Archives for 2021

The Importance of Project Milestones

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When you’re working on something important, be it big or small, you need to set project milestones! Even if you’re already halfway through a project when you’re reading this, take the time to make milestones for the rest of what you have to complete. You’ll quickly realize how useful they are once you start using them.

So what’s so important about project milestones and how do you use them?

Projects are More than What They Seem

Even a project that seems relatively simple on the surface, such as ‘hire a VP of Sales’ can have several smaller tasks that need to be completed in order to ensure the project’s success.

“Project milestones are important points on a project’s timeline that employees can look at for visual progression of the project. The thought behind making milestones is to categorize the parts of a project into digestible sections opposed to viewing the whole project at once; this should motivate your team to complete tasks on time.” – Entry

Without separating a project into these smaller project milestones, it’s much easier for things to get mixed up or for the task to look too daunting to take on. It’s far more tempting to procrastinate on a huge, difficult project than if it was just one small task at a time.

Using Situational Leadership for Project Milestones

When leadership is certain that all the steps it takes to complete a project have been examined and each of those tasks is assigned to someone specifically, then they can use situational leadership.

“Situational leadership is about adapting the style of leadership to employees involved, with an eye to the environment within which they operate. It is, therefore, more about a leader’s ability to adjust to the situation in front of her, than about personal leadership skills.” – Manage Magazine

By separating your project into project milestones, as a leader you can adapt to each task that needs to get done. This way you’ll have a much easier time finding strategies to get each part completed instead of trying to do things one way the whole time.

Making a Detailed Action Plan

By setting project milestones, each project’s action plan can be budgeted, measured for progress, and supported with skill development along the way. This level of detail will also allow teams and companies to execute much faster. This is because everyone is clear about what needs to be done, by when, and by whom.

“When you’re ensuring that a step-by-step action plan is in place for every project before it gets started, ensure that you include each of the critical components that need to get done to hit the goal.” – Cameron Herold

Each step of the project can have a date assigned to it regarding when it will get done. Then having a system in place to follow up on those milestones will ensure that work gets done quickly, on time, and on budget, instead of sliding down the slippery slope of being overdue.

Try this on your next project. Set specific milestones building up to its completion. It may seem tedious at first, but you’ll quickly learn how much it improves and speeds up the process of getting things done.

If you have questions or would like more information, I’d be happy to help. Please send an email, and my team will get in touch with you!

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in July 2012 and has been edited for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

Three Roles Every Meeting Needs

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In a well planned, well run, and effective meeting everyone knows their role. There are three vital roles, no matter how big or small it is, that every meeting needs to have. Those are a Chair, a Timekeeper, and Participants.

Let’s talk more about these three roles.

The Chair

The Chair classifies what type of meeting it is right upon invitation to it. Also, they announce the guides and agenda of the meeting right at the start of it. The Chair also closes discussion five minutes before the end of the meeting to ensure that people can get to their next one. They take care of any other similar responsibilities that might come up along the way.

Because of these responsibilities, the Chair needs to be a strong leader. People need to listen to them and they need to know how to make people listen to them. The Chair is the person who runs the meeting. They are a leader in the strongest sense of the word.

“The leader is required to keep things on track, even when conversations are starting to stray. You want to be liked by your employees and coworkers and that sometimes means being tempted to join them in straying from the topic of the meeting. It’s up to you to be the one who steers the conversation back, even if that means being the bad guy.” – Cameron Herold

The Timekeeper

The Timekeeper’s role is a rather self-explanatory one. That doesn’t make it any less important. The Timekeeper’s role in a meeting is to make sure that everyone stays on schedule and that every point in the agenda is covered. They prevent the Chair and the Participants from lingering too long on any one point. Their role is vital if a meeting is going to be a productive one.

“Meetings take the time you give to them, so limit that time. Maybe cut it in half if the usual meetings tend to feel slow, and you can increase productivity immensely.” – Cameron Herold

It’s important to compress the length of a meeting to make it as productive as possible, but that means the Timekeeper needs to be at the top of their game. That means the Timekeeper needs to make sure no one is wasting time, even if they have to feel like the bad guy when they interrupt the topic of conversation that has strayed to the Chair’s new cat.

