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In the dynamic world of business, strategic planning is the compass that guides small companies toward sustainable growth and long-term success. While it might seem daunting, especially for smaller enterprises, strategic planning is essential for staying competitive, adapting to market changes, and seizing new opportunities. Here’s a comprehensive roadmap for small businesses to craft an effective strategic plan.

1. Clarify Your Vision and Mission:

Start by defining your business’s vision and mission. Your vision outlines what you aim to achieve in the long run, while your mission defines your purpose and how you plan to achieve your vision. These statements provide a clear sense of direction and purpose for your business.

2. Conduct a SWOT Analysis:

Perform a SWOT analysis to assess your business’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Identifying internal strengths and weaknesses and external opportunities and threats helps you make informed decisions about where to focus your efforts and resources.

3. Set SMART Goals:

Establish Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART) goals. SMART goals provide a clear framework for what you want to achieve and help you track your progress effectively. Break down larger goals into smaller, actionable tasks for better implementation.

4. Know Your Market and Customers:

Understand your target market thoroughly. Research your customers’ needs, preferences, and behaviors. Stay updated on market trends and your competitors. This knowledge enables you to effectively tailor your products or services to meet market demands.

5. Develop Action Plans:

Translate your goals into actionable plans. Outline the steps, resources, and timelines required to achieve your objectives. Allocate responsibilities among your team members and establish clear metrics to measure progress.

6. Invest in Your Team:

Your team is a crucial asset. Invest in their training and development to enhance their skills and knowledge. A skilled and motivated workforce contributes significantly to the successful execution of your strategic plans.

7. Monitor and Adapt:

Regularly monitor your progress against your goals and adjust your strategies as needed. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) help you measure your success. Be flexible and willing to adapt your plans based on market feedback and changing circumstances.

8. Financial Planning and Budgeting:

Develop a detailed financial plan that includes budgeting for various activities related to your strategic initiatives. Effective financial management ensures you have the necessary resources to execute your dreams and achieve your goals.

In an era dominated by digital innovation, the real estate industry is transforming significantly, reshaping how properties are bought, sold, and managed. Technological advancements have not only streamlined traditional processes but have also introduced groundbreaking concepts that were once considered futuristic. Let’s delve into the ways technology is revolutionizing the real estate landscape.

1. Enhanced Property Search and Visualization:

The days of scanning newspaper listings are long gone. Online platforms and mobile apps now provide comprehensive databases of available properties. Advanced search filters enable prospective buyers or tenants to narrow their options based on specific criteria such as location, price range, and property type. Furthermore, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies allow users to take virtual property tours, providing an immersive experience from the comfort of their homes.

2. Big Data and Predictive Analytics:

The real estate industry is leveraging big data analytics to gain insights into market trends and buyer behavior. By analyzing vast amounts of data, real estate professionals can make data-driven decisions, predict market fluctuations and understand customer preferences. This allows for strategic pricing, targeted marketing, and a better understanding of which properties will likely generate higher returns on investment.

3. Blockchain for Transactions and Security:

Blockchain technology has made significant strides in ensuring the security and transparency of real estate transactions. Through blockchain, property records can be securely stored and accessed, reducing fraud risk and ensuring property-related documents’ authenticity. Smart contracts powered by blockchain facilitate automated, secure, and transparent transactions, streamlining the often complex process of property transfers.

4. PropTech and Smart Homes:

The integration of property technology, or PropTech, is revolutionizing the concept of smart homes. Smart home devices and automation systems allow homeowners to remotely control lighting, heating, security, and entertainment systems through smartphones or voice commands. These technologies enhance convenience and improve energy efficiency, making properties more attractive to environmentally conscious buyers.

5. Online Mortgage Platforms:

Securing a mortgage or refinancing a property has become more accessible through online mortgage platforms. Borrowers can compare rates, submit documents, and track their application status online. These platforms offer a streamlined and user-friendly experience, simplifying the mortgage process and saving both time and effort for buyers.

