you can consider yourself officially outed on personal productivity
I genuflect to you because I’m a paper collector, like my mother and her mother before her. I come from a long line of packrats. My mother has reformed, my Grand hasn’t. I’m working on it…
That said, I’m realllly looking forward to your vision board post.
Yes, I love paper too, as you know (Twitter is a great way to get to know people). The smell of a book… ah.
Our families must come from the same lineage, as I don’t throw out much of anything… there’ll always be a use for it, someday!
Talk with you soon - Brett
Brett Legree’s last blog post..the power of one.
Brett,
I’d love to see it! You might consider putting it on your About page, too. I think it sounds like a great photo to show all about you when folks click through.
[P.S. Get that email subscription working! I keep trying...]
Later,
Kelly
P.P.S. I have decided, I do not get adored like this nearly often enough. You couldn’t chase me away with a stick before, but now it’s worse. Thanks, guys, for all the kind words (now go Stumble six posts at MCE hint hint, which reminds me I don’t do that nearly often enough for others…). Any more kindness and my cheeks will go all pink.
Kelly’s last blog post..Road Trip: Guest Post at Big Bright Bulb
Kelly, then it shall be done! I’ll email the pic tonight to you as well, and since I love your idea of putting it on the About page, I will do that too and give you credit for it.
I’m also going to put a real picture of me up there, I’m not shy to show the world “me” and I have a nice one of me in New Zealand (from last year) where you can see my face (well, profile shot).
I’ll ask the Sith Lord (aka Harry) to help me with the email thing, I tried the other day and no luck. Still have to do 301 redirect, fix my old links, some of my thumbnails look like a dog’s breakfast… fail early, fail often!
Brett
PS - speaking of social media stuff, *I* need to do more of that for people like you, I just noticed today that you’ve fav’d me on Technorati - THANK YOU!!! that was very nice.
PPS - you know, this is what I love about the dialogs we have out here - a goldmine of ideas. This is how it works.
Brett Legree’s last blog post..the power of one.
Brett,
Yes, I fav’d you twice, like a dork, once at the old place then realized the mistake and fav’d the new place. I think I removed the old one, though.
After I finished typing the above, I went and Stumbled about a million things that I keep saying “I should really do that.” (It’s not hard, why do I put it off?) I’m no pro at SU, but I know even minor Stumbling brings a few newbies here and there, so you, Crystal, and twenty-five other people I really should have been thanking for blowing my mind with great thoughts might (?) see itty, bitty, Kelly-sized lifts on a few posts.
[I love my Technorati rank, which is currently terrible. I don't watch it obsessively, but I keep a file in my computer-notes where Vision-y stuff for the blog is, with a little stats info like Technorati that I update just once in a while when I think of it. The reason I love it is because it goes up so nice and steadily. Very Capricorn, slow and steady wins the race.]
I agree about the dialogue. I’ve been writing my whole life, but boy, blogging and I were made for each other. I don’t know why I waited so long.
I was commenting around the universe for a good while before I started the MCE Blog, and the more I saw a little post with a few ideas become so much more down in the comments, the more I decided I’d like to try my hand at these conversation-starters. It’s a way to evangelize, really, to so many more people than I can ever reach just through my clients, and to expand my own thinking by bouncing off commenters. So cool!
I wish more small business owners knew about this medium. I talk to “real” people (sorry, y’know what I mean) every day, and most have only a vague idea what I’m talking about. That’s why the stats grow so slowly. Blogs are at the bursting point in some fields, but they are still a growth medium for small business.
Which is why Big Bright Bulb rocks.
Oy, I do go on so!
Later,
Kelly
Kelly’s last blog post..Road Trip: Guest Post at Big Bright Bulb
@ Kelly, well you certainly are not a dork, I thought it was kind of neat that you did it at both blogs
So thanks again! I know how you feel about this thing we call blogging and the associated commenting dialog. It is a great feeling, to be out here meeting people, exchanging ideas. It is great to be out here meeting all of these people, just like you & Crystal, who “get it”.
Slow but steady wins the race. I laugh because I tell people at work I’m blogging, and they think I’m cutting down trees and selling them. But I’m making progress, daily, learning more and more.
Anyway, where was I going with this? Oh yeah you rock, and Big Bright Bulb rocks too.
Talk with you soon, your unreal friend LOL,
Brett
Brett Legree’s last blog post..the power of one.
Ha!
New signature?
Unreally yours,
Kelly
Kelly’s last blog post..Road Trip: Guest Post at Big Bright Bulb
I like that, “unreally yours”
it sort of fits in a different way too, I used to play the game Unreal a lot…
Now I don’t game, too much fun blogging and writing - doing something good.
Brett Legree’s last blog post..the power of one.
Brill article, straight to the point and sooooo relevant for where my minds at now
Emilie,
Thanks for that! I hope it helps you focus. Crystal’s always getting “straight to the point” for the smallest businesses, and it was fun to be Queen for a day here!
Regards,
Kelly
Kelly’s last blog post..Tip of the Week: Thank-You Knowts—So Old They’re New Again
It’s on it’s way…my new favorite quote. Thanks, very inspirational article for business owners like myself.
Jen’s last blog post..How to Tackle Student Loan Repayment – 3 Tips to cover your monthly payments
Jen,
I’m glad you enjoyed the article, and I’m glad Crystal invited me here to write it, because practical inspiration is what Big Bright Bulb does best. I hope it helps you work toward new growth for your company!
Regards,
Kelly
Kelly’s last blog post..The Value of Silence
GROUP HUG!
Great post!
I’ve always had a big vision so there is never a problem there… Dreams and Goals are a huge part of success and if you don’t have big dreams then you won’t have the motivation to reach your goals…
KG Lew’s last blog post..Issue 39 : A Winning Design.
Hi KG–Too right…where’s the joy in aspiring to cautious goals? I tended to dream small, but my business coach turned that around on me.
From her, I’ve found that working on small, safe tasks is ideal for my workstyle. But it’s critical that once a month I get away from the keyboard, sprawl out with a notepad and pen, dream limitlessly, and sketch out a BIG future. From that I build a list of manageable mini-goals, which doesn’t alarm me quite so much
KG,
Seeing something on the far horizon is a wonderful way to keep moving forward. Keep dreaming big. I’m glad that works for you.
I really like what Crystal said, too. It is really important to break it down into the manageable mini-goals—that’s one way to align your Vision with the real world. If the horizon looks too far away, that can give you signposts to let you know you’re getting closer.
Regards,
Kelly
(who belatedly returns *hug*)
Kelly’s last blog post..Why Noise Is Essential