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The big eek!

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One of the things we talked about on our Intersection call last week was the big ‘Eeek!’

And how one of the ways we know we are tapping into our zone of genius – our calling – is that it comes with some Eeek! attached to it.

It feels scary. Risky. It might even feel downright terrifying.

Why is the big Eeek! a part of this process?

There are a couple of reasons:

1) Our resistance/ego is triggered when we come face to face with our calling – and it is going to stir up ALLLL our stuff. All our worries, doubts and fears. All the reasons why it won’t work and “have you lost your mind?”

The role of our ego is to keep us where we are at – because the KNOWN is safe to the ego (even when it’s not desired.) And boy oh boy can our egos kick up a stink! Imagine they are fighting to the death to keep you where you are at… it can feel that extreme.

And yet, the ego doesn’t really have power over us when we shift our focus to spirit. The more we build our spirit muscle, the less power ego has over us. ?

2) Our calling matters. Deeply. And tapping into our zone of genius brings us face to face with the deepest part of ourselves. Our truth.

Part of the lure of the zone of excellence is that it doesn’t really matter that much – that’s part of the ‘trap’ that keeps us there.

“Oh well, if this doesn’t work out it’s not that big of a deal. I’ll find something else.” <– that’s how you know you are in zone of excellence.

When this clicked for me my zone of genius became SO much clearer… because it scared the crap out of me!

I ran from that for a long time (years). Until I embraced the fact that there is no way to step into our zone of genius without the big Eeek! Without feeling like I might want to barf some days.

There is no way to step into the zone of genius and bring our ‘control freak’ nature with us. The part of us that wants to lay out a plan, see all the steps and wrap their arms around every variable, so that it doesn’t feel so risky.

Stepping into this space requires faith in the unknown and the unseen.

It requires support for WHO we are – people who are also on this journey and have our back. Who are there to remind us of our truth and that all is well.

I’m putting together a small group to explore this space and walk this path together. To navigate YOUR intersection of spirit and business – would you like to join us?

Tina

4 questions to ask yourself when you are too busy

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“Help me Tina! I’m too busy and something needs to change…”

I get it. Being too busy isn’t sustainable and doesn’t serve you or your clients. The good news? It’s fixable, so grab your to-do list and ask yourself the following questions.

Question 1: Does this really need to be done? (If yes, now or later?)

We often have things on our to-do lists that either:

  • don’t need to be done at all – they are ideas, maybes or “wouldn’t it be nice ifs”. They are things we are thinking about, but that we haven’t actually made a firm decision on yet. Ideas are not to-dos – create a separate idea list and get those things off your to-do list!
  • don’t need to be done NOW  if you aren’t strategic about planning ahead, then as a default everything on your to-do list feels like it needs to be done NOW. Work through each item and ask yourself – when does this really need to be done? Could it be put off until next week? Maybe even next month? Take your list and put realistic due dates beside each item.

You should be left with a list of things that are actually do in the next week or so – and a list of things that aren’t due yet (or are ideas and are no longer on the list!)

Question 2: Do I need to be the one to do this?

If you are anything like I was for years, as a default you feel like you must do everything. You are good at what you do. You are used to being the one to get it all done, but now things are starting to fall behind and slip through the cracks.

Run through your list again and ask yourself – could someone else do this for me? Be aware of the following when you answer:

  • “Well yes, someone else could do this for me but it’s only me so I have to” If you don’t have anyone working with you right now this could be true, and you also have the power to change that. Growth dictates that you will need to hire help at some point – when you do it is up to you.
  • “But no one can do it as well as me – so I have to be the one to do it” This is a dangerous spot to get stuck in, because as long as you believe it to be true, it is… and it could be the thing sucks the life right out of you. Yes, you may be the best at doing something but that doesn’t mean you can’t train another person to be as good as you or find someone who does it already and bring them on board.

The goal here is simple – identify the things that others could do for you. It doesn’t mean you have to hire a bunch of people tomorrow, but at the very least you can look to give more to the people you have already and plan ahead for getting more support (which becomes a light at the end of the busy tunnel!)

This second question can be a doozy as it brings up all kinds of stuff for many of us – it can have our inner control freak kicking and screaming! I highly recommend getting the support of a coach or OBM to help you here if you go through your list and still have your name beside every task. An outside eye can often see what you can’t.

Question 3: How can I create more space?

At this point you should have a realistic list of what needs to be done in the next week or so. Now you want to ensure you have the space and time to get it done. Here are two of my favorite tips:

  • Plan ahead –book the time in your schedule to get stuff done. You might book in specific tasks, or you might book in time for types of tasks (ie: writing time, client time).
  • Set boundaries – distraction is the death of productivity. Be it team, clients, family or social media – every time you get distracted it takes you off track, and for many people it happens all day long! Close your door. Turn off your phone and email. Let people know when you aren’t available and when you are. And get really good at saying no (because they will test your boundaries!)