6. Real-Time Communication and Collaboration:

Real-time communication tools and collaboration platforms have transformed how real estate professionals interact with clients and colleagues. Video conferencing, messaging apps, and collaborative workspaces facilitate instant communication, enabling quicker decision-making and smoother transactions. This instantaneous communication is especially crucial in the fast-paced real estate environment.

By Tim Elmore

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When Carol reminded her class about Friday’s exam, she got a surprising text from one of her students. Chelsea’s message said, “I won’t be in class for the test tomorrow. I’m just not my best self this week.” 

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Carol was disappointed but also felt she owed Chelsea some hard truth. When the student returned to class, Carol pulled her aside and explained, “You know, after graduation, you won’t be able to excuse yourself from a special task at work because you’re not your best self. I suggest you figure out a way to gather your strength and show up even on tough days.” 

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It was at that point Chelsea gasped as if her teacher had assaulted her. She replied that she felt triggered and could not continue the conversation. She left for the restroom and didn’t return to class for almost twenty minutes. Naturally, Chelsea expected her teacher to help her catch up on the instruction she had missed. 

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Carol responded instead, “Chelsea—catching up on what you missed is up to you. Talk to a fellow student.” 

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This seemed to be the end of the discussion.

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Two days later, however, Carol received a note from her principal asking her to “lighten up.” Apparently, Chelsea’s mother had paid him a visit, and this was his solution—Carol was not to confront her students (especially Chelsea) this bluntly again.

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When Students Appear Fragile 

Offering hard feedback has never been easy, but today, it is tougher than ever. We seem to have caved to the idea that kids are fragile and need lots of warning and preparation for tough situations. If that’s true, it is we who’ve created this monster. Kids are naturally “anti-fragile.” Toddlers hop back up when they learn to walk; kids forgive wrongs easier than adults do, and they have immune systems that organically combat disease and germs. These all signal what comes naturally for young people. I believe we have caused this fragility today. 

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Adults, even caring parents, teachers, and employers, have overcompensated in favor of “safety” in our society and chosen to allow fragility to grow in younger generations:   

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• Providing trigger warnings on college campuses 
• Removing certain books from libraries 
• Curbing free speech and ideas at schools

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This assumption that students are fragile is relatively new. A hundred years ago, we believed kids were robust and resilient—and it’s a good thing. Those kids grew up equipped to face the Great Depression and World War II. Adults prepared them to become agile, not fragile. Greg Lukianoff, co-author of The Coddling of the American Mind, wrote, “Many university students today are learning to think in distorted ways, and this increases their likelihood of becoming fragile, anxious, and easily hurt.” 

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6 Strategies to Offer Feedback in a Fragile World

1. Gain permission by earning the right to give input.

Today, relationships mean far more than positions or badges. We earn the right to offer hard feedback by cultivating a personal and authentic relationship with a young person. In short, genuine connection must precede critical input. We must connect before we correct. Then, asking permission to have a tough conversation earns a receptive ear. 

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2. Be targeted with your approach.

Our feedback has little chance of transforming young people if it’s a general attack on their work. We must target one area where we’d like to see improvement and focus our input on that. Being targeted means we emulate a doctor performing surgery. Surgeons almost always target their operation on one area (a tumor, a bone, an organ) instead of carving up the patient’s entire body.

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3. Offer input with belief and expectation. 

The key is to offer any feedback from a context of belief. You expect a lot from them because you believe a lot in them. Studies from Ivy League schools prove that student effort improves dramatically when leaders communicate this sentiment: “I’m giving you this feedback because I have high expectations of you, and I know you can reach them.”

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4. Communicate progress with your words.

I have found I gain a more positive response from someone who’s receiving my feedback if I clarify I see their current progress. Some time ago, I challenged a leader to improve, and she became preoccupied with the fact that I failed to show I noticed she was doing better than before. Once I began acknowledging her progress, she was willing to push further. 

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5. Do it in a timely fashion. 

