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Little problems always become bigger problems. Avoiding sales calls, avoiding uncomfortable discussions with customers, avoiding firing an underperforming employee, avoiding looking at the numbers, avoiding new market trends, avoiding vendor calls on past due obligations, or avoiding raising money for your business all wastes precious business building time. Procrastination prolongs the pain -- for you, your employees and your company.
Procrastination can be just as debilitating as making a wrong move. Why? Because procrastination gives your competitors an easy advantage. While you pause your competitors can move quickly ahead. If you stop for no other reason than to avoid moving forward, you fall backward.
Temporary set backs are just that....temporary. Permanent setbacks occur when you give up or keep the very same action items on your "to do" list week after week. The result is you never get around to implementing the kind of strategies and processes that will strengthen your company.
Dealing with chronic procrastination is not easy. But how many business builders are willing to amend the very programs they created? When big problems arise, a common reaction is to cling to what we know or what we have been doing rather than admit oversights to colleagues and co-workers.
Overcoming chronic procrastination also requires a willingness to implement change -- sometimes substantial change. Change can get businesses out of serious ruts. Change can lift stagnant sales. Change can get companies to their next level of growth. When things aren't going well, ask your team in a positive tone, "What can we do to change the situation? What steps can we take to improve?" Presented this way, and without a hint of blame, team members are more willing to put forth ideas to inspire growth -- for everyone's benefit. Afterall, most people prefer to work in upbeat productive offices than hang out in the miserable quagmire of dealing with the same old problems day after day.
Whenever you catch yourself procrastinating, ask yourself if the task you are avoiding is truly worth undermining the business you love. Why prolong the pain when you don't have to? Remember you are capable. There is nothing you can't figure out if you mine all the resources around you. You can identify and implement a workable solution to any problem. So take the call! Make the call! Call a meeting! It's a satisfying feeling once you start taking command of your future. And that is a change for the better.
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