Category Archives: Success

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4 Tips To Be A Better Boss

Q&A with Michelle McCullough

 

 

I had the opportunity to go on KSL Brower 5.0  this week and discuss 4 tips to be a better boss.

A study done by Gallop showed that 75% of people have left a job because of a boss and not because of the job itself or even their paycheck.  Below is a Q&A with Michelle about how to be a better boss.

Question: Can we really narrow it down to only four things? What would you say is number one?

Michelle: It will be tough, I conducted a little survey of my own on social media yesterday, but there were three main categories of boss pet peeves. First, train people well, then trust them to get the job done. There can be course correction along the way, but micromanagement was at the top of the list of boss pet peeves. Allow people some freedom to complete tasks and projects in their own way. At my peak I managed a team of 50 in 4 different departments. I didn’t have TIME to micromanage, but I had many managers who did. Focus on what needs to be done, not HOW.

Question: Management has changed over the years, how can a boss earn loyalty from an employee?

Michelle: It’s true, management has changed over the years. Even 20 years ago when I was studying business management in college we read articles and textbooks about managing people like a director and a cast of actors, but over the last 15 years there’s been a shift to leadership, making sure that you were someone worth following. In this day and age leadership isn’t enough. Collaboration is the wave of the future, so collaborate don’t dictate. Involve your team as MUCH as possible. Help them idea generate solutions problems and challenges. LISTEN and then listen some more. Explore ways that you can lead the individual and not the team as a whole and you’ll find loyalty from your people.

Question: There seems to be a focus now on building culture to help people stay in an organization, how much of that does the boss need to champion.

Michelle: Culture is a HUGE corporate conversation today. But one thing employees crave the most is just honoring time and roles. Flexible time off is highly valued, not just from the millennial generation, but from everyone. If you offer time off, don’t discourage people from using it. ENCOURAGE and honor that time people spend away. Studies show people come back more committed, and they want to be championed in their other roles. Part of this conversation that is HUGE though is not texting, calling or emailing excessively while people are gone. Let them be truly “away” so it looks like you care about them. This is also importantly simply for after hours time. Allow parents time with their kids. Allow kids time with aging parents.

Question: Final question, it seems like employees are looking for more than a paycheck, what can a boss do when there is no more money to “keep” an employee.

Michelle: Many responders in my unofficial survey said appreciation was just as important to them if not more than the money they make. Public appreciation in front of peers and colleagues is especially appreciated. But take it up a notch…figure out how each employee loves to be appreciated. You’ll find that not only do they enjoy the praise, but they’ll work harder for you. Praise works above and below their paygrade. Make sure they get credit for the work they do!

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How To Use Twitter for Business

Hero TV Segment

I get asked ALL the time, “Is Twitter Dead?” While it may not be the most popular social platform there are huge business benefits to utilizing twitter on a regular basis. In this Hero TV segment with Nate Woodbury, we chat about how to get the most out of Twitter.

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5 Tips to Living in Priority in Life and Business

Balance ReDefined Podcast With Connie Sokol

Honored to be interviewed by Connie Sokol on her podcast Balance ReDefined.
In it I share about how my priorities and businesses have shifted from the time I had young kids to now with kids in school full time.
Click here to listen: 5 Tips to a Better Work/Life Balance 
Check out the You Got This Women’s conference that is happening in March!
Learn more and get your tickets here: www.yougotthiswomen.com
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Rescuing Your New Years Goals

Q&A with Michelle

Did you set a New Years Resolution this year? 45% of Americans set New Years Resolutions and of those only 8% actually follow through to completion. If you started strong, but your motivation is waning, today we’re going to talk about ways you can rescue your goals if you have fallen off the wagon.

In this Q&A segment I will share with you these four tips for rescuing your goals if you’ve already “fallen off the wagon”
1. Stop the Shame
2. Revisit your Why
3. Consider Goal Graduation
4. Focus on Habits Not Results

Question: Is there hope if we’ve already fallen off the wagon?

Michelle: Absolutely! One of the mindsets that holds us back from success is to believe there is only one time of year to succeed at change. And we don’t just do this for New Year’s Resolutions. We say, I’ll try again on Monday, or next month. But even deeper than that, because we consistently break our goals, we wait for another time to succeed. AND when we beat ourselves up for breaking a diet, or spending when we shouldn’t or whatever, we start the shame cycle and that self talk doesn’t make you want to try anymore. Believe you can and believe it’s worth it but stop telling yourself you’re a failure. THAT won’t help you reach any goals.

Question: What if the motivation just isn’t there? How do you get to the gym, or spend less, or apply for a better job?

Michelle: Revisit your motivation and make sure WHY you want the goal is solid. Are you trying to get organized because everyones sharing you Marie Kondo after pictures on Social Media? Or do you feel the need to be better organized in your life because you’re spending so much time trying to find “lost” things? Your why has to be rooted in what YOU want, not what others want. One year I had friends who were trying to motivate me to run a half marathon, but until I was willing to do it for me, I couldn’t commit or even be motivated to complete the training schedule.

Question: Do you think it’s more motivating to go for a BIG goal or a small goal?

