Making the
Your Partner in Profit and Growth
September 2026
Reset. Refocus. Execute.
Business owners and leaders are conditioned to respond to pressure by doing more.
Work harder. Move faster. Solve the next problem. Get through the list.
But when everything feels important and the demands keep coming, doing more can simply create more activity — not better results.
Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is stop long enough to reset.
That’s the theme of this month’s SHIFFT Newsletter: Reset. Refocus. Execute.
We start with two simple practices that can help create that space.
Reflection gives you an opportunity to step away from the noise and ask some useful questions: What worked? What didn’t? What did I learn? What needs to change?
EFT tapping provides a different kind of reset. It’s a practice some people find useful for managing the emotional intensity around everyday pressures - from difficult conversations and presentations to the general stress of a demanding week.
But resetting is only the beginning.
Once you’ve created some space, the bigger question is: What will you do differently?
That’s where Focused Execution comes in.
Our Focused Execution Learning Sprint is designed to help business owners and leaders move from reactive busyness to meaningful progress. It provides a practical system for connecting longer-term priorities with 90-day, monthly, weekly and daily action.
The programme is built around three disciplines:
● Focus - get clear on what matters most and make deliberate choices about where your time goes.
● Discipline - build the routines, focus blocks and execution habits that turn priorities into action.
● Control - use a cascading planning and review system so you can see progress, stay accountable and adjust when required.
Throughout the Sprint, participants apply these ideas to their real work — developing strategic priorities, a 90-day execution plan, weekly and daily rhythms, stronger execution habits, and practical systems and tools.
Because knowing what to do and actually doing it are very different things.
So this month, consider three questions:
What do I need to reset?
Where do I need greater focus?
What do I need to execute consistently over the next 90 days?
A little space to think can create clarity.
But clarity combined with disciplined execution is what creates progress.
Cheers,
Russ
Blogs & Insights
The Power of Reflection: Why Five Minutes a Day Can
Change Your Performance
When you’re busy running a business, it’s easy to move from one challenge to the next without stopping to consider what you’ve learned. Reflection creates the space to step back, review what worked, recognise what didn’t and make better decisions about what comes next. In this article, we explore how a simple reflection habit can turn everyday experience into better judgement, stronger habits and improved performance.
Why the Same Business Problems Keep Coming Back — And How to Fix Them Permanently
In this article, I look at why intelligent leaders still fall into the firefighting trap and how a simple technique such as the Five Whys can help uncover what's really driving recurring problems. The goal isn't to become better at solving problems. It's to improve the systems that stop those problems continually returning. Before jumping to your next solution, ask a better question: What problem are we actually trying to solve?
AI Habit: Use ChatGPT Voice Recording to Capture Ideas and Think More Clearly
Some of my best ideas don't happen sitting behind a desk. They happen driving home from a client meeting, walking between appointments or thinking through something I've just discussed. The problem is capturing those thoughts before the next issue takes over. I've developed a simple AI habit that helps.
Upcoming Event
Focused Execution Learning Sprint: A Six-Week Guided
Learning Programme
Built around Focus, Discipline and Control, you’ll develop a personal execution system that connects your longer-term priorities with 90-day, monthly, weekly and daily action. Through practical modules, live webinars and accountability sessions, you’ll build stronger planning and execution habits — so you can spend less time reacting and more time progressing the work that matters.
Starts Friday, 9 October 2027
Featured Resources
EFT Tapping
Pressure doesn’t always disappear when the difficult conversation, presentation or demanding week is over. EFT tapping is a simple practice that some people find helpful for easing emotional intensity and feeling more settled. This practical resource explains how tapping works, includes a guided session and shares Russ’s tips for giving it a try — even if it feels a little unfamiliar at first.
Books & Journals
The Questions You’re Not Asking
Most business problems don’t appear suddenly.They build quietly while leaders stay busy reacting. In this practical and thought-provoking book, business coach Russell Cummings reveals the hidden questions many business owners avoid until it’s too late.
Drawing on four decades of experience across hundreds of businesses, Russell explores the real issues behind growth, leadership, culture, profitability, productivity, strategy, and resilience.
Through short, focused chapters filled with practical insights, real-world examples, and actionable reflection questions, this book helps you:
● Think more strategically
● Lead more effectively
● Improve decision-making
● Reduce operational chaos
● Build a stronger, more valuable business
If you’re ready to stop firefighting and start building a business with greater focus, discipline and control, this book will change how you think.
Available on amazon in A5 dated paperbased format.
90 Day Productivity Planner
If “Focused Execution” – the book – is the “WHY”, then our Productivity and Planning Journals are the “HOW”! Stay disciplined as you cascade your 90 Day Plans to monthly, weekly and daily priorities integrating strategies, tactics and operational priorities. Built on the powerful tools and concepts highlighted: The Focused Execution Book, this journal is ultimate daily planner that includes links to free videos and templates to enhance your planning experience.
Available on amazon in A5 dated paperbased format
Annual Operating Planning Journal
“Focused Execution: Annual Operating Plan: Planning for the next year and beyond” by Russell Cummings. Turn your strategy into action with the powerful AOP process. Our AOP Journal dovetails neatly with out 90 Day Planning Journal to help you move from Annual to 90 Day to daily plans. The book includes links to videos and templates to enhance your planning experience.
Available on amazon in A5 softcover format.
Focused Execution: How to stop wasting time and focus on what really matters
This book summarises the key elements for improving your personal productivity. Russ utilized the tools, concepts and principles outlined in the book to lift his personal productivity by 4X. He went from working 70+ hours/week to 35 hours over each week on double the revenue.
Focused Execution gives business owners and managers a proven system to take back control of their time and achieve results without burnout.
Available now in print and e-book version on amazon.
AI Prompt Libraries
The biggest challenges our clients have with AI is what to ask it. To help Russ, created a series of AI prompt libraries that include a range of prompts to help you navigate through a variety of scenarios. Accelerate your results with our growing collection of AI Prompt Libraries – real words tested prompts for ChatGPT, Co-pilot and other AI Tools to streamline work, increase productivity and spark new ideas. Each book contains approximately 700 prompts tailored to your specific industry, role or situation. Simply “cut and paste”, tailor for your situation to get amazing result.
Available in e-book and softcover.
Ready to lift your performance?
Let's start 2026 with a rush — now it’s time to take things up a gear. Russ works with leaders like you who want to lift performance, strengthen teams and create lasting results.
Book a free 20-minute Strategy Call with Russell and let’s talk about how we can help you get there.
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