The Participants

What’s a meeting without participants? The Participants in a meeting are not passive observers. They need to arrive at meetings prepared to contribute and stay interested throughout the meeting, no matter how long.

Participants are responsible for participating. It’s in the name! When ideas are needed, they give them. If they have ideas that don’t need to be handled in the meeting, they’re responsible for remembering it for a later date. The Participants are the base of a meeting. One is completely impossible without them.

According to Your Article Library some roles of the participants in a meeting are:

  • Do homework/gather information
  • Be punctual
  • Participate actively
  • Take initiative
  • Follow rules
  • Take responsibility
  • Disagree agreeably

There are so many more, too. That just proves how important the Participants are, even if they aren’t big leaders like the Chair.

Every role in a meeting is important, these three are just the most vital. If you’re missing one, an effective meeting is impossible. Be aware of these roles and know who is who before every single meeting.

If you have questions or would like more information, I’d be happy to help. Please send an email, and my team will get in touch with you!

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in June 2011 and has been edited for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

How to Have an Effective WAR Meeting

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There are many different kinds of meetings a business needs to understand and have. One of these is called a WAR meeting. It is very important for any company’s leadership team to know how to host one of these effectively. This blog will help you understand how.

First, What is a WAR Meeting

A company’s leadership team needs a weekly meeting structure to update each other and stay on the same page. WAR stands for “Weekly Action Review,” and is a weekly ninety-minute meeting that each department holds for their entire team.

The format of this kind of meeting is based on a process called “Forum Meetings” used by Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) and Young Presidents Organization (YPO).

How Does it Work?

For the first thirty minutes of a WAR meeting each person gives a quick three to five-minute update that answers these questions:

  • What went well last week?
  • What didn’t go well last week?
  • Where am I stuck?
  • What are your top three things to work on this week?

Having each person follow this system keeps each team aligned with what they’re working on.

The second thirty minutes of a WAR meeting is when the team reviews the metrics on the dashboard for that business area, looking for areas of concern as well as bright spots. By reviewing the key numbers for their business area every week, people start holding each other accountable and realize that their key metrics roll up to the leadership team. Because of this, they know they must figure out the answers before they are asked.

During the final thirty minutes, the group tries to evaluate some of the areas that team members were stuck on earlier. The group then works together to share experiences and ideas to help out their teammates. The simple process of sharing is actually really impactful in building a team.

Tips on Meetings

In general, there are some useful tips that can make any kind of meeting, like a WAR meeting, more productive. Some of those things are:

  • Holding face-to-face meetings as often as you can.
  • Start off your meeting with a clear agenda.
  • If you’re running a meeting, arrive early.
  • Make sure everyone knows their role in a meeting.
  • Book your meetings for shorter periods of time.

“Work expands so as to fill the space that we give it.” If you don’t overestimate the time you need for a meeting, you will find your meetings becoming more efficient and you’ll absorb more time that you need for other tasks.” – Forbes

Dedicate your WAR meeting to ninety minutes. Even if it seems like you have a lot to cover, don’t dedicate more time than that. The tighter the time, the more motivated everyone is to be productive.

Just like many different kinds of meetings, WAR meetings are important to have and important to do right! Make sure you and everyone attending is clear on how they work and what needs to get done.

If you have questions or would like more information, I’d be happy to help. Please send an email, and my team will get in touch with you!

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in April 2011 and has been edited for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

Tips for Staying Focused

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Focus is vital for any business leader who wants to be productive and keep their business running smoothly. It can be really beneficial to keep an updated list of tips you’ve come across to stay focused and look back at it every once in a while, especially when you’re feeling like you’re struggling with focus. Every time I come across my list and re-read it, it always gives me a little boost of focus to get more done.

Take a look at the focus tips for business leaders below. Hopefully, they’ll be a good start to your own list and help you and your team stay focused.

Breathe

Sounds simple enough. During a talk by the great speaker Victoria Labalme, she quoted the famous mime Marcel Marceaus, under whom she had studied. Marcel used to say, “breath, breath.”

Even the words of a mime can benefit a business leader. It’s amazing how slowing down to breathe as they do in yoga really helps the brain to calm down and find focus once again.