Forget the annual review or the yearly parent updates. People need real-time feedback for it to feel authentic. Don’t let pent-up frustration build until you vomit emotionally on a student or parent. Wait a day until you get over your own emotions, but set up a time to meet quickly.

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6. Give them the opportunity to practice and implement the feedback.

When students receive feedback, they’ll be frustrated unless they have a path to improve. In a broader sense, think about where the student is going, how the student is doing now, and what the next step is. If you tell them they must do better, furnish a plan for them to do just that. 

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We owe our students this gift of feedback. Don’t run from it in the name of comfort or popularity. Winston Churchill said, “Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.” The growth and development of our students is our highest calling.

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We owe our students this gift of feedback. Don’t run from it in the name of comfort or popularity. Winston Churchill said, “Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.” The growth and development of our students is our highest calling.

The post How to Offer Feedback in a Fragile World appeared first on Growing Leaders.

By Tim Elmore

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These days, I’m reading about school decisions regarding smartphone use, ranging from banning portable devices to displaying laissez-faire attitudes regarding phones. Many educators and support staff feel that students’ constant access to social media on their smartphones harms their mental well-being and hinders their ability to learn. Some educators go so far as to say that students are addicted to their devices.

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Phones have been a “tug of war” issue in schools for over ten years. Pressure is felt on every side, and neither the teacher nor the students are bad guys here. On the one hand, teachers clearly see students distracted by social media posts and notifications, preventing them from focusing on their work or even enjoying peace of mind. On the other hand, parents want to stay in touch with their children who, of course, feel deprived without them. Below are three examples of what schools are doing to manage this issue.

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So—I’d like to hear from you. I want to start a conversation about the best solutions.

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Remove the Mirrors Solution 

One North Carolina middle school came up with a way to curb TikTok use among its students: removing bathroom mirrors. For the Southern Alamance Middle School in Graham, North Carolina, it was affecting attendance and productivity. Students at the school were “going to the bathroom for long periods of time (and up to nine times a day) making TikTok videos,” Les Atkins, a spokesman for the Alamance-Burlington School System, said. 

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The school chose not to ban cell phones for safety concerns—namely, the record number of school shootings on school campuses last year. Parents want to know they can contact their child. The faculty believes that students need to learn how to be responsible with devices and that removing them steals that opportunity. Technology can ensure that all students are accounted for. So, this middle school removed bathroom mirrors and uses a “digital hall pass system” to track its students. 

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Remove the Phone Solution

Hundreds of students walked out of classes and off the school campus when they heard that portable devices were recently banned inside Madison High School in Houston, Texas. School leaders and board of education members decided to outlaw smart phones, noting the data that points to phones as not only a source of distraction but of anxiety and even depression. 

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It was a well-intentioned decision, but their students feel empowered to protest what they don’t like, and, in this case, they did just that. The very phones that were outlawed are the source of their high sense of agency. Students admitted this was a long time coming. One of them said it’s not just the anxiety and the distractions, either. Madison Rittenhouse said, “It’s the fights and kids bringing weapons and the kids and their drama.” So, this school chose to do away with them.

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Remove the Options Solution 

Countless middle and high schools have taken a different, more hybrid route. Knowing that 95 percent of teens between ages 13-17 report using social media, and more than a third say they use it “almost constantly” (according to the U.S. Surgeon General), many schools have chosen a solution in the middle. 

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Classrooms have a wall hanging with pockets for students to place their phones inside as they walk into class. When a teacher wants them to use their portable device, they retrieve it for the classroom project and then return it immediately afterward. At the end of school, students are free to take it home or to their after-school activity. This solution recognizes that technology is neither good nor evil but can be utilized for educational purposes while on campus. This is an answer in the middle.

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I want to know your perspective. Is a school right to ban the phones? Do students have a right to bring their portable devices into the bathroom? How about the classroom? What is your school doing, and what solution do you feel is the best long-term answer? 

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Click here to let us know your thoughts on the best ways to prevent social media abuse.

