The Success Series: A mindset of improvement

All the topics we have focused on this year speak to a mindset of constant improvement. Your devotion to improving your marketing skills, your attention to practices that promote customer retention, your branding efforts, and your quest to create effective online networks all represent your commitment to building a better business.

So, I pose an important variable in the success equation: What commitments have you made aimed at your personal improvement as it relates to your business?

Each and every one of us is clear about our strong attributes—we all love to flex those muscles—but what are you doing to improve your weakest attributes? Are you even aware of the importance of making this a top priority?

Some experts believe that we should only focus on our strong points. I believe that strengthening our weakness makes us better operators.
 

A formula for success … Personal development does not need to come from that 2 a.m. TV program, and it doesn't require you to take up meditation (although, that might help). In fact, personal improvement is something almost all successful leaders emphasize, and while it's something that can manifest in many different aspects of your life, it almost always results in greater self confidence.

For example, I've found that brushing up on the latest technical information on industry products and processes has increased my ability to educate customers. Likewise, when I devote my attention to what they buy (or even stop to look at) in my store, I become better at serving their needs on a regular basis. Both of these efforts have improved personal development skills that have helped me grow my business.

I'm guessing that you would like to develop your own skills, too. Here's a three-question quiz to kick-start that process, and ensure that you strengthen weaknesses and exploit strengths:

1. What are the things you enjoy the most about your job? Most likely, how you answer that question reveals just what your strongest skills are. It is human nature to gravitate toward—and to exercise—the traits that are our strongest. For the sake of this exercise, let's say the things you like about your job all support your ability to communicate/sell/present to customers (these are my best qualities). Now that you've identified what's good, by all means continue to do those things. In fact, spend time in the next few weeks thinking of strategies you can employ at the garden center to do them even better.

2. What are other skills you have that are strong but not your best? Again for this exercise, let's say it's your ability to manage people. Can you lead your staff members into a fire and convince them they are not burning? (Again, I consider this to be another skill of mine; I'm using these examples to show you how I answered each question and responded accordingly). As with the first question, your answers here can help you map strategies to take your skill set to the next level—and take your business with it.

3. What is your weakest skill or attribute? Let's say it's avoiding conflict (again mine). Do you avoid conflict; are you uncomfortable to be in those situations? I realized that I was very uncomfortable and that I had to learn how to overcome this weakness to be a successful leader, because, let's face it: We will have conflict in our lives and at our businesses.
 

Think corporately. These questions can be applied broadly. Consider openly talking to colleagues and staff about what they consider their best qualities as well as their weakest. Put it all on the table. Talking about what your best/worst skills are makes strides toward enhancing/correcting the right things.

I suggest that you take 15 minutes a week to work on your weaknesses. This might require you to put yourself in uncomfortable situations on purpose, and to use different approaches to become more comfortable with your weaknesses. You'll soon find this also will force you to repeat this process over and over, and that will keep you in a constant state of improvement.