In our society, many people seem to believe that leadership is appointed by outside forces, other people or  positions we hold, but the truth is that leadership truly does come from within - it is a conscious decision to take action in your life.  Leadership is about being a doer - having a clear vision about where you want to go and then focusing your efforts on going after the opportunities that will make it happen.

Jack Trout’s book,The Power of Simplicity, contains my favourite description of leadership which I use as the litmus test for myself : “The way to quickly spot a nonleader is to watch for “should”!  When a viable suggestion is presented, the would-be leader says: “We should do that.” Usually the shoulds pile up and little gets done.  The real leader never uses the word “should”.  Their response to a good suggestion is “Let’s do it.”  Then its onto the next decision.”  Leadership is about making decisions and taking action.

This week I presented the ’10 Deadly Sins of Business Development’ at an RBC
Seminar for Women Entrepreneurs. It was a group of bright, high-energy
women running successful businesses who I found very inspiring. What I
found interesting was how many heads around the table started nodding when I
talked about sin #9 – Not Asking for What You Want. Nearly every woman in
that room admitted that they were terrible at asking for what they wanted.
They fear imposing on people, they think they will hear the word ‘No’. And
it is true, you may hear the word ‘No’ sometimes. But never asking for what
you really want guarantees a ‘No’ every single time. Ask for what you want
– the whole thing – not just bits and pieces. Don’t just ask for what you
think you might get. Ask for what you really WANT! I think you will be
pleasantly surprised at what you end up getting. And asking builds your
confidence. Go for it!

Last week I had the pleasure of speaking to the Nanaimo Ewomen Chapter on the 5 Deadly Sins of Business Development. It was clear from the reaction in the room that it was sin number 5 that resonated with these women the most – Not asking for what you want.

The truth is that most women do not ask for what they want – for many reasons. Fear of imposing, not wanting to bother people, not wanting to appear selfish. They ask for what they think they can get, after doing a complex mental equation in their head about what they think the other person is willing to give them! Why not ask for the whole thing? Get clear on what you need, ask for it and then let the person you are asking make their own decision about what they are willing to give. If you do only ask for a part of what you want, no one is going to read your mind and throw in everything else you want – they are just going to give you what you asked for. So put aside your fear, your prejudices and your worry about appearing selfish and simply ask for what you want. You will be pleasantly surprised by the results. Just this week one of my clients who has a very new business landed herself a spot on a television show simply by asking for what she wanted. She didn’t worry about hearing no – she just asked.

The Office Journal published this article earlier this month to tie in with their Olympic theme. It outlines 5 rules every business can use to succeed in sales - and is especially applicable if your company is hoping to take advantage of the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics in BC to develop business opportunities:

How would your business do if you had to relocate to a new country every two years where you had no customers, no contacts and no experience with local customs and business practices? Sounds like a nightmare, right?

This is the business model for Moving Products Inc. Their focus is the Olympic Games – they work with Olympic sponsor companies to outfit their guests, staff and technicians with customized clothing and accessory items. This eight-person company provides everything from footwear to headwear, and they handle every detail from sourcing product to delivery. To date they have been involved in 10 Olympic Games and worked with 150 Olympic sponsor programs.

And every two years, they move on to work in a new country. They just recently opened offices in Vancouver so I got the chance to sit down and chat with Ian MacDonald, CEO of Moving Products. I was curious to find out how a small Canadian company became such a big player in the business of the Olympics. Ian told me that the key to their success in this field is the same as it is for any other business in any market: to build trust with customers and prove that you can deliver.

“Our primary focus is not on selling stuff – it is to make sure the sponsor companies have the right Olympic experience,” says Ian.

The most recent example of this is the Johnson & Johnson project. J&J are official sponsors of the 2008 Beijing Games. The Moving Products team identified that few people are aware of the enormous number of personal care products made by J&J, so they approached them with the idea of putting together an amenities kit filled with sample sizes of their various products to maximize their Olympic exposure. J&J loved the idea. The Moving Products team has since taken the kit to all the other 2008 sponsors to have them use it as part of their own Olympic programs. Special kits have also been created for the 2008 Games volunteers, athletes, and officials. By using their experience in past games working with other sponsors, Moving Products was able to help J&J build strategic relationships with other corporate sponsors and get the J&J brand and products in front of world and corporate leaders.

For any company wanting to take advantage of 2010 business opportunities, here are Ian’s rules for Olympic business success:

1. Know where you fit and what your core business is. Moving Products is very clear about what their expertise is and they have a clearly defined niche market. They only pursue opportunities that fit their core business.

2. Know what strengths your company brings to the table. Be very honest in analyzing how your strengths and expertise will benefit a 2010 opportunity. Keep in mind that the Olympics are a major financial investment for these companies. There is no room for error. Everything must be done well and on time.

3. Work within your niche market to identify 2010 business opportunities for your company. There are many potential opportunities out there and it is easy for a company to get overwhelmed and feel like they are wasting time and money.

4. Clearly define who your targets are. It could be the Olympic sponsors, the organizing committee or other companies who will have an Olympic presence. For Moving Products, the key targets are companies that want to build partnerships with organizing committees.

5. Spend time getting to know your customer – do your research. What do they need? The CEOs and boards of directors of all major companies worldwide attend the Olympic Games so there is a lot of pressure to deliver. Look to build a partnership with them.

As Ian says, “It is not about the size of your company. Olympic success depends on your ability to clearly identify the right business opportunity for you and then go out and make it happen.” Moving Products is a prime example of a small company who identified Olympic gold and pursued it.

To view the article in its full glory go to:
Sales Pitch : Olympic business star gives 5 winning rules

Our annual “Taste of Success” week is set to kick off June 11th. The Ghost CEOs in Vancouver will be hosting 80 sessions for professional women and entrepreneurs interested in having a taste of business coaching. It has slipped out that the event is happening and already 17 spots are accounted for. These are 40 minute in person sessions happening in our downtown Vancouver offices.

Check out our promotion here: Taste Of Success Promotion Information