| February 2nd, at approximately 7:30 a.m. local time on | | | | The next step is to determine which areas you want |
| Gobbler's Knob in a small town in western | | | | to focus on changing first. Prioritize your challenges |
| Pennsylvania, 20,000 people and a national radio and | | | | by order of highest potential impact on your small |
| television audience anxiously await the | | | | business. Then consider possible options for fixing |
| prognostication of America's favorite furry | | | | each one. Ask those you trust for their |
| forecaster. In a tradition dating back 119 years, | | | | recommendations, and talk to other business owners |
| Punxsutawney Phil emerges from hibernation...and if | | | | about how they handle these same issues. The more |
| he sees his shadow, it's back into the burrow for six | | | | input you receive, the more likely you'll reach the |
| more weeks of cold weather. | | | | right conclusions. |
| The celebration of Groundhog Day in America and | | | | Success Handler Action: The best way to improve |
| Canada has its roots in the ancient Roman Feast of | | | | those situations that are keeping you on a circular |
| Lights and the early Christian tradition of Candlemas | | | | treadmill of frustration is to begin addressing your |
| Day. However, it took a giant leap in popularity - as | | | | challenges one at a time, taking a proactive approach |
| did Punxsutawney Phil and the entire town - with the | | | | to change things. Here are five steps for |
| 1993 release of the popular Bill Murray-Andie | | | | implementing solutions in your small business: |
| McDowell movie. | | | | 1. Select the option you think is most appropriate for |
| In the film, Murray plays a cynical weatherman - | | | | overcoming a specific challenge. |
| appropriately named Phil - sent to cover Groundhog | | | | 2. Communicate the upcoming change to everyone |
| Day for the fourth straight year. Having made no | | | | affected by it. |
| effort to hide his frustration during the newscast, he | | | | 3. Train key team members, then document in writing |
| goes to bed the night of February 2nd only to | | | | the new processes/procedures. |
| awake at 6:00 a.m. the next morning and discover it | | | | 4. Measure the effectiveness of your solution, |
| is Groundhog Day again...and again...and again. | | | | tweaking wherever necessary. |
| Are you struggling to achieve your goals and grow | | | | 5. Recognize and celebrate with your team all positive |
| your small business? Albert Einstein said, insanity is | | | | improvements. |
| "doing the same thing over and over again and | | | | Harold Ramis, the director of "Groundhog Day," |
| expecting different results." To truly make a leap, | | | | envisioned Murray's character awakening over and |
| you have to commit to doing some things differently. | | | | over again for 10 years before finally freeing himself |
| Success Handler Action: With your team, look at your | | | | by learning to treat people differently. While that |
| small business from the "10,000-foot level," identifying | | | | amount of time may have allowed Phil to learn a |
| areas where issues continually arise. Think about the | | | | poem in French, create an ice sculpture and expertly |
| reasons you keep encountering the same obstacles. | | | | play the piano, it nearly drove him crazy in the |
| Here are some questions to help you get started: | | | | process. |
| ~ What are the things you do best? | | | | Before overloading on your fill of doing the same |
| ~ Where are your biggest and most frequent | | | | things and getting the same results - over and over - |
| frustrations? | | | | start changing your approach in a few essential areas. |
| ~ Why are there differences between these results? | | | | You may just find that tomorrow arrives bright, |
| ~ When was the last time you successfully changed | | | | sunny and with the beginning of six weeks of |
| something, and how did you do it? | | | | incredible progress for your small business. |
| ~ Who are your team members most adept at | | | | Copyright © 2005 by Success Handler, LLC. All |
| taking action on new initiatives? | | | | rights reserved. |