When is enough more than enough?

There is a definite process to evaluating the performance of your contacts in business. And I say "contacts" because this process can be used in evaluating your subordinates, your bosses, your associates, or your clients as well.

Step 1 - Understand where you want to go.

There is an old exercise where you daydream about what you would want people to say about you at your funeral -- when all your life's efforts are complete -- and write down what each person would say fromall the walks of your life. Your son's or daughter's words, your wife's or husband's words, your boss's words, etc. List all the aspects of your life, and write down what you would want them to say.

It sounds hard, but it is quite simple if you are honest with yourself. (Hint: You can do this each quarter for your boss and your clients as well.)

Step 2 - Understand your Goals

Each of these person's words can translate into goals for your performance or your business's performance. Take a moment to write the goals that come out of the exercise above.

Step 3 - Understand what each relationship contributes to your bottom line.

Your BOTTOM LINE is the endstate of all of your goals. The effects that you desire in the exercise in step 1 have been translated into executable subtasks in step 2. And now you have to see which relationships are most critical to your BOTTOM LINE and which ones actually detract from it.

Step 4 - Be honest and courageous enough to remove negative influences.

Now that you have determined which relationships are good for your business or bad for your business, you have the hard task of persuing the GOOD and letting go (or firing) the BAD influences.

Step 5 - Re-evaluate your progress.

Every quarter, or at least every year, you should take stock of these goals and relationships you have created and decide again which ones are GOOD and which are BAD for your BOTTOM LINE. This will keep your actions and relationships consistently in line with your goals.

Do this and ask for advice from professionals like those here at AmazingLeadership.com when you have trouble!

Tell me what you think about this entry here or at keith@amazingleadership.com when you get a chance!