6 things you personally can do when business is slow

So many people wonder what they can do personally to overcome the sense of helplessness in these tough times.

Daisy Wademan Dowling wrote in the Harvard Business Review, “In today’s economic mess, no job is secure. How to boost the chances of keeping your job? Resist the urge to linger by the water cooler and snoop for details of impending layoffs and severance packages. Instead, gracefully and steadily communicate your value to your boss, peers, and direct reports. Put yourself forward as someone the company needs to keep.”

“For example, send an email to your boss praising a young employee’s work on a recent project. You’ll demonstrate that you’re a team player and a thoughtful manager or mentor, while drawing attention to your group’s success. Meet with your boss to walk through a list of your priorities for the coming six months. You’ll let him or her know that you’re dedicated and action-oriented.”

Steve Toth, who is part of my self-growth network, sent me these ideas the other day. Steve has more then 20 years’ experience in leadership development, management consulting, and culture change.

Here are six actionable things you can do to help yourself, your company, and your customers --

1. Make marketing, lead generation and automating your systems a top priority

2. Daily visualization and meditation on your goals.
· Make it a routine/habit
· Make them real
· Give them emotion, love, feeling, and conversation

3. Be consistent and persistent with your income-producing activities.
· That means at least four hours of your day is spent in lead-generating activities.

4. Mastermind with other associates
· In your office
· Among your networks
· On social sites

5. Expect more leadership from yourself.
· Volunteer with organizations and nonprofits to give back to your community.
· Assist others, teams. and your associates.
· Allow yourself to attract more of what you WANT to yourself and those around you.

6. Become a Student of Personal Development
· spend a minimum of 30 minutes a day reading books, CDs, DVDs.
· Learn to identify your limiting beliefs and replace them with the positive polar opposite. This becomes your new mindset.
· Update your “My Mindset” document with your new beliefs. Read it out loud with passion and conviction daily.
· Become “forward thinking”.

Overall, Steve says, in every situation ask yourself these questions:
· Control Question - “What do I want?”
· Action Question - “What am I going to do about it?”