What if I am WRONG?

Today’s Small Business blog post answers a business mindset question from Caroline in the UK, who posted this question at www.AskLisaMurray.com:

“I am relatively new into running my own business, having worked in a large corporate previously. How do you overcome the mental challenge of that little voice that says - you aren't good enough or - what if you advise someone and you get it wrong etc!”

Great question, and one that all of us who make the transition from employee to business owner ask ourselves more than once!! Here are a couple of simple strategies for overcoming the anxiety monkey that sits on your shoulder just waiting for you to make a mistake…

Most of us have been raised to believe we have to be good enough… we have to deserve… we have to perform… we have to deliver… we have to continually prove ourselves... we have to…………. (the list is never ending!).

So the first step is to recognize that the little voice inside our head probably did not originally belong to us. I use a simple tool of sending all of those niggling negative thoughts back to wherever they came from (with consciousness attached). If you do that every time you have some doubts, that little voice has absolutely no power and you’ll find those thoughts will disappear. You don't have to know who gave them to you, but you do need to be willing to choose another reality!

The second strategy I use is to ask some questions that change the energy of these thoughts and create new realities…

What if you didn’t have to prove anything to anybody in relation to your business? Who would you be? How would you conduct your business? What choices would you make? What other possibilities could you create and generate which go way beyond what you can imagine right now…?

What if there was no right or wrong? I see business as a series of choices… it is my job to offer my clients a range of possibilities they may not have thought of yet… and it is my clients job to make the choice that will work best for them. I may guide them towards an effective model for making a choice, but I don’t make the choice for them. Ultimately, all clients are responsible for their own business decisions and your contract and insurances should cover that clearly.

If they are into judgment and making you (as the consultant or coach) into their scapegoat it’s worth asking if they really are your ideal client!! Of course, if you have made a mistake, do whatever is required to resolve the issue fairly - your reputation rests upon it! Most people will be very decent if you are proactive and committed to finding a solution that works for the client.

When Change is the only Constant...

Change is the only constant we have and the acceleration of change in the last 20 years makes you wonder what else is coming… can we really go any faster? Change isn’t like a tap, we can’t turn it off when we have enough! So what are our other choices?

A common response is to go into controlling everything we can in the hope that we can ‘manage’ the change. My preferred response is to go with the flow and create and generate more than we think possible with the possibilities and potentialities available to us as the winds of time shift and blow.

I am the first to admit that this isn’t always easy. That project you are in love with that just isn’t working? Could it be time to dump it and move onto something that will flow with ease? (I did that with a whole business once – best choice I ever made!!!) That business alliance that never quite delivers what you expected…? Maybe it’s time to let it go and open the doors for new business relationships that are more rewarding… (Done that too…)

In the past month I’ve had massive changes in my life and business… I’ve launched BlissTribe (v. exciting!!), sadly put my darling little dog to sleep (heartbreaking), made a choice to move in with my Darling (which means a move to the Gold Coast, a new Brisbane office and a quick reno on the house so I can rent it out!) … it’s enough to make your head spin with delirium!!! So, here’s what I do when it all gets too much:

• Pull right back on what I’m promising people so that I have time for rest and reviving me. Ensure there is time for nurturing, play and creativity (this feeds my ability to regenerate myself and keep moving through the overwhelm).
• Take more time off no matter what the business is demanding of me… nothing is more important to me than keeping myself in a flow state – from that I can see clearly what is required and everything works. When I’m being a control freak, nothing works and I quietly have small meltdowns (not pretty!!).
• Make lists… and get stuff done in power hour blocks.
• Stay in the flow… if something isn’t working I move on and then go back to it later to see what’s possible.
• Ask a lot of questions of the ‘What would it take for ………………………. to happen with joy and ease?’ variety. (That’s how I found a roofing company at my neighbors just by looking out the window at the right time… a great builder who can start tomorrow and a set of French doors in 20 minutes… yep, asking questions can save you a lot of time!!!)

I'm sure none of you have ever been in a situation like this... lol... so what do you do to move through the craziness of a life filled with change?

Strategy OR Tactics – What Does Your Business Need Right Now?

Many people I coach want to focus on the tactics… the ‘how’ of what they are doing ( eg those really big decisions, like ‘will I use Facebook or Twitter?’). The truth is, tactics are easily copied by your competitors, but a really smart strategy is a lot more difficult to ‘borrow’.

Building a strong business starts with smart strategies… finding those ‘AHA’ pieces that deliver the goods for your business… creating ideas that are hard to copy because they come from the heart… from the authentic core that drives your business vision.

Transforming an average business into an outstanding one is all about authenticity… buzz… and creativity. Traditional strategic planning doesn’t exactly address these topics all that well, so I’m going to suggest you play with the Revive Business Coaching approach to strategic planning – I promise it will be a lot more fun!!

Here’s a small taste of our process… what would it take for you to answer these questions from your heart, rather from a space of what you think is possible? When you allow your energy to soar, your business will rise with you! Creating new potentials is what revitalizing your strategy enables…when we allow ourselves to dream audaciously and love new perspectives!

Authenticity:
• If anything was possible, what would people most LOVE about your business?
Buzz:
• What it would take for your business to transform your industry?
Creativity:
• What could be possible if your vision was a thousand times bigger?

Tip: Think BIG picture rather than small tactical choices… if your business could be phenomenal, what would it look like? How would it change the world?