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By Tim Elmore

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I know, I know. Your days each week are crazy. You’re busy. Your kids are busy. And often, family times are reduced to eating chicken nuggets in the minivan while on your way from piano lessons to soccer practice. 

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Years ago, my wife, Pam, and our daughter, Bethany, dropped me off at the airport for yet another trip I would take that month. Bethany was only three at the time, and when she looked at the crowded airport, she said to me, “Dad—do you live here?”

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That’s when I knew I had to be more intentional about my family time.

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The Invaluable Lesson I Learned 

I was serving under John Maxwell’s leadership during that season. I started in 1983 and have served somewhere next to him since then. As he and I noticed our need for a plan to lead our families well, I had an epiphany. The answer was not to prioritize our schedule but rather to schedule our priorities. We had to take advantage of the times we naturally have in our days at home. For me, I began to leverage four natural junctions:

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• Mealtime
• Morning Time
• Bedtime
• Drive Time

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Let’s face it. These four daily periods are often wasted instead of redeemed for growth and helpful conversation. The key is to use each junction to serve a function! Years ago, my friend Reggie Joiner reminded me that parents can serve different roles during different times of the day. At bedtime, for example, we can naturally play the role of counselor. My kids were much more vulnerable with me at bedtime. At mealtime, we can serve as a teacher, debriefing the day and making sense of what happened. During drive time, we can serve as a friend, listening to and discussing what the song lyrics mean and how they should or should not shape our worldview. Finally, morning time is perfect for playing the role of a cheerleader, encouraging them to be prepared to serve others that day. 

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Let me offer some questions for conversation at each of these junctions:

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• At bedtime: Did anyone hurt your feelings today? Did you hurt anyone else’s? Did you have any opportunities to forgive someone? 

• At mealtime: What’s the best thing that happened today? How about the worst? Did you have a chance to solve a problem for someone? What did you learn?

• At drive time: What do you think of the song lyrics we listened to? What’s your favorite song, and why? Do you think most kids feel selfish or helpful to others?

• At morning time: I want you to find one person you could serve or encourage today and do it. Let me know what happens tonight.

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Over time, being intentional meant taking each of my kids out on dates and talking specifically about the topics that interested them. It meant going on trips, even service trips, where they would learn from others and sometimes serve those strangers in that foreign place. It meant welcoming people into our home and teaching our kids what it means to host others experientially. Finally, it meant reading books together. 

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Which is what drove me to create a book for this very purpose. 

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I Can’t Wait!

I’ve been collecting and curating such stories for years and placed them in a book called: “I Can’t Wait: 52 Stories of Kids Who Changed Their World…That You Can Discuss Together.” These short stories make up 52 chapters, one a week for an entire year. They include discussion questions and a link to a video about the young person in that chapter. They’re about people, ages five to twenty-four, who stepped up and did something rather than “veg” on the sofa, binging Netflix shows or watching TikTok videos. 

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Consider what your family might look like if once a week if one of these stories provided a great spark for conversation. The stories will inspire and amaze both kids and adults. Ann was a teen who invented a flashlight that doesn’t require batteries or electricity. It is powered by the body heat of your hand. She designed it for a friend in the Philippines who couldn’t do her homework at night since she had no electricity. Louie was a kid who accidentally blinded himself with a tool from his dad’s shed. When he began attending a school for the blind, he noticed they used a pitiful system for reading. This kid, Louie Braille, developed a system of reading for the blind that people now use worldwide. What’s more, Louie used the very tool that blinded him to create the raised dots in his system. His problem became a possibility. 

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These stories will spark leadership insights for your kids. And who knows? Maybe reading them in those daily junctions will serve a leadership development function.

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By Tim Elmore

Looking back on my life and career, I see more gains than losses. Upon deeper reflection, however, I think my memory is reconstructed. While I recall tragedies, setbacks, and losses, I see them through a different lens than most people do. I’m not in “denial,” but I perceive how each disadvantage became an advantage. A few examples are…

• Type 1 diabetes, a chronic disease, has built discipline in me and a sense of urgency. 
• When a payroll company embezzled $30,000, it made me a wiser negotiator. 
• Enduring a plane crash left me injured but enabled me to clarify my life’s mission. 
• An illegitimate lawsuit forced us to practice better systems for hiring and firing.
• A knife held to my throat downtown forced me to determine my priorities.
• When loads of products were stolen, we learned a better way to handle inventory.

