Photo Credits, ExtraMileGirl

The fundamental element of trust is following through with what you say you will do. It is finding a way to come through with what you promised, even when you have to do more than what was originally planned. Whether it is committing to more hours during the week or weekend to get it done, or going beyond what you would you would normally do. It is ensuring you will not let down those who are relying on you. People who are trustworthy will fight to fulfill commitments in order to be true to their word.

Trust is an important element in people’s willingness to follow your lead. It is earned slowly but constantly grows as promises are fulfilled. Trust indicates a belief that once you make a promise you will fulfill it. However, reality can put you at odds with your promise and trust can be compromised.

If you are focused with a long-term perspective and understand what will be best for the business and those around you, you will be driven to fulfill your promise, regardless of what challenge you face. You may at times have to make decisions that are for the greater good of all in the long-term, but those closest to you may not initially understand. The key is to always have integrity, character and the interests of others as your priority. In the end, you will prove you have made the best choices along the way.

At Solavei, we are working to make commerce less expensive, and even profitable, for everyone. We are changing the way commerce works and creating a revolution in the industry.  We have come across challenges, but have made decisions we believe align with our vision and will be the best for our members.

What is a promise you’ve made recently? How do you cultivate trust? Was there ever a time you had to face reality and find a way to fulfill your promise despite challenges?

The post Trust: An important element of leadership appeared first on Ryan Wuerch.

Photo Credits: Paul Gilham/Getty Images

Without vision people fail. OH Jin-Heyk is the number one archer in the world. He is the first Korean male archer to win an Olympic individual gold medal and his team took third place in the 2012 summer Olympics. Still, if you took OH Jin-Heyk and spun him around and blindfolded him, he would miss the target every time.

How could he be expected to hit a target he cannot see? Even the greatest archer in the world needs vision to hit the bull’s-eye. Too many companies are trying to hit a target while metaphorically blindfolded. They are working without seeing the target in their mind’s eye. A vision of success is sharp and clear and the end result can be seen in its entirety. At successful companies, every employee understands the vision and can use it to determine their daily course of action.

Vision is the very thing that causes people to follow with passion. Still, a company with a clear vision but no clear path to get there has nothing more than a dream.

A strategy must be developed and then followed to accomplish a goal or objective. However, while vision requires strategy, strategy alone is not vision. Visions are realized over time, they show progress, while dreams are always distant.

With Solavei, I saw many people’s lives being positively impacted by shifting commerce into something affordable and even profitable for members. I saw the components it would take to make this vision a reality. Back in October 2011, I wrote the vision down on paper and created the first Solavei vision video. When we look at where we are today and the work we are doing at Solavei, I see we are fulfilling the vision from two years ago. Each day, we are building the strategic elements to positively impact millions of lives and make this vision a reality.

Where will your vision lead you? Do you have a clearly defined target and path to get there?

The post Without Vision Leaders Will Not Succeed appeared first on Ryan Wuerch.

Uwe Hermann

Do you remember spending hours in a field searching for those rare and lucky four-leaf clovers hoping you would be in the right place to happen upon one? We would spend so much time as kids bent over searching the grass for those tokens of luck when we could have gone to the store, bought a packet of seeds and grown our own.

What is the difference between these two strategies? Searching in the field reveals sporadic and exciting results, while growing some in a pot is predicable and gradual. Consider these two scenarios: One kid spends his time searching in a field for clovers. The other grows his in a pot. In a few hours, which kid would have more clovers?

The kid who searched in the field would have more clovers to show in just a few hours. The one growing his own clovers would still be giving care and attention to his seeds as they develop. However, consider these same two kids in a week. Who would have more clovers at this point?

The clovers picked from the field would all have died and dried up while the ones in the pot would have grown tall and strong with careful dedication and attention. And if the boy who grew his from seeds wanted more clovers, all he would need to do is get more pots and nurture more seeds to full growth. The key is how you nurture your contacts and grow your relationships.

Which kid’s actions resemble your business strategy? Are you looking for customers randomly, exhausting yourself by searching in a large field for small clovers that don’t last? Or are you nurturing your contacts then over time working to grow your relationship with them until you have a strong group of customers?

This is a fundamental business strategy. You can either spend your energy hoping luck will show you a clover, or you can prepare for long-term results with research and a focus on relationships.

Which path are you taking?

The post The Difference between Luck and Good Preparation appeared first on Ryan Wuerch.

There are a several situations often overlooked by driven and high-energy entrepreneurs that, if ignored, can be detrimental to the overall business. The key to avoid using resources on unnecessary activities is consistent evaluation of the overall company strategy, goals and values. If your activities do not align with these, then it is time to pause or even to stop a project.

Quick questions to determine where to allocate resources:

1. Does this project add value to our company- either monetarily, culturally or through customer loyalty?
2. Does this project require resources that could be better utilized for a higher priority project?
3. Does the project help us meet our goals?
4. Does this project align with our overall strategy?

Dedicate time to evaluate your business in accordance with your overall strategy each week to determine what areas need adjustment. This will prevent the unnecessary use of resources on something that should have been ended earlier. It will also lead to higher productivity, efficiency, and a stronger ROI on activity.

Tell me! How do you allocate time to pause and reflect? Tweet to me at @rwuerch with your answers, I’d love to hear!

The post When is it Time To Pause? appeared first on Ryan Wuerch.