Is the 206 billion deficit the core issue in our Australian elections?

My politics are "agnostic" - I think the political system and policies of Labor and Liberal are both good.... however I am not cool with lies and deceit!

The Australian's article this morning ht a chord with me

The $250bn cost of Kevin Rudd: a tale of waste and spending - HENRY ERGAS AND JUDITH SLOAN  the Australian 

"THE era of Kevin, interrupted by the Julia interlude, has been a roller-coaster ride. Having promised fiscal conservatism, the excuse of the global financial crisis unleashed a period of rapid growth in government spending, successive budget deficits and mounting public debt under Kevin Rudd's guidance.

Now, with Rudd's return, Labor has launched a charm offensive that seeks to whitewash the past: it is as if aliens from Mars, fortunately departed, had been in charge. But the damage of that era cannot be wiped out so easily.

Will the electorate forget Rudd's past as he seems to have done?"

... so here it goes!!

Before Australia can continue to go forward economically, we need to identify what the problem is before we can fix it...

What is that problem?

Is it Bad fiscal management?

"The Commonwealth's balance sheet has shifted from $44.8bn in net assets when Rudd took office to $161.6bn in net debt this year..... a $206b turnaround!

a shift from a budget cash surplus, averaging 0.9 per cent of gross domestic product during the Howard years to a cash deficit that exceeded 4 per cent of GDP in 2010. "

This in itself might not be a bad thing.....has the money been used for good purpose. It is interesting to provide a score of 1 - 10 on the following questions (KPI's)

• Has that debt resulted in an increased asset base for our country, that will lead us to sustainable growth for the future?
• Stave off the negative effects of a worldwide GFC
• Are the people happier, better off, worse off?
• Has our infrastructure improved?
• Roads, trains, bridges, education, healthcare, security, leisure time, etc?
• Sustained benefit for the community - such as healthcare, edcation , security
• If they spent to facilitate commercial enterprise and SMEs
• export, 
• r and d, 
• innovation,
•  infrastructure, 
• workplace education, 
• leadership programmes, 

If the blowout was to support something that is beneficial for the shareholders (the people) that generates revenue and sustained benefit instead of trying to kill business, they would have lots of revenue and could spend what they have.

But they seem to  just keep going back for another piece of the beheaded Golden Goose and seem to spend it on unsustainable 

 Joe Hockey's comment  "We don't have a Revenue problem, we have a spending problem." should be finished by .... "on things that are not sustainable or beneficial to the public!"

The past decade from mining has resulted in a massive revenue windfall. 

Increase demand of resources to china and India and massive increase in the price of steele ($30 to $130 per tonne).

What are the things we can do to make this revenue sustainable?

What did we do with this revenue? 

Did we spend it on infrastructure that would increase productivity?

 Or

Did we blow it all on tax cuts and subsidies to inefficient private services, wasteful programmes (batts, school rorts) ,public bureaucracy (increased politician wages), badly managed programmes (blowout of NBN)

What if we took  the wasteful spending out of the picture... Imagine it was never spent...however, continue to support stimulus in a sustained way.....where do you figure the budget would have been today?

Surplus or Deficit

2. Is it Bad Leadership - 

The government needs to be responsible governors and leaders

Living within your means shouldnt just apply to consumers and business... It should apply to government!

Spending capital and debt is a good thing, which can create wealth for individuals, corporates and countries.

however

The debt has to be good debt!

Debt that is used for sustained growth and benefit for the future of the country.

But they just keep going back for another slice of the beheaded Golden Goose !!

It's ok to spend from capital or debt, as long as their is a reason or a plan that this spend will ensure growth and sustained surplus where more money will come in than go out!

Core values

If management

• stuff up
• lie
• don't perform

they need to be held accountable and  fired..... I have never seen a CEO that has been fired for incompetency bad management and bad leadership be returned by the board!

It seems ok to the Electorate (the shareholders) for our leaders to lie and cheat and backstab.... Just because "that's what politicians do"

This is an inditement to ourselves, the people!!  The shareholders should call a meeting to replace the board  and the returned CEO!

HERE'S THE THING!!!

Shit happens, budgets blow out, business turns around, ventures fail.... That's OK, and can be rocks that seem to be in the way, that can act as stepping stones later on! (thanks Paul :))

But if the core values and ethos is where lies and deceit and mismanagement is OK, the end of prosperity is near .....

And that is what the real issue is!

The credibility of this government is questionable. They do not have the moral authority to remain in government, nor can we vote them in based on competent leadership and governance....

Whether it was a Liberal or a Labor government.... My comment above would be the same!

