From my experience and that of leaders I have met over the years, there are some easy (easy to say but maybe not so easy to execute) steps to creating a success system.

What will your future look like? It will either be the result of the actions you take today or the time you'll wish you had done the things you are not doing now. It's just that simple. We all put our efforts into what we feel is important, so if hanging out is more important than making a call on a prospective customer - why would we be surprised with the results?

If you had a time machine would you use it to see what the future will bring or to go back and do the important things you didn't do when you had the chance? Your success in life, your happiness, your health and your prospects for success will be largely determined by what you choose to do with your time.

Do your clients trust you explicitly or do they often say, "We'll have to think it over" when you propose a solution or plan of action? Do your prospects trust you the very first time they meet you, or do you often hear "We want to check with some other..." before they are willing to commit to engaging your services?

When employees productivity, morale, and motivation fall - for no reason at all, it's not for no reason at all. The first step toward ridding your organization of profit draining behavior is to recognize it for what it is.

Effective leadership is the only competitive advantage you'll ever have that will endure against all others. Are you then an effective, 21st Century leader? What would your people say about your leadership? Would they say that your leadership is the one key element that insures their long term success? And how much of your energy is being spent helping your subordinates become effective leaders?

You can blame whoever you want but that won't change the fact that it is your responsibility. Will the future be the time you'll be happy with the decisions you make today, or not? Who's in charge of your business succession process? Who is going to have to live with the outcome? You know the answer, now it's time for you to do something about it.

If you are a the owner of a small business it's not hard to imagine yourself all alone in a tiny boat, rowing steadily across a calm lake. Everything seems fine - and yet you keep looking over your shoulder, when you know you should be focusing on the future, wondering if there is something you haven't thought of.

Most coaches I've met and whose web sites I've visited seem to be of the "coaches who coach coaches so that they can coach coaches" variety. No one seems to be coaching regular traditional mainstream businesses. Most coaches just seem to be coaching each other.

About three thousand years ago a group of Chinese business owners were sitting around after their local businessman's group meeting. Their guest speaker that day was a very ancient and widely respected management consultant. It had been raining for days and the roads were a mess, so the ox cart that was picking him up to take him to the next village was running late.