Fast Company talks about one of the most popular ways to breathe more deeply to improve focus. It’s an approach developed by  Dr. Andrew Weil called the 4-7-8 method. It helps to calm the mind and relax the muscles, certainly something any business leader needs once in a while with such a busy job. Here’s how it works:

  • Breath in through your nose for four counts and focus on your belly expanding as you do. Make sure your shoulders aren’t going up. You need to breathe in low and deeply.
  • Hold that breath for a count of seven,
  • Finally, blow out through your mouth for a slow, steady count of eight. If possible, put your tongue behind your bottom teeth so that it makes a slight whooshing sound as you exhale.
  • Do this two times a day religiously.

“Weil says the method works because it allows the lungs to become fully charged with air, allowing more oxygen into the body and leading to a state of mental and physical calm” – Fast Company

Compress Time

Pretend you only have two hours a day to work. What three to five things would you do during those two hours a day? Once you know what those are, delegate, or stop doing everything else that you currently do and start doing only those three to five things all day, every day.

Compressing time is how business leaders stay focused, not just on their own work, but in how they make sure everyone else’s time is treated as valuable by keeping the focus in things such as meetings.

“When you are booking a meeting you should try to ‘compress time’ where you can. Take whatever time you immediately think you’ll need for a meeting and cut that number in half for the booking period. So, instead of a one-hour meeting, book it for thirty minutes.” – Cameron Herold

Meetings take the time that you give them. The more time is given to them, the more room there is to lose focus and go off-topic. By compressing time, there isn’t room to stray from the tasks at hand. The same goes for your own work time. If you don’t give yourself enough time to do anything beyond your most important tasks then it’s much harder for your focus to stray from them.

Get Off Your Email

Email has got to be one of the worst time-wasters ever, especially for business leaders that tend to get a ton of them. Instead, start your day by working on one of your top tasks of the day, as mentioned before. Don’t even think about checking your email until 4 pm and no earlier. No matter what you tell yourself, it really can wait. As soon as you start checking email the temptation will be to get sucked into it, drawing your focus away from doing anything actually productive.

Years ago, at 9 am, I sent all eight of my direct reports the same email, “Don’t tell anyone, but come find me in the boardroom right away.” I then walked calmly to the boardroom. Within three minutes, six of my eight reports were in the boardroom.  The other two were there by the five-minute mark.  It quickly showed me and them how little they were focused on the critical projects and how distracted they could be with emails.

I’ve even tried this with business leaders like CEOs whom I mentor and coach.  Most of them fail terribly, calling me instantly.  A few are awesome and don’t call until the following day, saying, “Sorry I didn’t get to you sooner, I’m doing what you told me and not checking email.”

There are so many strategies out there to help you stay focused as a business leader, such as setting timers, minimizing distractions, and even listening to music. These are only a few, but the few most effective. Try them out and see how much they help you focus.

If you have questions or would like more information, I’d be happy to help. Please send an email, and my team will get in touch with you!

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in April 2011 and has been edited for accuracy and comprehensiveness. 

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Meetings Suck: Turning One Of The Most Loathed Elements Of Business Into One Of The Most Valuable

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We all know that meetings suck, right?

You hear it all the time. It’s the one thing that almost everyone in business can agree on.

Except it’s not actually true… 

Meetings don’t suck.

We just suck at running meetings.   

When done right, meetings not only work, they make people and companies better.

In Meetings Suck, world renowned business expert and growth guru Cameron Herold teaches you how to use focused, time effective meetings to help you and your company soar.

This book shows you immediately actionable, step-by-step systems that ensure that you and everyone in your organization improves your meetings, right away.

In the process, you’ll turn meetings that suck into meetings that work. 

In life, we always hear about people who’ve made huge decisions from their gut – without data.Today, I want you to make a decision, not only from your gut, but also from some data.  A decision that is only $12 per employee but will be priceless for your business.

Right now, your gut is telling you something is wrong with your company’s meetings.  You KNOW everyone complains about meetings.

People HATE going to them, they HATE running them, and they really have NO idea which meetings are truly necessary but they hold meetings simply because they think that is what they SHOULD do.

Even some of the smartest CEOs in the world complain about meetings – Elon Musk publicly told employees at Tesla & SpaceX to walk out of meetings if they weren’t being run properly.

