The subject came up the other day about what drives business motivation, and a client came to mind whose story is well worth mentioning.
Charles is a software engineer who has been running a consulting business for about 6 years in New York City.
Busy with the day to day details of keeping up with the work and managing the business; time flew by; and Charles started to feel less and less enthusiastic about his business or motivated to do anything. This attitude was showing up in his work product, his income, his attitude and his relationship with clients.
Charles had noticed that he had been less and less motivated to get up in the morning and go to the office. He was having problems with clients, had been procrastinating on some jobs, and was angry that his revenues had dropped, but wasn’t willing to do anything about it.
Things came to a head one day after Charles got off the phone with a client who was complaining about the speed with which his project was progressing. He started to ask himself why he kept putting it off, and realized that this project, (like many others he had been doing recently) was pure drudgery.
When Charles first called me, he was disgusted, and was even considering selling the business and finding another way to make a living because it simply wasn’t interesting or fun anymore.
After our initial consultation, it was clear that Charles’ business had progressed in a totally different way than he originally intended. The projects he enthusiastically sought out and completed in the first few years, the ones that he loved doing, that challenged and excited him, had virtually disappeared. Instead of doing work that utilized his unique talents, creativity and expertise, he spent most of his time providing generic services to clients who were more focused on price than quality.
And, Charles was angry at himself, as he was the one who let it all happen.
Here’s what we did:
1. We revisited the vision Charles originally had for his business, and did research to confirm that there was a market for the services he desired to provide.
2. We analyzed the projects he had been involved in over the past few years and compared them with the ones he had initially sought.
3. We looked at his interests, talents, skills, values and passions.
4. We re-positioned Charles’ company in the marketplace to attract the type of projects and clients he really wanted, the ones that utilized his unique talents, expertise and strengths.
5. We developed a business plan that included a marketing and strategic plan, as well as a step by step action plan to ensure results.
Today Charles jumps out of bed in the morning, excited about the prospects of getting to his desk and delving into the problems and issues that his new projects present. His clients are happy, his income has increased and most importantly, he’s gotten back the business motivation and enthusiam that had been eluding him.
If your business motivation has dwindled or fizzled out, find out more about my business coaching services and schedule a business coaching consultation today.
Susan Martin, Business Sanity coach and consultant.