Michelle: Depends, some people are more motivated by big hairy audacious goals and that helps them hit the pavement and work hard. However, most of us, especially if you have let goals go in the past, you may want to consider Goal Graduation. For example, let’s say you want to lose 50 pounds, some people would be motivated by that goal, but others need to start with something small like losing 10% of your body weight or even just losing 5 pounds so that they can feel success and stay motivated. BIG goals CAN be fun, but its hard to stay motivated if you don’t hit milestones over time.

Question: What final tip do you have for someone who isn’t ready to give up on their goal?

Michelle: Resolutions are great, but plans are better. My best recommendation for progress and achievement is to focus on habits not results. If you’re trying to lose weight and you get on the scale once a week and it doesn’t move, then it can be hard to continue the good habits when the results aren’t there. Instead focus on the daily, weekly, and monthly ACTIONS you need to take and then you can celebrate every night that you went to the gym or ate 5 servings of fruits and veggies, and you know that you body is getting healthy, even if the scale doesn’t reflect your efforts. Success is NOT a destination, its a practice.

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How Can I Use Facebook Watch As A Marketing Strategy?

Q&A with Michelle

In an attempt to compete with YouTube video views and to keep active users on the platform, facebook rolled out Facebook Watch in 2017.  While the adoption seemed a little slow last year, it’s growing steam.  In Facebook Watch and newsfeed, Facebook has over 8 billion video views a day.
Today we are going to discuss and answer some questions about business tips if you’d like to use Facebook Watch as a marketing strategy.

Question: First off, is Facebook Watch really a place businesses and marketing teams should spend their time?
Michelle: Sure, if video is part of their overall marketing strategy.  Video is a key part of any social media strategy and if you’re going to spend the time to create videos, you may as well utilize the benefits that Facebook watch has to offer.  Videos that are uploaded directly to facebook will get more views than an external YouTube link.  Some companies are loading the same video in both platforms while others are creating separate content to meed the needs of different mediums and audiences, but either way, utilize the offering.  AND, since Facebook is putting algorithm focus on video, businesses should “play the game” so that they can get visibility in the news feed.

Question: If you do want to make Facebook Watch a primary marketing strategy, what do you recommend to start?

Michelle: If your business is going to lead with video and consistently create and share video, or if you’re primary business is entertainment (like comedy clubs) or expertise (like speakers, authors or trainers) content is your number one strategy for building an audience.  Changing your page template to video will make your videos eligible to get into the Facebook Watch button, and give you extra tools to promote past, present and current videos.  Experts like Marie Forleo and Gretchen Rubin have video pages, along with Dry Comedy Bar.  Changing your template is easy and you can easily change it to another setting if you don’t like it.

Question: How do you gain followers and grow your audience?
Michelle: It all starts with good content.  Take time to create a content schedule, decide how often you’re going to post videos or episodes.  As you share your videos to personal pages and gain traction it, good content will get shared and your audience will organically increase.  Also, don’t be afraid to do Facebook Live Videos, as long as their with a purpose. Remember every video needs to be an extension of your messaging strategy.

Question: One final quick question, what is the biggest mistake marketers make when it comes to facebook video strategy?
Michelle: Remember that social media is just one part of your marketing strategy.  You need to reach you audience in additional ways and you always need to remember to create and preserve your Home Court Advantage.  Tomorrow, facebook could change the algorithm again and they could change the “rules” for Facebook watch or any other feature.  Remember to spend as much time building your website, retail location and sales processes.  Get people from social media to your website where you own the team, the brand and the raving fans.

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How Do I Get My Business Up and Going?

Q&A with Michelle

According to a OnePoll Study, 1 in 7 Americans believe they are sitting on a fantastic business idea.  Of those 41% haven’t taken any steps to get their idea off the ground.
Today on the blog I will be answering a few frequently asked questions about starting a business.
Question: How does someone know if their idea will actually work?
Michelle: Step one, is to really consider if this is a product you want or if there is an actual market for your product or service.  You do this by defining your target market. What group of people will benefit from this product or service? What does this group of people have in common? Age? Income? Education? Geographics? If there is a group that will buy your product, then you can go onto the next step.Question: What’s the next decision that needs to be made?
Michelle: Then next decision is does this product or service serve a local audience or a national or international audience.  If it’s a salon, or gift shop, while there may be an online element, a majority will happen online. While it’s easy to say you can sell to everyone, it’s hard to reach them unless it makes business sense that matches the product or service.

Question: How do you decide if you want to bootstrap your business or if you need income from another source?
Michelle: Many small business ideas can be bootstrapped.  But tech companies and inventions could need capital or maybe just a small business loan.  If you’re still not sure, consider the income and expenses that your business has.  Many startup hopefuls consider the income but not the costs. Understanding both is very important.

Question: One final quick question, how does one know they’re ready to dive into a startup?
Michelle: The truth is you’re never ready.  There will be things you figure out on the road whether you start you business now or 6 months from now, but thinking and planning can only get you so far.  Do some initial work and then get started and dive in.  You can adjust your sails as you go, but you won’t move forward until you push away from the dock.

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5 Questions To Ask To Know How To Get Your Business Off The Ground

KSL Browser 5.0

I had the opportunity to be interviewed on KSL this week about business ideas. In this segment we talked about the 5 questions you need to ask to get your business idea off the ground.

It takes a lot more than four minutes worth to explain these steps, but this quick interview will help you figure out if your business is viable to take the next steps. Watch the segment below!