1. Vision and Values

The single most important requirement for the success of any business is a crystal clear vision…..a vision big enough to be worthy of you and all of the people with whom you work...and a vision based on the values that you and your company embrace. 
Other things will determine the fulfillment of the vision, but vision itself  is the one thing that creates the foundation for all of the others. Without it, your business will ultimately fail.

One key to having a truly meaningful work life is to make certain that our actions are in alignment with our highest values, that is, what is of most intrinsic importance and worth to us personally. Our values determine how we make decisions and how we evaluate our own actions and the actions of others.

Melissa Thornton has a broad base of training and experience with facilitating the discovery and implementation of both personal and corporate value-based visions.

2. Leadership

Everyone knows that CEOs of large corporations, as well as owners of small businesses, must be effective "leaders"… able to work with people in a way that inspires and excites them, and earns their trust. They must also be able to keep their team focused on the vision, principles, and strategic plan for the business. 
To do this, a leader must be able to demonstrate a number of skills.

Leaders think, talk, and act with confidence. They are good listeners and are able to explain their ideas with clarity and impact. Leaders convey a quality of genuine concern for those around them. They know where they are going and help others to see and believe in the business vision and goals. True leaders are reliable, dependable, persistent, and committed.

Effective leaders have the ability to consistently hold the standard defined by the organization's Principles of Conduct. They are both tough and sensitive. They model fairness, patience, flexibility, and passion.

Melissa Thornton's coaching skills, developed within companies like yours, help her to help you create individual skill building plans for the specific competencies that each member of the leadership team needs to develop.

3. Communication

There are many types of communication. Strategic communication is the method that is best used at work. Here the purpose for the team is to accomplish the goals that have been set for the success of the business. The most effective communication methods are those that will allow members of the team to bond together to achieve the business goals most effectively and efficiently.

Melissa Thornton has spent over 20 years helping people to develop the skills that will allow your team members to learn to make these distinctions and learn the additional communication techniques that will help them achieve their goals.

4. Strategic Planning

Simply put, strategic planning determines where an organization is going over the next year or more and how it's going to get there. Typically, the process is organization-wide, or focused on a major function such as a division, department or other major function. It usually includes a strategic (SWOT) analysis of the company within its competitive environment, setting direction with specific strategic goals and methods, and action planning, of objectives and results, which often entails annual plans, work plans, and budgets.

A Strategic Plan is the blueprint of how the vision will be implemented. The right strategy ensures a successful outcome, while a wrong or outdated strategy wastes valuable resources and needlessly delays the results.

The development of a strategy begins by asking questions like: "What's the smartest, cleverest, most creative and easiest way to make X happen, without doing it like everyone else is doing it? What's a better way? What's an unconventional way? What's OUR way?"

Strategies save time, money, and effort. They are a key to business success and allow your business to succeed, even during uncertain times. It is as important to be an expert in the skills of strategic planning as it is to be dedicated to specific goals and results.

5. Organization

The most productive and successful businesses require effective organization at every level. This includes the layout of the office space, the filing systems, the processes of obtaining supplies, the methods of communication among the employees, the way in which individual projects are managed, the way information is translated to outside professionals or customers, the protocol for requesting purchases, the planning of a sales meeting, and so on.

Each individual employee, from top to bottom in the organizational chart, also has the stress of managing his or her own work space, use of time, flow of information, creative ideas, stress level. The clearer the organization, the clearer the mind and the more productive and creative the results.

Melissa Thornton is available to development organization systems from the basic to the complex…whatever is needed.

6. Bottom Line Profitability

The primary outcome desired in business is profitability. Many factors effect the "bottom line". One that is currently receiving more and more attention involves the manner in which the "human assets", the IQ or skill sets of the employees, of any business are managed.

This ability has been termed "Emotional Intelligence" (EI) by Daniel Goleman (1998) and is made up of a number of specific skills. These skills self-awareness, self-management, motivation, awareness of the feelings and needs of others, and a variety of interpersonal abilities. The higher the leadership position, the more important EI is to successful performance.

The development of EI within any organization can determine many factors, including: quality of leadership, effectiveness of management, attraction of "star" employees, reduction of employee turnover, performance level of employee teams, and facilitation of change or transitions.

As a Marriage and Family Therapist and Professional Coach, Melissa Thornton is trained and experienced in the evaluation of Emotional Intelligence, and uses this information to create coaching plans for the development and implementation of needed skills.