Breakthroughs are what give leaders an edge, but they don't just happen and even the most successful leaders can miss opportunities. Successful and effective business leaders are defined by their ability to achieve breakthroughs, overcome obstacles and spur innovation and performance to push their companies to new levels.
Amy Fox, President, CEO and founder of Accelerated Business Results, suggests taking six steps to achieve breakthroughs with discipline and systematic focus:
1. Reclaim Your Time. Simplify your list of goals and strategies, identify your "make or break" critical factors and enlist your team to relentlessly pursue them.
2. Map Your Process. Leaders need to continually reevaluate their processes, with a focus on the customers' perspective, to find opportunities to improve.
3. Force a Fresh Perspective. There are many ways to do this that don't require a huge time commitment.
4. Connect More with Employees. "Participate in conversations with employees who are energetic and passionate," Amy says. "Doing this regularly not only makes employees feel valued, but can identify specific calls to action around the organization."
5. Learn from Dissatisfied Clients. Actively pursue client feedback. You'll always know where you stand and sometimes rebuild relationships.
6. Know When to Recharge and Reenergize. Encouragement, optimism and confidence are hallmarks of energized organizations. When they are running low for yourself or your team, it's time to refuel.
"No matter how you choose to recharge, the key is to step back and provide the care needed to re-energize yourself or your team so that you are primed for that next major breakthrough," she says.
Amy Fox is President, CEO, and founder of Accelerated Business Results (www.AcceleratedBR.com), a leader in innovative business learning solutions and a consultant to Fortune 500 companies on training and sales performance strategies.