Yesterday I finally got around to watching this incredible animated video by Dan Pink, author of Drive who explains, in a highly visual and entertaining way, what science knows about incentives and awards and what the business seems to keep ignoring time and time again.

In his own words his book and this video is “a paradigm-shattering look at what truly motivates us and how we can use that knowledge to work smarter and live better”.

You may think it’s incentives that’s primarily monetary but actually it’s not what you think. The secret to high performance and satisfaction is “the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world.”

I know in my life this has been very much the case. It’s never been about more money, otherwise I’d have risen up the corporate ladder to increase my salary and benefits until I could go no further. And then what?

Well nothing, unless I was driven by purpose, by valuing what I do, by having the freedom to do what I love and making a difference in the lives of others and in this world.

I’d highly recommend you taking 10 minutes over your morning coffee to watch, learn and apply it to your business, your team and your relationships.

What motivates you most?

I don’t often get worked up, but one thing that I value above all other personal and professional values in life is INTEGRITY.

Image Credit to Bolstablog

Either people have less of it these days or I’m hanging around with the wrong people. I admit we all have flaws, we all make mistakes and can’t always be true to our word.

I am aiming this post at those people who fail to turn up to events or appointments, don’t treat deadlines seriously, don’t follow up or get back to you, forget about things all together, hold you up, constantly reschedule or fail to prioritize their own schedules and work at the expense of others’ valuable time.

Stop it. It’s rude, it’s disrespectful and it’s totally unnecessary.

I get that emergencies come up, that software failures caused your online calendar not to sync or an urgent crisis appeared. I will forgive you for that and be understanding because that’s life. So long as you attempt an email or phone call to let me know ahead of time.

I won’t forgive lousy time management, shoddy memories or something that seemed like a more attractive option that you went with instead.

I believe entrepreneurs can be particularly prone to over promising and under-delivering (from my own personal experiences). We aim to please, to be better, to improve the lives of others with the products and services we develop and deliver.

Then we realize we’re totally overburdened, stressed out, taken on one too many things and balls start to drop. So why not acknowledge that and do something about it? Here’s my thoughts on the matter:

5 Top Ways to attract more integrity into your life

1. Start with yourself

   You’re brilliant, yes you are. You just need to gain some focus and respect your limitations. People will get it if you say no, sorry I can’t do that, I can’t meet this week or I can’t start that project for another two weeks.

   The minute you set more realistic expectations for yourself you will find you’re able to commit, produce the results and follow through on your word.

2. Demand more of others

   There’s no harm in telling people in your personal and professional life how you like to conduct yourself and the type of behavior you expect from them in return. You may have different values so you need to let them know what yours are and what you appreciate and like.

   If you don’t tell them how will they know? You do it for your employees why not do the same for your clients and customers?

3. Be selective

   If people don’t respect you or let you down or  then simply don’t deal with them again. This goes for customers, clients and even friends.

   It’s called filtering out the flakes to let in the fantastic people!. You owe it to yourself to surround yourself with brilliant, wonderful people who you respect and admire and know that this feeling is mutual.

4. Set strong policies

   Set clear guidelines for those you interact with, whether it’s your turnaround time for communicating with them, how your week usually looks, when you allot time for meetings vs work clients, team time etc.

   The more upfront you are from the beginning the better it will be for both parties. They’ll know what they can expect and how to deal with you and you won’t have to repeatedly push back each time a boundary is crossed.

5. Just be better This goes for everyone (and most definitely me). Do one small thing every day that makes you a better person. Turn up to that meeting 5 minutes early, send that follow up email you delayed on, call a client just to connect, introduce people that could benefit each other, do a favor for a friend just because, send a thank you card because you can. Just do it.

And please give me your top tip for ensuring that flakiness is banished forever, I could do with some.

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When you started your business I bet one of your main reasons for doing so was the freedom to create your own schedule and work your own hours.

You wanted a piece of that wonderful entrepreneurial lifestyle of working from the beach, jetting off on an impromptu vacation on your yacht or dropping everything to head away to one of your holiday homes…..

You may not be quite at that stage yet, but are you actually taking advantage of the freedom you have and scheduling regular time out? Are you taking regular holidays or mini retreats or taking a whole day out during the week just because?

If you’re anything like me I’m pretty sure you’re working way more than you should, on weekends, late at night, basically all the time. I know we do this because we love what we do but it’s not healthy and it’s not sustainable and it’s certainly not we signed up for.

I’ve watched myself over the last few months become obsessed with the wrong things. Is checking my email one more time necessary? Does it really matter if I have more fans of my Facebook page than I did one day ago? Should I berate myself if I haven’t engaged across my Twitter accounts or responded instantly to a LinkedIn message? Must I schedule one more meeting with someone in my day?

