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5 steps to manage growth (change) in your business

We all want our businesses to grow and flourish. And yet when we start to see this happening there can be so much chaos that we almost wish we didn’t have a growing business!

I have seen it first hand with my clients. Trying to navigate increased workloads and balancing this increasing productivity demand with the number of hours in the day (or number of staff you can afford to hire). It can be very trying!

Growth in your business requires change. Change of the way you do things both personally and within your business systems. You must be open to change yourself in order to support the growth of your business.

My questions for you are therefore: How well can you adapt to the changing needs of your business? 

For example, have you considered if you are willing to change your own habits to ensure a more efficient process? And can you be flexible with your approach to the broader business processes?

Let’s be honest: Change is messy.
It can be a chaotic (and exhilarating) time. You must have a plan or some basic structure to navigate your way through!

Let me share with you my 5 step plan to manage change in your business. The 5 steps that I outline below are applicable across all industries and business sizes. They are a foundation on which you can build your own tailored change plan for your unique business.

Step 1: Design & document new systems to manage the workload(with other stakeholders/managers)
One of the biggest challenges of a growing business is the systematic shifts that are required as the business grows. The only way to meet this challenge is to regularly design new systems that work better than the current ones. Systems get outgrown as the workflow increases. You need to design a new way to do things and remain flexible in order to switch to a better way when it is found. Then you must ensure that it is clearly documented, so everyone is on the same page and you have a reference document. Whether you are working alone or with a team, documented systems, even a simple checklist, will greatly increase the ability for everyone to use the new systems.

Step 2: Clearly communicate the new procedures & start date
It’s important that once a new system has been designed, that all staff are notified of these changes and when they are to take effect. It’s always good to communicate why changes are being made. Most people are reluctant to change, but with a good reason, they are more likely to be onboard. The initial communication should also advise who is responsible for managing these changes, so it is clear where queries can be directed. If you’re managing your own business, be clear with yourself on why you are making these changes.

Step 3: Provide support
Many systematic changes will require some kind of initial training. Ideally you should provide support to your staff through the change process by providing convenient ongoing access to the documented system procedures, with links to further information and where to direct their queries. If you are managing your own business alone, reach out to a certified coach to help support you through this process, it will make a big difference!

Step 4: Monitor implementation over time
With any changes that you implement, you must find a way to monitor the implementation over time. It’s important to track that the new changes are being implemented consistently. This also acts as a reminder for your staff or yourself to stay with the new process. Schedule in regular evaluations for the first few months. Changing the way you and your staff work means changing habits. This takes time. Change is a process, so be patient with yourself and your staff.

Step 5: Assess the results
You will reach a point when you find that the changes you have made have been fully integrated. Now it’s time to look at the bigger picture. You implemented the changes for a reason, so are the changes you made helping solve your original problem? In most cases, it’s an easy “yes, this is significantly better”. It’s also good at this point to ask for staff feedback or conduct your own review of the implementation process.  This should be along the lines of: What did you learn from this implementation process? What would we do differently next time?

Change is a process and not a switch that we just turn on. Everyone takes time to adjust to new changes, however the whole process can work much smoother if you utilise this 5-step process as the foundation for your approach.

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Overcome procrastination

Sometimes our mind chatter goes something like this…
I don’t feel like it.
It’s not that urgent.
It’s a big task, I don’t know where to start.
I don’t have time now.
I can do it tomorrow. 

These thoughts form the stories we tell ourselves in order to delay doing something.
And funnily enough, they are fairly common across the board for most people! It is a shared challenge because it is the way our human brains are wired: to resist change or anything uncomfortable. Which means… we often resist doing the things we actually want to do.

But beating procrastination can often be a case of learning to ‘reframe’ the situation. Here’s how you can do this:

  1. Make sure you know your why

If you’re not clear on why you need/want to do the task you are putting off, then it’s easy to push it down the list of things to do. Understanding the reason why the task is important and the bigger picture around it, will help you to value the task more and be less likely to delay it.Example: Task: To go for a runThe WHY behind it: to feel good/ to be energised throughout the day/ to lose weight/ to get better so I can run the marathon etc.