I sent Elon a message saying that wasn’t going to fix anything – the key is to fix the root of the problem – NOT continue to ignore why meetings suck.

A Meeting is – Any phone call, video call or occasion where 2 or more people meet to discuss or work-through office topics.

Most employees on average spend 1-2 hours per day in meetings.

And likely, none of those employees – front-line staff or leaders – have had any training on how to attend meetings or participate in them, LET ALONE How to RUN THEM.

Consider this…

If the Average employee spends just 1 Hour per day in meetings – that’s 1/8th of their time.

If the Average employee earns $50,000 per year.

And they’re spending 1/8th of their time in meetings, that means you’re paying $6,250 dollars per year for just ONE employee to attend meetings.

The reality is, employees spend 1/8th of their time – and 1/8th of your company’s payroll – doing something they have literally NO idea how to do.

The Reality is…

95% of employees are booking & leading meetings – and they have NEVER been trained on how to run them.

95% of employees have had NO training on how to show up and participate in the meetings they attend daily.

And 95% of employees and companies have no idea what meetings are even necessary to hold.

Meetings CAN be hugely effective – IF you know how to run them

Meetings don’t SUCK, we just SUCK at running meetings. 

Investing $15 per employee – to help ensure the $50,000 a year you spend on them is an obvious and easy choice.

This could be the most impactful $15 you’ll ever spend and will save the company’s money, time and resources instantly.

Buying a copy of Meetings Suck for 100% of your employees and having them read it this month will have a huge impact on your company’s success.

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Free PR: How To Get Chased By The Press Without Hiring A PR Firm

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Public relations has always been an essential part of doing business which is probably why you’re shelling out big money to an outside PR firm. But the truth is that you don’t need them. You already have all the necessary tools in-house to do as good a job as the so-called experts. 

Cameron Herold and Adrian Salamunovic have taught thousands of company execs how to exploit free media coverage and ditch these expensive, often ineffective outsiders. 

Cameron & Adrian have also built in-house PR teams, spent decades learning how to generate Free PR and how to leverage public relations to complement their sales and marketing strategy. 

In Free PR, you’ll learn how the media world operates while you gain invaluable insider knowledge and actionable advice on how to: 

  • Build your own in-house PR team
  • Provide effective interviews
  • Score great media coverage for free with just a few easy steps 

Landing public relations coverage for yourself and your company is a powerful tool to help elevate your personal brand. PR is easier to generate than marketing, PR is easier to leverage than marketing and PR is more cost effective than marketing. In other words, Public Relations is more critical than ever in growing your brand and your business. 

You’ve got more passion, commitment, a larger stake, and a deeper understanding of your business than any outside PR firm could ever have. So stop wasting money and take the reins yourself.  Learn the secrets to landing TONS of Free PR for your company.

What they’re saying:

“I think PR is the core for promoting any business. Public relations acquires customers! That’s what’s cool about this book.”

– Kevin O’Leary,  Shark on ABC’s Shark Tank

“The ultimate guidebook for those looking to get press, grow their brand, and get in front of the masses. Free PR is the roadmap you’ve been looking for.”

– Peter Shankman, Founder, Help a Reporter Out (HARO)

“Adrian and Cameron will show you the secrets of getting massive exposure for your business. This book is packed with actionable insights from two guys that actually know how to to do it.”

– Dan Martell,  Serial Entrepreneur & Investor (Intercom.io, Unbounce)

“I told Cameron to write the book on generating free PR. I’m excited to see that he’s finally sharing his secrets with the world. This is a must read for any entrepreneurial company and marketing team.”

– Verne Harnish, Founder of Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) and author of Scaling Up (Rockefeller Habits 2.0)

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Vivid Vision: A Remarkable Tool For Aligning Your Business Around a Shared Vision of the Future

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Many corporations have slick, flashy mission statements that ultimately do little to motivate employees and less to impress customers, investors, and partners. 

But there is a way to share your excitement for the future of your company in a clear, compelling, and powerful way and entrepreneur and business growth expert Cameron Herold can show you how. 