No, as Seth Godin says, this is the resistance. All these things are stopping you from creating real art and working on purpose. So I decided to go into full battle against the resistance this weekend and drop everything to hit the great outdoors. That was my best decision ever.

Nine of us headed off early on Saturday morning kayak in the Indian Arm Provincial Park, an 18 kilometre fjord just 30 minutes away from Vancouver City. We set out paddling on the water to enjoy a spectacular landscape featuring rugged, forested mountains, large rock faces, small islands and a plethora of nature.

It takes mother nature to make you appreciate that this is what life is all about – nothing but you and nature. The calm serenity of paddling in sync, quietly gliding along the water and listening to the birds, seeing starfish sunbathing on the rocks and even having a deer chilling out right by your campsite, content to share your space.

No reception, no hot water, no facilities of any kind bar an outhouse, a creek and a fire to sit around to eat your dinner and drink wine. Perfect.

As always there’s a lesson you can learn that can translate back to your everyday business life. Here are my five:

# 1. Roll with the punches

After 4 hours of kayaking we reached our camping spot, set up tents, settled in and lazed on the grass dozing in the sun. We then decided we had to go and see the 50-metre high Granite Falls just 20 minutes away before we lost evening light. We all got back in our kayaks and I took the single one for a change.

Enroute two friends were trying to rescue an empty beer can floating by and doing their bit to keep this protected park clean. I went into to help out by using my paddle to push it towards them. I kept leaning out, stretching further until slowly, and gracefully my kayak simply rolled and I went into the cold water and slid out with crocs still on my feet and sunglasses on my head.

I was surprisingly calm and started laughing. The water was refreshing (I’d wanted to swim anyway) and the whole incident was highly amusing to my friends who’d watched it happen. I managed to turn my kayak upright and somehow get in after falling out again, pump out the water and carry on towards the waterfall.

Being totally wet now meant I got to fully enjoy the waterfall’s magnificence up close by bathing in it and exploring, plus for future reference I knew I could get in and out of my kayak with ease.

Roll with the punches you’re dealt and make the most of them as you never know what other benefit you may derive from doing so.

#2. Timing is everything

I’m sure you’ve had that experience of being in the perfect place at the perfect time, whether for an introduction to the right person or a business deal coming together just when you need it.

Well for us it was leaving the waterfall to get back to our campsite just before it went under water.

As we paddled closer we saw some of our gear floating in the water and the grass that we lay on earlier submersed in water thanks to the incoming tide. The water was 15 cm away from the first tent when we arrived. It was perfect timing to save our campsite set up.

Celebrate the moments when timing works to your advantage and be thankful for it.

#3. Change your mindset

Some weeks everything feels like an effort, you experience one issue after the other. This is precisely when you need to focus your mindset on what you want to have happen instead, how awesome your week will be and what amazing things will be achieved. Trust me it works in business and in life.

On day two I stepped up to take the individual kayak for the first half of the journey and had no idea that it would be so tough having kayaked for several hours the day before.

I was in pain. My muscles were complaining, the current was initially with us and now was turning, it was overcast and cooler and I found myself not fully enjoying the moment.

I thought back to the World Record breaking dragon boating crossing of the English Channel with the Sisterhood in 2007 which saw me paddling in a boat for 3 hours and 42 minutes solid. There was no room for whining then so why I was doing it now?

Helped entirely by the fact that I was donning my gear now for the first time since August 2008 I decided to suck it up! I focused on my paddling rhythm, I did a `Power of 10’ to increase my speed, propel myself along faster and catch up to my friends so I could chat with them and take my mind off the pain. It worked perfectly.

Create the right mindset and focus on the solution to your problem. The problem will address itself.

# 4. Take in the bigger picture

It’s become harder for me to step back from what I’m doing each day to focus on the business, rather than be caught up in it. The same applies to my fitness right now, training for World Clubs, which I leave to Prague for in 2 weeks today, can become all consuming. You get so tied up in training everyday that you forget what you’re actually working towards and why it’s all worth it.

Being out there on the water at times I would be looking straight ahead, at the front of my kayak, watching my stroke and the water glide by. At one point I realized a seal was staring directly at me and swimming towards me, then there were four of them just 10 metres from me. It was beautiful and I almost missed it as I was only focusing on what was immediately in front of me at the time.

Most of the weekend I’d luckily been taking in the whole picture which included the vast expanse of water before me, the proud mountains looming above, the puffy white clouds in the blue sky and the birds swooping overhead.

We spotted starfish drying on the rocks, herons chilling out, sulphur staining the rocks bright yellow, beautiful houses tucked away behind bushes and lupins up on the cliffs.

Make sure you’re not missing what’s right in front of you and be sure to readjust your focus to take in the bigger picture.

#5. Enjoy every moment

That might sound a little cliché and I know asking you to be happy every single moment is also not realistic but you have the power to make what you want of any moment just by changing your attitude, so try and do that more often.

