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 I simply had to share this post by Owen Joyce with you as it succinctly describes an issue so often faced with clients – its not me its you!

Last Friday I spoke with a client and something she said stuck in my mind. We were finishing a conversation about her recruitment practices and she said that she felt positive about her decision to work with us because, in her words, “I just realised that I had to change”.

There seem to be two different types of business owners that we come into contact with. There are those who are consistent learners who actively seek out ways to improve their skills, knowledge and attitudes. These business owners have the mentality that you need to ‘learn sustainable solutions’. Then, there are the business owners who don’t see learning as an important part of the process. These business owners have the mentality that you need to ‘find quick solutions’.

The question is; if you are having trouble pushing your business to the next level is it because of outside factors or problems that you cannot control or are these issues more likely to be connected to your own skills? Think of it this way. Imagine a business in your industry that is ten times the size of yours. If you were to take the managing director of this business and put him or her into your business, would they be able to take it to the next level?  If you think they could, what’s the difference between them and you? It’s unlikely they are more intelligent so it boils down to knowledge, experience and their attitudes towards things like marketing, money, relationships, staff, planning and so on.

There is no shame in admitting that you’re not a top notch marketer, sales person, accountant, capital raiser, planner, people manager etc. but when a deficiency is identified it’s important to do something about it. The wonderful thing is that these things can be learned. You can learn to have different attitudes towards money, you can learn to have different relationships with staff and you can learn new ways to promote your business. At the end of the day it’s about making a decision on whether uncontrollable external factors determine the fate of your business or you do.   

If your looking for resources to develop your skills in business check out  ‘yourbusinesssuccess’, which is Owen Joyce’s site. As a Coach and consultant I’m commited to assisting businesses to succeed so for more tools and tips to grow your business subscribe to ‘Changing Times’ or follow our ‘Twitter feed’.