THE OPPORTUNITY

Australia has the opportunity to be the shining light to the world.

We have it all

Resources, Beauty, Peace, Multiculturism, Racial and Religious tolerance,, Good people, Free press, Great Climate, Good Education, Innovative People, Strong International Relationships and a strong Moral Compass

(Just remember Kevin, we were all immigrants, many of us refugees)

Let’s use these assets to build an awesome nation with a sustainable future for ourselves, our children and our future generations...,

Let’s leave our kids an amazing legacy....

We need great leadership based on core values of truth not lies!

Notes inspired by "Lessons from Toby" by Ari Gelper

Ari has a Down Syndrome child, Toby. and has written a book on the 52 Lessons he has learned from this amazing child.


Toby is physically healthy, except for low muscle tone, and he learns and does things more slowly than others.

1. Live in the present moment – when you are with Toby, be present. Don’t think of anything besides what you are doing at that time. Focus on Toby and on the task at hand… if you don’t you will lose that connection. When you are in the present moment, you can share in the moment, the delights, the opportunities, the excitement, that feeling of connection. when communicating with someone – be present, stay connected… extract the value from that interaction. Be in the zone. Your goal should be to live in the moment for as much as possible. Living in the moment – only good things can happen… In the moment is the only reality.

2. Treat others the way you and yours would like to be treated. If one can do this, the world would be a better place! Treat everyone like family – show your whole self to people you interact with on a daily basis.

3. Slow Down and Focus - Listen and pay close attention to what Toby says. Don’t speed ahead or you will lose that connection. Don’t multitask when dealing with Toby… Stay focused on the task at hand.

4. Don’t let things get you down – be happy – Toby rarely gets upset and laughs at everything. He takes people at face value.. if they are nice to him, they are rewarded with unconditional love and affection.

5. Don’t Judge – no-one is perfect, everyone has issues. Make the best of what you have got. Be the best you can be. Don’t have preconceived ideas.

6. Look for best Qualities in others and yourself - Everyone is unique with special qualities. Find that uniqueness in each person you meet – let that person know that you are in awe of that special quality. People love to be appreciated and acknowledged. Great inspiration comes from your ability to find the best in others. Everyone views the world in a different way. Listen carefully to their views on how they see the world – listen to understand – don’t listen to respond. When the person you are really listening to feels understood by you, they become open to understanding your perspective.

7. Say only good things about others. People who focus on the good things in people are usually nmore successful in life. If you talk badly of someone , the other person will think “ what will he say about me to others?” Talk nicely of people and rise to another level./

8. Relax your mind – be present – focus on task at hand and people around you. Stop listening to your “self talk” . When feeling out of control, stressed, overwhelmed – take a deep breath, stay present at the task at hand – remember your uniqueness and strengths, and start fixing the problem, one step at a time! Shit happens, its how you deal with it that makes you successful or a better person

9. Listen to yourself – trust your gut – read “Blink” by Mlcolm Gladwell. Your first impressions are invariably right

10. Acknowledge and take care of your “Inner Circle” – Make a list of these people. This is the people who care most about you – and want to see you succeed. Make sure they know that you care and know that they are around and that you appreciate them. Do this regularly! Say hello to your fellow work mates, take your receptionist out to lunch , write a letter congratulating them on a job well done.

11. Out of every negative a positive comes. Toby has brought so much joy to us and to so many other people. Businesses that have failed – they failed because of a factor or a number of factors… people learned from these failures and built better businesses with more solid foundations. For every ying there is a yang! When you come across a problem, accept it, focus on it and solve it. keep a positive attitude and outlook.

12. Be thankful – don’t take life or other people for granted. Acknowledge the things that you should be thankful for on a daily basis.

13. Be a role model for those you care about – “the law of the picture.” People will follow what you do.

14. Keep a diary of all the appreciation/ acknowledgements good things that people have had to say about you… this will give you inspiration from how others appreciate you. Be able to tap into that good feeling

15. Make your world a better place to live in – stand by what you think is right

16. Be empathetic, truthful and authentic – be your true self. Be genuine to others – this will draw good people around you. Lower your mask…. Your true self will always be revealed anyway! The key to any relationship is trust.

17. Find meaning in your work – your work is an extension to yourself. If you can’t connect with it, or find meaning in it , change it

18. Find role models and mentors who exemplify your values

19. Focus on what means most to you… you will probably find that this is not what you are spending most of your time on.

20. Let go of the past – don’t hold grudges .. they are like a cancer. Focus on the future and how you can build from your lessons. Learn to forgive, it will free your mind to be positive.