When it rained in the morning and we were packing up our campsite several of us were happy to just be out in the great outdoors and not worried that we might end up a little wet, we were about to head out on the water anyway.

We stopped half way at a jetty and made our lunch. Suddenly the sun came out and warmed us up so we could enjoy our food, devour our chocolate and get a little drunk on wine.

We decided not to hurry back but instead soak up this moment and enjoy our time together.

Don’t be in such a rush. Enjoy those special moments because it’s about the journey and not the final destination.

PS Happy National Linchpin day – raise the flag!

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A few months back I was reading a fascinating article in Entrepreneur.com about how few entrepreneurs start a business with the end in mind. The all important exit strategy seems elusive to many of us yet it is so important to have that end goal in mind.

I was so impressed by the points in the article and the level of advice given, plus the fact that she’d just written a book called Show Me The Money that I just decided to email Chia-Li Chien and tell her so.

Chia-Li Chien is the founder and chief strategist of Chien Associates LLC, a strategy and implementation management consulting firm that helps women entrepreneurs to convert their business into meaningful personal wealth.

She’s also one of the most organized and productive women I know that focuses on her priorities and getting results. I was impressed by her prompt, friendly and professional reply, scheduling of our Skype interview and her follow up and her sense of humour.

Chia-Li even shared her incredible calendar with me that is fully colour coded and is planned months in advance with weekly sessions blocked out for marketing, writing, business development, workshops and more.

I knew we all could learn a great deal from her years of experience in time management and business systems, but more importantly her financial prowess and passion in helping women invest in themselves.

Here’s our interview below plus listen to our recorded Skype call where I ask Chia-Li specifically about exit planning, time management tips and more.

Tell me why having an exit plan is so important for women in business?

Creating a business is not just a means of “lifestyle”. As women we often end up taking care of everyone else in the world except for ourselves and we also neglect to view our business as an investment asset.

When you start to view it from this perspective though, you will actually demand an annual return and a certain growth in value over time. Without this end in mind you will not get where you want to be, or achieve financial independence so you can enjoy doing the thing you love the most.

In your opinion, what’s the biggest challenge women face in viewing their business as investment?

They don’t see it as a real investment asset, most view it as “lifestyle” or in reality a job. Let me elaborate, if an owner takes less than $100K salary from the business, she effectively created a job for herself.

If an owner takes less than $250K salary from the business, she created a “lifestyle” for herself.

Until you create 2 to 5 times of the value you’re not creating wealth for yourself at all. The biggest challenge I see women face is “but I am not in the business to make that much money”. My answer is always the same, then work for someone else, it’s a lot easier that way.

What do you love most about helping women achieve financial freedom?

I’ve been there, and can relate to their challenges. We all have family and business to juggle and there is no one formula that fits all. Everyone is unique, and each woman her own set of challenges that I love to help solve.

Most importantly, I am a great connector and can help my clients connect to big customers/clients and stay focused. I love to see them grow and it is the most rewarding thing for me to witness.

You’re a master at time management, what are your top 5 tips for managing your week?

#1. Preview your week: Check your week’s schedule on previous Friday night or early Monday morning so you can familiarise how your week layout looks.

#2. Block Time: Block out time in your calendar such as

• Staff meetings
• Training (for you)
• Green block (making money time)
• Client service/design time
• Marketing/Sales (unless you have staff to do this)
• Review/monitor Company KPI (Key Performance Indicators)
• Paperwork time – something you have to do but make NO money for such as filing, signing contracts, etc. Your staff can do most of this but there are still some things you need to do.
• YOU Time – such as family time, nap time, fitness time, etc.

#3. Be true to yourself: Once you have your own systems down, follow your own rule so your staff can keep you honest.

#3. Put your To Do on your calendar: Block them out into the categories above. So you don’t get side-tracked easily.

#4. Take Care of Yourself. If you need time to nap, put a nap time in your calendar.

I wake up at 5 AM everyday; naturally, I am exhausted by 3 pm. Therefore, I block out 3 to 5 pm for cooking for family or nap time for me. You don’t have to be a super women. Yes, I get home from the office by 3, but continue to work few hours after 6 or 7 pm.

You put aside 25% of your time for marketing your business, what’s your key focus?

My key focus on marketing is to land speaking engagements and interviews. In professional services, the most effective way to generate qualified leads is to get in front of qualified suspects (they may not be prospects yet).

Often it will lead to another speaking engagement or prospective meeting.

This can include “center of influence” or COI, those business entities that have the same target clients as you do, and they refer clients to you. I also call them Market Makers and I cover this in more detail in my book.

What are some of the top books you’ve read that have made a personal difference to you and influenced you and why?

Most of Dr. Wayne Dyers’ books – very much aligned with spiritual, purpose and passion and John Maxwell’s books

– great leadership books.