Vivid Vision is a revolutionary tool that will help owners, CEOs, and senior managers create inspirational, detailed, and actionable three-year mission statements for their companies. In this easy-to-follow guide, Herold walks organization leaders through the simple steps to creating their own Vivid Vision, from brainstorming to sharing the ideas to using the document to drive progress in the years to come. 

By focusing on mapping out how you see your company looking and feeling in every category of business, without getting bogged down by data and numbers or how it will happen, Vivid Vision creates a holistic road map to success that will get all of your teammates passionate about the big picture. 

Your company is your dream, one that you want to share with your staff, clients, and stakeholders. Vivid Vision is the tool you need to make that dream a reality.

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The Miracle Morning for
Entrepreneurs: Elevate Your SELF to
Elevate Your BUSINESS

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READY FOR EXPLOSIVE GROWTH AS AN ENTREPRENEUR AND ACCELERATED SUCCESS IN THE REST OF YOUR LIFE?

A step-by-step guide to enjoying the roller-coaster ride of growth — while getting the most out of life as an entrepreneur. A growth-focused approach: The book is divided into three sections, which cover planning for fast growth, building a company for fast growth, and leading for fast growth. Each topic the author covers — from creating a vision for the company’s future to learning how to generate free PR for a developing company — is squarely focused on the end goal: doubling the size of the entrepreneur’s company in three years or less. A down-to-earth action plan: Herold’s experienced-based advice never gets bogged down in generalities or theory. Instead, he offers a wealth of practical tips, including: How to design meetings for maximum efficiency; How to hire top-quality talent; How to grow in particularly tough markets; How to put together a board of advisors — even for a smaller company; How even the busy entrepreneur can achieve a work/life balance.

READY FOR EXPLOSIVE GROWTH AS AN ENTREPRENEUR AND ACCELERATED SUCCESS IN THE REST OF YOUR LIFE?

Hal Elrod’sThe Miracle Morning has helped redefine the mornings and the lives of millions of readers since 2012. Since then, careers have been launched, goals have been met, and dreams have been realized, all through the power of the Miracle Morning’s six Life S.A.V.E.R.S.

THESE SIX DAILY PRACTICES WILL FUEL YOUR EFFORTS TO CREATE AND SUSTAIN POSITIVE CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE.

Now The Miracle Morning for Entrepreneurs brings you these principles in a whole new light—alongside the Entrepreneurial Elevation Principles and the Entrepreneur’s Elevation Skills. These are essential skills that you need to create a successful business and personal life. Cameron Herold— Bestselling Author and a widely-respected expert on entrepreneurial mindset—brings his wisdom and insight to you using Hal Elrod’s powerful Miracle Morning framework.

DEVELOP A VISION FOR YOUR BUSINESS, AND BECOME THE INFLUENTIAL AND INSPIRING LEADER YOU WERE ALWAYS MEANT TO BE.

The principles and skills you’ll find in this book will help you to channel your passion and achieve balance in a remarkable new way. – Learn why mornings matter more than you think – Learn how to master your own self-leadership and accelerate your personal development – Learn how to manage your energy—physical, mental, and emotional – Learn how to implement Hal Elrod’s invaluable Life S.A.V.E.R.S. in your daily routine – And much more… You’re already an entrepreneur. Now discover how to take your success to the next level by first taking yourself to the next level. The Miracle Morning for Entrepreneurs is your roadmap to masterfully building an empire with a powerful vision, utilizing your areas of personal genius, with the right team at your side.

Start giving your business and your life the very best opportunities for success, right now.

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Double Double: How To Double Your Revenue And Profit In 3 Years Or Less​

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A step-by-step guide to enjoying the roller-coaster ride of growth — while getting the most out of life as an entrepreneur. A growth-focused approach: The book is divided into three sections, which cover planning for fast growth, building a company for fast growth, and leading for fast growth. Each topic the author covers — from creating a vision for the company’s future to learning how to generate free PR for a developing company — is squarely focused on the end goal: doubling the size of the entrepreneur’s company in three years or less. A down-to-earth action plan: Herold’s experienced-based advice never gets bogged down in generalities or theory. Instead, he offers a wealth of practical tips, including: How to design meetings for maximum efficiency; How to hire top-quality talent; How to grow in particularly tough markets; How to put together a board of advisors — even for a smaller company; How even the busy entrepreneur can achieve a work/life balance.