21. Choose the people you want to work with – get rid of negative energy. Create a positive and productive life from people around you

22. Know that there will always be someone worse off than you and better off than you…. He who is wealthy is “happy with his lot”

23. Always keep an open mind and be willing to learn, At any moment wo only know what we know: there is also much more to know

24. Embrace your uniqueness – don’t be afraid to be different . Most f us want to be accepted – that is how one connects. Don’t give up our uniqueness to fit in. Stay true to yourself. Be proud of what makes you different, because that makes you unique

25. Things take care of themselves. Don’t worry about things that haven’t happened that you have no control over. Focussing on the present will prevent us from anxious thoughts.;

26. Measure success by how you have impacted others not necessarily by the money you make.

27. Have quiet time -Balance your life

28. Have time to unwind

29. Reward yourself on a job well done.

30. Business deals may fail but relationships last forever!

AABCFFFGGHHJMMOPPQRRRRTTTTUUWY


Acknowledge, appreciation, balance, choose, focus, focus, focus, good, grudges, happy, happy, judge, meaning, measure, open, present, positive, qualities, rolemodel, reward, relationships, treat, thankful, things trust,unique, unwind, world, ying

What is this 10X Growthpac people are talking about?

What is this 10X Growthpac that people are talking about????

WATCH THIS SPACE?

10 things to stop doing right now to be Happy!

from Inc Magazine

Happiness--in your business life and your personal life--is often a matter of subtraction, not addition.
Consider, for example, what happens when you stop doing the following 10 things:

1. BLAMING

People make mistakes. Employees don't meet your expectations. Vendors don't deliver on time.

So you blame them for your problems.

But you're also to blame.

Maybe you didn't provide enough training.
Maybe you didn't build in enough of a buffer.
Maybe you asked too much, too soon.

Taking responsibility - it's empowering--you can control the agenda and do things better the next time

2. Impressing.

clothes, cars , possessions, titles, accomplishments - are  "things." - People may like your things - it doesn't mean they like you!

Build genuine relationships make you happier, and you'll only form genuine relationships when you stop trying to impress and start trying to just be yourself.

3. Clinging.

When you're afraid or insecure, you hold on tightly to what you know, even if what you know isn't particularly good for you.

An absence of fear or insecurity isn't happiness: It's just an absence of fear or insecurity.

Holding on to what you think you need won't make you happier; letting go so you can reach for and try to earn what you want will. Even if you don't succeed in earning what you want, the act of trying alone will make you feel better about yourself.

4. Interrupting.

Interrupting isn't just rude. When you interrupt someone, what you're really saying is, 

"I'm not listening to you so I can understand what you're saying; I'm listening to you so I can decide what I want to say."

Want people to like you? Listen to what they say. Focus on what they say. Ask questions to make sure you understand what they say.

They'll love you for it--and you'll love how that makes you feel.



5. Whining.
Whining about your problems makes you feel worse, not better.
If something is wrong, don't waste time complaining. Put in that effort to make the situation better.

Fix it now.

Don't talk about what's wrong. Talk about how you'll make things better, even if that conversation is only with yourself.

And do the same with your friends or colleagues. Don't just be the shoulder they cry on.

Friends don't let friends whine--friends help friends make their lives better.





6. Controlling.
Yeah, you're the boss. Yeah, you're the titan of industry. Yeah, you're the small tail that wags a huge dog.
Still, the only thing you really control is you.

If you find yourself trying hard to control other people, you've decided that you, your goals, your dreams, or even just your opinions are more important than theirs.
Control is short term it requires force, or fear, or authority, or some form of pressure--none of those let you feel good about yourself.



Find people who want to go where you're going. 
They'll work harder, have more fun, and create better business and personal relationships. And all of you will be happier.

7. Criticizing. Yeah, you're more educated. Yeah, you're more experienced. Yeah, you've been around more blocks and climbed more mountains and slayed more dragons. 

That doesn't make you smarter, or better, or more insightful.That just makes you you: unique, matchless, one of a kind, but in the end, just you.

Just like everyone else--including your employees.

Everyone is different: not better, not worse, just different.

Appreciate the differences instead of the shortcomings and you'll see people--and yourself--in a better light.

8. Preaching.

Criticizing has a brother. His name is Preaching. They share the same father: Judging.

Just Be

9. Dwelling.
Learn from your mistakes. Then let it go.
When another person makes a mistake, see that as an opportunity to be kind, forgiving, and understanding.

The past is just training; it doesn't define you.

Think about what went wrong, but only in terms of how you will make sure that, next time, you and the people around you will know how to make sure it goes right.