I believe that we all have to do what we’ve been called to do, that which is truly aligned to our passion, purpose and core talents to thrive in our lives. Finding the passion and purpose is not easy.

To recognize them and align them with your core talents is even harder because at the end of the day, you have to make money out of that. So these books have greatly influenced me.

But to be honest, there are many more Chinese books that I read that influenced me as I was growing up. Those are the ones built my foundation, integrity and value in life. Mostly Tao or Lao Tzu related.

What’s the most exciting thing that’s happening in your world right now?

I’d say it’s getting requests from people that I don’t know about my Show Me The Money – Run Your Business Like A Prosperous Investor book. I’ve received many requests for consultations or sometimes just simple one or two quick questions.

Because of that, I am planning to launch “Ask Jolly” for women entrepreneurs to call in for a live show. I am the Suze Orman version for Women Entrepreneurs.

What is your key piece of advice to any female considering becoming an entrepreneur?

I hate to tell you to read my book, but in chapter one, I reveal an ancient Chinese secret for success. Sorry, ladies, there is really no secret here, but some smart hard work as I mention this previously published article “Secrets of a Successful Exit”.

If you can get the first and 2nd set right, you’ll have a great start. You ultimately have to be honest to yourself whether it is worth that much effort to create a business.

To win a signed copy of `Show Me The Money’ just tweet this message:

I want to win a copy of `Show Me The Money! and learn how to treat my business as an investment  via @womanzworld

Chia-Li is also a columnist for WomenEntrepreneur.com & Fox Business online and her interviews appear in the New York Times “You’re the Boss” Blog.  Chi-Li also serves on several womens’ boards and provides pro bono services to the community. You can reach her at jolly@chialichien.com

If Entrepreneur had a `role description’ written by a recruitment agency it would read something like this:

Desired Skills and Experience

• Must be able to move small mountains on a daily basis, be open to change, willing to take risk, flexible beyond belief and have the stamina of an ultra marathon runner.
• Must enjoy working ridiculously long hours for little money and enjoy being financially burdened 90% of the time.
• Should be used to getting little to no sleep or at least adopting irregular sleep patterns
• Able to cope with vast amounts of stress – mainly self induced and happy in the knowledge that work life/ balance is not in the dictionary as a real word
• Most comfortable having your ego bashed on a daily basis, able to enjoy the thrill of a rollercoaster ride and not prone to puking or showing signs of weakness.
• Used to doubting your abilities and having days when you wonder what the heck you’re actually doing and whether it is even a good idea let alone whether people will pay for it.

If someone had told me it’s a sure fire way to lose sleep, lose all semblance of a balanced life and  become a slave to work I might have considered not taking this route…….yeah right! Deep down we love it.

The Best Wine Label Ever, what’s your label?

So why do we do it?

I believe that for some of us it’s the allure of fame and fortune – that winning idea that turns into an overnight success.

For others it’s the freedom of working our own hours and being able to take off at any time – even if this an elusive quest.

For many it’s our complete and utter passion for doing what we believe in day in and day out.

For others it’s because we don’t want to work for someone else or are lousy at it, perhaps we’re just not good at `regular work at all’.

Then there’s those of us that didn’t get an education, really had no career skills but knew we could make something of ourselves and our endless stream of ideas.

Whatever the reason that we landed in this spectacular role, we deserve to recognize our awesomeness from time to time.

Who cares if we’re addicted to work and the lack of balance in our life, or that we’d rather be doing nothing else than working on all our many business projects?

I can’t help it and I know I’m not alone. Especially when someone pings me at 1am in the morning with an idea, or an email response and I send them a note to say they should be sleeping…which is ironic in itself given I just answered.

This is a common bond between many entrepreneurs and so this article is to honour those of us that don’t take time recognize our awesomeness. Who else climbs the highest mountains unprepared just because?

Who jumps from buildings without checking the parachute first or sails off on an uncharted course to enjoy a new adventure and reach a new shore?  Yes that’s right – we do.

So shout it out, celebrate your fabulousness and create your own definition of Entrepreneur, just like this:

E = Extraordinary

N = Neurotic

T = Tenacious

R = Restless

E = Extreme

P = Persistent

R = Relentless

E = Energetic

N = Nimble

E = Engaging

U = Unstoppable

R = Revolutionary

I’m sure at least one of those words resonates and I think they showcase the many different facets that make us who we are. What sets us apart is the ability to accept our flaws and acknowledge our strengths and push on regardless of not knowing the outcome or whether we have the right ingredients for success.

This is no ordinary role. This is not for the weak or fearful, the scared or the meek, this requires guts, courage and spunk and even moments of insanity.

Go ahead, write your own description and make sure you leave a legacy you’re proud of. Or at least make the title bestowed upon you into an acronym you can spell like: PEER >  ENTER > RUN   OR  PEE > RE-RUN > RENT

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