Question 4: Do I need to renegotiate any deadlines?

If you are truly in over your head and can’t get everything done, then you need to revise your deadlines with clients, team members or whoever may be waiting on you. I get that this sucks and you may hate having to do it, but it’s better for you to own up to something ahead of time vs. having people get upset with you because they are waiting/asking.

To simply say to someone “Hey, I got in over my head here and that’s on me. I won’t be able to get X to you until next Monday and wanted to let you know.” Yes, you might need to make concessions for being late if this affects their timelines.

Even if they are frustrated, people will respect you for stepping up and being real with what is going on – and quite often they are OK with adjusted timelines if they know ahead of time.

The beauty of these 4 questions is that you can use them over and again. Every time you find yourself too busy work through this process, and ideally overtime you won’t need to anymore.

Let me know how it goes k?

Tina

7 signs that you are a strong leader

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If you’ve ever wondered how strong your leadership is – look to your team.

They are a reflection of how effective we are as leaders, and can also show us where we need to step it up!

Here are 7 things to look for in your team to see where/how strong your leadership is:

  1. They hold themselves accountable and get stuff done with minimal ‘chasing’.
  2. They are clear on their role and ‘stay in their lane’.
  3. They care about your clients, about the business and about each other.
  4. They are always looking for ways to improve how things are being done and freely share their ideas.
  5. They are willing to go the extra mile without being asked.
  6. They stay for a long time (years) and only leave when their career path takes them in another direction.
  7. They tell you how much they enjoy working with you. 🙂

I’m curious how true this is for your team? How many were you able to say yes to?

Anything that is a no (or a maybe) is simply shining a light on a potential area to work on. An aspect of leadership that is calling us to take it to the next level.

If we want to have the best team we need to be willing to become the best leader we can be. <– And that is an ongoing growth edge for all of us!

Tina

It takes time

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Let’s be clear… it takes time.

Despite what you see online when someone is sharing how they ‘made 3 gazillion dollars in 30 days’.

Despite what you expect of yourself when you look in the mirror and wonder why things aren’t moving as fast as you thought they would (and then wonder what is wrong with you or what you are missing…. ugh)

Despite what that coach/trainer/consultant may have promised would happen when you followed just ‘7 steps to making moola in your sleep’

Despite what you might think – or hope – success takes time. Probably more time than you wish it would.

A flower doesn’t spring up the day after you’ve planted it. It needs water, sunshine and nutrients. It needs TIME to become the glorious plant it’s meant to be.

Success takes time.

It takes time to lay out a solid strategy (and then more time to try it, tweak it, and improve it).

It takes time to find and hire the right team, and then time to lead them to do their best work.

It takes time to do great work for your clients. Create new programs. Deliver amazing service.

Success isn’t a race, even though it can feel that way.

Success is a daily commitment.

The commitment to keep going. To show up. Every. Single. Day.

And I promise you – so long as you do that the success you seek will come to life, even if it takes longer than you thought it would. ?

Tina

letting go of a long term client

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We had this question posted in our Certified OBM Facebook group the other day:

“When do you know it’s time to move on from a client?”

People come into our lives for a reason, season or a lifetime.

The same is true with clients.

We may work with a client for a ‘reason’ – a specific project or objective that has an end date in place right from the start.

We may work with clients for a ‘season’ – ongoing support without a planned end date.

And outside of being an owner (or partner) in a business, it’s rare that you would have a lifetime commitment to a client. 😉

We are meant to stop working together at some point, but it’s not always easy to see when that point has come! 

There are two questions I recommend asking when you are wondering whether or not to leave a client.

1) Am I still EXCITED about the client? Do you enjoy the work you are doing? Do you look forward to hearing from that client? Plugging into the vision of what they are creating? Boredom can be a sign that it might be time to move on…

2) Am I able to do my BEST WORK? Do the current needs of the business match what you do best? Are you able to grow and expand your skillset within the work you are doing together? The thing you were hired for originally may not be what the business needs next. Likewise, as you continue to grow and evolve you may find yourself wanting to focus in areas that the business doesn’t need from you right now.

The bottom line is this.

Nothing is meant to last forever, even when we wish it could! But staying past our ‘expiration date’ is a disservice to you, your client & the business. Staying when you are no longer excited about the business or able to do your best work is going to show itself at some point, and probably not in a positive way.

And it’s also really hard to leave! Especially when we love the client and care about their business.

Honor the season and let it go when the time is right.

Tina