10. Fearing.

We're all afraid: of what might or might not happen, of what we can't change, or what we won't be able to do, or how other people might perceive us.
So it's easier to hesitate, to wait for the right moment, to decide we need to think a little longer or do some more research or explore a few more alternatives.
Meanwhile days, weeks, months, and even years pass us by.
And so do our dreams.
Don't let your fears hold you back. Whatever you've been planning, whatever you've imagined, whatever you've dreamed of, just do it today.
If you want to start a business, take the first step. If you want to change careers, take the first step. If you want to expand or enter a new market or offer new products or services, take the first step.
Put your fears aside and get started. Do something. Do anything.
Otherwise, today is gone. Once tomorrow comes, today is lost forever.

Seven Gems from a Lead generation webinar I attended

 

Nurture, nurture, nurture your pipeline. 

Give amazing value to them. 

Fill your pipeline with  thousands of people who appreciate all the free information you give.

Once your pipeline is filled, leads will start to be funneled through the “pipe” and something magical will happen…. Sales will increase and your business changes into something significant.

Things to Think about when doing a prezzo or webinar

•      Understand your target market – try get into the minds of them. What do they want? What will interest them?
•      Give the audience what they want. Provide them with a potential solution to their problem. Get them from “pain to pleasure”, from “fear to freedom”
•        Show them your personality. Relate to them. People like to deal with people. Show them why they should like you, position yourself as the expert.
•        Drive them to a simple website or a landing page. DOon’t drive them to a complicated website that will take them hours to read information that is not relevant to them.  The objective is to get them as a lead. 
•        The first contact should be no one threatening and reward them for filling out their details.
•        Powerful Headlines are key followed by 3 – 5 bullet points. Create interest and intrigue…. Entice people to fill in detais to hear more.
•        Always have a call to action –  A form to leave name, email, tel # , address.

The Difference Between Goals, Strategies and Action Plans

I have often been asked what the difference between goals, strategies and action plans. On the face of it, they seem similar, however they are very different, but interrelated.

Ryll Burgin Doyle - 10X founder - talking this week  about goals , strategies and tactics

An awesome group

 

10X Strategies to Grow your Business

What are your Goals?

An example of some business goals... 

• Financial goals – “To achieve revenue of $XX” or “Profit of $Y”.

• Staffing goals – “To have XX number of staff” or “To have a full time staff member in the position of XYZ”.

• Social Media Goals - To have 10,000 people following your blog within 2 years

• Market Share – “To have 70% market share of the SME market in Austraia within 5 years”.

There are many different types of goals you can set.  Goals should be SMART (specific, measurable, action orientated, realistic and within a specific timeframe)

What is your Strategy?

The next step is to look at strategy.  Stuff or things you can do to achieve your goals.
At 10X, we have a growth chart with 660 strategies you can implement for each section of your business, helping you improve your sales, profit and cash flow. 

• Improve your Sales

• Strategies to Increase your retention rate

• Strategies to Increase your leads

• Strategies to increase your conversions

• Strategies to Increase your Prices

• Strategies to Increase the frequency for your customers to buy

• Improve your Cash Flow

• Strateges to reduce your expenses

• Strategies to reduce cost of sales

• Strategies to collect debtors faster

• Strategies to improve your inventory turnover

You may have 20 strategies in place to achieve your one goal.

What is your Action Plan - What are your Tactics – how you’ll do it

Tactics are the last piece of the puzzle. For every strategy, there will be a number of tactics or actions. 

These are the individual steps you’ll take to execute the strategy and achieve your goals.
Tactics could be based around activity i.e. every week contact X number of customers.  

They’re the steps you need to take to achieve a goal.

When deciding on your tactics, include every part of the process - every step you can think of how long it will take to complete and who is responsible for completing it.

Goals, Strategy and Tactics – an example

Let’s assume one of your goals is to increase your clients  in the fashion industry who are interested in Exporting their products and services by 36 clients in a year (3 per month) .

One strategy you may adopt to do this is to define a specific offering.  In this example, your strategy is to create an e-book on export grants  that you can give away  to increase leads.

Let’s think through the actions/ tactics (or steps) you need to do to write the e-book.  Your tactics may include:

• Decide on a topic for the book (Export Grants for the Fashion Industry)

• See who your competition is and analyze their products

• Decide on the relevant content to include

• Find sources for the content

• Write a chapter a week (or outsource this)

• Find a designer to help with the design of the book

• Decide how you’ll distribute the book

• Complete the book three months from today on 1 January 2013

• Have the book distributed by 10 January 2013

• Develop a marketing plan to promote the book

Tactics are usually inter-related and you’ll find yourself working on a couple of active tasks at any one time.  In the example above, you may be writing chapters for your book, but you’ll also be working on a plan to market the book once it’s complete.

