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Name:  Deanna Lane

State:   NSW

Company: Fastlane Consulting

Job title:   Managing Director

Fastlane Consulting is a division of my business consulting practice Braddock Lane & Associates and exists purely to help our small to medium sized clients become successful. 

Too often I see someone with a great idea for a business they are enthusiastic about it, create a website and some letterhead and business cards and then wonder why people aren’t rushing to their door.  Many small businesses don’t have a professional business plan that clearly defines their services or product, a defined target market or an understanding of what will motivate someone to buy from them and many don’t know how best to get their message to market. 

What is the most important lesson you’ve learnt during your career?

Never stop learning. Learn to be a good listener. It’s the most effective way of marketing yourself and you get to learn some important techniques. Also the value of silent power... there are times when it’s best to be known for what you don’t say than what you do. 

If you could meet one person, living or dead, who would it be and why?

Leonardo da Vinci... not necessarily because he is widely considered to be one of the greatest painters of all time but more for his technological ingenuity...he conceptualised a helicopter, a tank, concentrated solar power, a calculator and many other inventions that have changed our lives. Considering he lived from 1452 to 1519, I would love to understand what inspired his ideas and how he fueled his imagination.

If there was one piece of advice you could give to someone starting out in your industry/aspiring to your job, what would it be?

Be enthusiastic and willing. Harvard Business Professor David Maister said if perfectly, ‘being good at business involves nothing more than a sincere interest in clients and their problems… and a willingness to go out and spend the time being helpful to them.’

And get yourself an experienced coach. Seriously I have two, Linda Sultmann for my business/strategic planning and David Bentley, author of Naked Leadership, to help me navigate those difficult conversations with colleagues.

How do you define success?

To me success is doing what I love which is helping others to be successful. The greatest achievement of my career is to have earned the respect of my clients to the extent that they refer me to their colleagues.

What motivates you?

I have a lot of energy and love being busy so I tend to spring out of bed each morning and get into my day with great enthusiasm. I have so many ideas so it’s important for me to spend a few minutes every morning thinking about my day, planning what is important to achieve and being grateful for everything and everyone I have in my life.

I am also very fortunate that one of the first books my mother gave me as a young girl was the Power of Positive Thinking... I was taught that I could be and do anything I wanted. That set a high bar because I had no excuses not to do my best to succeed.

What’s been the highlight of your career so far?

Being asked recently by the CEO of an accounting firm to design and deliver a coaching & mentoring program for a group of new partners.  I start my coaching by doing a DISC profile on each individual and coaching them on their strengths and development areas.  I also match them with a Mentor also  based on their DISC Profile and work with them on specific areas to guide the new Partner.  We are six months into the program and we are seeing great results in their ability to grow a new practice that generates revenue, to reduce staff turnover by better handling performance issues and also to grow in confidence as a leader of their teams.

Deanna is a Premium member of Business Chicks - connect with her here

Deanna's website:   www.fastlaneconsulting.com.au