  1. Reduce the commitment in your mind

Our minds will naturally resist anything that it sees as a big task or challenge. It basically gets overwhelmed and we instinctively just want to walk away. Everyone has this built into their brains, so don’t worry, it’s not just you! So how do we avoid going into overwhelm? Commit to just a bit, to get you started. The idea is you tell yourself you will just do 10 minutes, you relax a little and you get started. Procrastination beaten! Then you can continue longer than 10 minutes to complete the task. This works well because once we’re doing the task we are happy to continue, it is all about the law of inertia!Example: Task: To write the reportReduce the commitment: I will just do 1 page of the report/ I will just write for half an hour.(and once started, continue to complete the task)

  1. Make starting easy

How do we do that? We plan in advance so we know exactly where to start! The first step needs to be made as clear and easy as possible. If you don’t want to make a whole plan, just decide on the first step required.Example: Task: Create a blog postCreate the place to start: Select a topic and write a paragraph

  1. Don’t do the whole thing

Not to be confused with tip #2, in this case you will not aim to finish the task.You will break the task into small pieces and you will do just one piece. The smaller the better. Break your task into 20 small pieces if you like! All you have to do is complete 1 of the small pieces. (And remember that completing one of 20 small parts is still more than zero parts completed). This is a particularly good approach for any really stubborn resistance such as procrastinated tasks that remain undone for a few months or even years.Example:Task: Paint the houseBreak it down, the small pieces could be: calculate how much paint you need, decide on the colour, buy the paint and materials, schedule days in your diary to paint 1 room at a time, prep the room etc.

  1. Accept that you don’t have to feel like doing it(and often you won’t!)

Not feeling like doing something is not a valid reason for not doing it. The reality is that you are not going to feel like doing things most of the time! If you can accept that not feeling like doing a task doesn’t mean anything at all (just the result of a certain type of mind chatter), then you can learn to do it, regardless of how you feel. This is how success is created, how productivity is created, how champions are born! All successful people understand this principle. It’s what separates them from the pack. 
Think about it. 

What would your life look like if you started to do all the things that you don’t feel like doing?

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Setting a clear path for 2022

Are you clear about your way forward in 2022?

If you want to:
achieve specific objectives
live and work authentically
feel engaged but not burnout
and generally be in a different place this time next year, then having a clear path ahead (especially at the start of the year!) is essential.

So is the way ahead looking clear for you or not? 

There are a number of barriers that can prevent you having a clear path.  Let’s have a look at these common barriers and see if you can relate to any of them:

Cognitive overload and burnout
What I’ve seen over the past year is an increase in people experiencing cognitive overload and/or burnout. If you’re not familiar with these terms, Cognitive Overload refers to there being an overload of information, more than our working memory can process. Basically too much information or too many tasks to process. The result is frustration and comprised decision-making, which does NOT make for a clear path ahead, right?

Burnout is a term you are likely familiar with now, thanks to COVID-19 and it’s impact on our daily lives. Burnout is defined as “a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by long term involvement in emotionally demanding situations.”  I think dealing with COVID-19 alone would qualify as emotionally demanding, particularly due to its impact on our routines and livelihoods. The exhaustion from burnout creates  a lack of energy as well as disengagement and a lack of motivation. This will impact your ability to create a clear pathway forward.

Need for a true sounding board
Understanding your priorities and having a true sense of perspective can be difficult if you’re working alone at a high level. Most managers and business owners don’t have someone to bounce ideas off and share in their thinking. This is where working with a Certified Coach can be of a huge benefit. I ask all my clients what they find the most useful from our sessions and the number one reason they report is “having a truly neutral sounding board”.  A truly neutral sounding board will benefit you in a number of ways: clarity around your priorities, obtaining a different perspective(reframing) and seeding new approaches and ideas, are just a few. Reach out if you want to try working with a Certified Coach, this will ensure that clear path ahead this year.

Increased levels of change(stress and overwhelm)
You may have already experienced the impact of change on your ability to make decisions in the last year. Most of us have at least planned and booked a few holidays and cancelled perhaps just as many! And I noticed that after a time, some people I know reported “not bothering” to plan ahead because it will all change anyway! This is what change can do: create stress and overwhelm…and then we get stuck. When there is a lot of change happening around you, it can be tricky to plan, but plan we must! It may feel more difficult to make decisions on the way forward and this will impact your vision for the year ahead.