Next Step 

Take some time out to think about your goals, and work on at least one strategy and set of actions to achieve them.
If you are interested in a copy of the 10X strategies, leave a comment below to let me know how you go.
Your goals are defined objectives - which clearly identifies where you want to be within a specific timeframe.

Money and the Value of Coaching

Inspiration from Hanna Clements-Hart, JD, CPCC

Many  people say that they cannot afford coaching?

The question of what one can afford is highly subjective … look at how you spend your money compared to others   – and you will find a wide variety of choices and priorities based on implicit or explicit values. 

My experience is that as ones income goes up… so does their expenses !!

Some people spend 50% more on organic products, but can’t afford a $100/month gym membership. Some people buy fancy coffees ($3.50 per cup)  and $10 a day for lunch, while others travel at every opportunity. Some buy expensive gifts for others but never treat themselves. Many of us place such a high value on home-ownership, invest in property because we see them as an investment in the future, and we actually borrow most of the money required to pay for them.

Most of us  pay 9% of our salary into superannuation, and many of us  spend copious amounts of money on their children’s education.  

When someone tells me they “can’t afford” coaching, it is because they cannot see the value of what coaching will bring to them.

Can you “afford” coaching? Before you answer, consider what purpose the coaching serves, and what personal or family values it supports.

Is the coaching directed at career or leadership skills, personal development, sustainability, balance, happiness, family harmony, financial security? Are these areas worth investing in?

·         Can you measure the benefit you will get from an improvement in the above -  what is your return on investment (ROI). 

• ·         What if investing in leadership coaching meant that you got a job that paid $5000-20,000 more than you would otherwise have gotten? or helped you get a job (and a paycheck) a month or more sooner than you would have on your own?  Leadership coaching offers a clear potential return on investment, and it is tied to your financial security.
• ·         What if investing in a business coach for your SME could add 20% more sales and a 10% improvement on your gross profit? Could this ROI be measured?
• ·         It is harder to quantify the ROI on personal development coaching, but it is there — reduced stress, happier children, better relationships, healthier habits, better sustainability, more joy. Do you regard these as luxury items or necessities? What are they worth to you?
• ·         A fitness coach – you would live longer, feel better, look better and have more energy. Would this generate an ROI? What is this worth to you?

·         What is the cost of not making a change   — financially?  Personally?   Or in terms of your health or relationships?  Do you have life balance?  You will not find a successful athlete, sportsman, actor, investor or businessman without a coach.

Coaching is an investment in yourself, and in order to make that investment, you have to believe that you are worth it. 

I refuse to believe it is a function of affordability! 

What is the 10X GrowthPac?

Famous Failures

Either you succeed or you learn something .

Failures are simply stepping stones to success.

No matter how it turns out, it always ends up just the way it should be.

The biggest mistake you can make is doing nothing because you’re too scared to make a mistake.

If you can’t handle failure,then you can’t handle success .

BSI Connect - Leadership and Network Breakfast

Check out our last 2 networking breakfast



If you want to come to the next network event click here and , fill in your details and type "brekkas" in the message!!

The Power Of Words

Check out this inspiring video which clearly illustrates the power of words.

• What do you think? 
• What’s the most powerful thing (good or bad) someone told you?
• What do you tell yourself? 
• It's not what you say, its how you say it!!

Leave a comment or ask a question 

Check Out August Spark

Would love your comments and feedback on how this can be improved.... what articles you want... have you got an article to write... This will be going to 235,000 people!!

SYNERGY - 10X and BSI

10X and BSI - who else? watch this space!!

For any great team to function in sync, “synergy” is significant. Synergy is a state in which two or more things work together in a particularly fruitful way to produce a result not independently obtainable. Creating synergy is in fact the summit of togetherness in a common cause. A synergized team is viewed like flowing water as they move together and in harmony. To be able to cultivate synergy, transparency and openness among all members of the team is required. To understand each other, there should always be the desire to listen with the right intentions, respect, and attitude.

The Real Journey to Success

Online Spark Magazine

This is by far one of the best SME online publications I have read.... would be interested in your feedback!
http://sparkmag.co/nationau/issue13/index.html

10X Cash Flow Pro

Best and Easiest to Use Business App on the market. $1.99 will save you $1000's!! Click Here to Download http://itunes.apple.com/app/cashflow-pro/id327253393?mt=8

The BSI Leadership and Network Breakfast 9 March 2012