My point is that we can determine what we see because we can choose what we look at. And what we focus on expands. Our trouble is that we ruminate instead of reflect. My friend Randy Hain just reminded me that we often drift into ruminating on what we’ve lost instead of reflecting on what we’ve gained. Let me offer three options we have when facing a loss.

It can DEFINE you. 

For millions, this is their default mechanism. They suffer a tragic loss (a job, a family member, an investment, a spouse, a promotion, you name it), and this loss begins to define who they are. Their self-image morphs based on what’s been taken away. They suffer “imposter syndrome,” believing that maybe they didn’t really deserve that job anyway. Soon, they make decisions based on their plummeting sense of identity, and it’s confirmed over and over. Before they know it, depression sets in, and their ambition evaporates. They’re now defined by a setback, perhaps a single setback, and their life is never the same again.

The antidote for this is something we know deep down but forget in this emotional state. We must never place our sense of identity in something that can be taken away. Athletes suffer when they place their entire sense of self in their sport and they age out. Our talent, looks, or income should not define who we believe we are. The healthiest people choose something internal and eternal to define them. What’s inside of you and before you are more important than what’s behind you.

It can CONFINE you.

This response is also common and only slightly better than the first one. Many people suffer a loss, and they allow yesterday to confine what they imagine for tomorrow. An experience molds and restricts them from the freedom to envision significant success. When a loss defines us, it diminishes our sense of identity. When a loss confines us, it diminishes our sense of capacity. We might remain emotionally healthy people, but we settle for less. We are limited and hampered more than in the past. We tell others we’ve become more realistic, but that’s a copout. We’re more pessimistic about our prospects and constrained in what we’ll attempt. 

The antidote for this is to reflect on our best days, not our worst ones. After a loss, I spend time thinking about my most significant accomplishments. I read “thank you” notes I’ve received and even affirm out loud what I know to be true about myself. While this may sound cheesy, it prevents the mental limitations that come from the negative narratives around us. If we fail to handle losses well, we’ll eventually go to our graves with loads of potential still inside us. Never let your yesterday keep you from your tomorrow. Learn from it, but don’t live with it.

It can REFINE you.

This option is the one I’ve chosen. It’s healthy in that it assesses the loss that’s happened yet allows it to play a proper, positive role in our growth. When we let losses and failures refine us, we avoid a state of denial and embrace a state of development. We can genuinely say: “I am a work in progress.” As I review my setbacks—car accidents, a chronic disease, a plane crash, theft, and a lawsuit—I worked to make them tollbooths, not roadblocks for me. I paid a price and continued forward. They were hurdles that made me more agile and less fragile. 

How do we enable losses to refine us? Three key decisions. First is our attitude. We must remain optimistic and hopeful about our future. We must maintain a strong sense of identity. Second is our accountability. We must position people we admire next to us to hold us accountable to learn from and gain from our losses. We must request they ask us hard questions. Third is our teachability. We must embrace a growth mindset, not a fixed mindset. We must refuse to drift into a victim mentality by recognizing how we benefit from our losses or setbacks. This enables us to turn disadvantages into advantages. 

Winston Churchill exhorted us, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” Robert Jordan framed it thusly, “The oak fought the wind and was broken; the willow bent when it must and survived.”

If you’d like to dive deeper into conversations like this with your students or the young adults in your life, we invite you to explore our Habitudes leadership curriculum. Grounded in established research, Habitudes is an image-based leadership development curriculum that empowers educators, coaches, parents, and mentors to prepare any student to become a leader. Using stories, images and experiences, Habitudes teaches young adults valuable perspectives and leadership habits. Learn more about Habitudes today by clicking here. 

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