Disconnection from your values
Most people remain unaware of their values on a conscious level. That is until they find themselves feeling lost, burnt out or unfulfilled even with great external achievements. Did you know that your values can form a foundation for your decision-making? They will also help you to work more consistently. This is because understanding your values ensures that you’re not “going against the grain” of what is important to you. What trips many of us up can be our own sabotage, a way we unconsciously resist what is outside of our value set. Make sure you understand your values before you set out forming that way ahead for 2022.

Do you relate to any of these barriers to a clear path forward?
Reach out if you do need help to set a clear path for 2022.

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Sneaky unconscious decisions

Let’s start this week’s blog with an interesting question: When was the last time you said “no” to someone or something?

Can you actually remember when you last said “no”? Or was it so long ago that you have to really think through the last few months? I must say it did take me a few minutes to recall my last “no”.

I had to decline on something fun and social because I knew it would stretch me way too thin that week. What was interesting was I felt that I wasn’t just saying “no“ to my friends who invited me, but also saying “no” to myself.

Cue lightbulb moment.
If you’re a “doer”, you know, the “productive” type. Then, the biggest challenge you may have is to actually say “no” to yourself!

Yes, it may in fact not be others asking a lot of you. Rather, it’s you asking a lot of yourself. 

And often not even realising it.

Is it “bad” to ask a lot of yourself? Not necessarily.
What is however unhelpful, is being unaware of what you’re asking yourself to do.

Many of us really don’t notice what we expect from ourselves.
We are not aware of what we have said “yes” to automatically.

We’re already in the behaviour pattern or expectation without even questioning it. And this is when we can run into trouble. Unconscious behaviours could lead to issues with boundaries when you find yourself saying “yes” all the time to yourself and others.

The key is to become aware of what you say “yes” to. Here’s a few questions to open up some awareness in this area:
What am I expecting of myself in this situation?
What am I assuming responsibility for? And why?
Can I say “no” to 1 thing today?

If you start asking yourself these questions regularly, you will be able to create enhanced awareness about some automatic decisions you didn’t know you were making. Then you have the opportunity to re-decide. More choice, or rather, conscious choice.

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How to learn from lockdown

Have you spread you wings and ventured outside a little further recently? If so, I hope it has been enjoyable. I have been out and about, slowly bringing back some of my favourites activities after this last lifting of COVID rules.

I have to confess that I am enjoying it very much! I now know just how important some things really are… like seeing friends in-person. A luxury once taken for granted.

 I have learnt a lot about what is important to me in lockdown, have you?

Whether you loved it (introverts and home bodies) or hated it (extroverts and social people), it created a moment in time, like one giant pause on life.

Sure, lots fell into that gap…new hobbies, cooking complex dishes, Netflix…But there was a lot of opportunity for us all to ask ourselves some quality questions, along the lines of…does <insert thing> really matter?

Perspective, that’s what a pandemic can give us.

And while we’re still emerging from the cocoon, now’s the optimal time to write a few things down!

Yes, I know you have learnt a lot.
I know you know yourself better.


But what exactly have you learnt?
Can you articulate it?
Can you record it, so you can reference it later?


Today I share with you the best questions to ask yourself in order to maximise your learning from lockdown. 
Think about it, this may be the only time in your lifetime that you ever are forced to stop and reflect. Let’s harness that wisdom now, before we’re off again and too busy to think about it!

Start here:
What did I really miss the most in lockdown? How can I create more of this in my life moving forward?
What did I stop doing in lockdown? Do I want to pick it up again or not?
What did I start doing in lockdown? Do I want to continue with it?
Who was my“soft place to fall”(supporter) for the duration of the lockdown? How will I thank them?


More, for those of you who are keen…
What did I learn about myself that surprised me?
How did I manage my mental health in lockdown? What practices will I continue with into the future?
What did I struggle with the most in lockdown?
What will I never do again after lockdown?
How did my habits change in lockdown? What do I think about this?
How did my values become more clear or change during lockdown?
How would I like to move forward, using this time as a pivot point in my life?

As a Certified Coach it is my role to ask quality questions that create awareness and possibility. And there is no better time than after a big challenge like lockdown, to ask yourself some of these powerful questions (and write your answers down).

I hope you find these questions helpful in harnessing some of the learning you’ve experienced over the last while.