Do you feel anxious about your business? If your honest answer is 'yes', you probably also feel stuck about what to do next. We have all experienced how intense worry can prevent us from thinking clearly, getting new ideas and seeing opportunities.
Nothing surprising about that; brain research tells us that fear prevents access to higher thinking. The problem is that one cannot will oneself out of fear. It is a reaction that is triggered automatically when we observe or experience things that are out of our control. As fear grips us, what has triggered it becomes the only reality we can see. We obsess about it: we worry about it all day long and it keeps us awake at night.
If you lead a business, rehashing the same problem is not helpful. It is downright toxic. It does not help resolve issues and it eventually saps your energy. Do nothing different and both wealth and health suffer.
The personal solution may lead you to seek your physician's advice for help with anxiety. The business solution, however, is to regain a sense of control over the business situation.
How do you regain control in an economy where most business leaders feel they have none? Doesn't the economy need to get fixed first? Certainly economic recovery would help everyone's numbers, yet studies on successful businesses point to other possibilities. (See article: Focus on What You Don't See.)
What are called business "intangibles," that is what is not captured in the financial numbers, contribute at least as much to future success as any reality measured in the profit/loss statement or the balance sheet.
What does that mean in practical terms? It means that even when financial numbers don't look good, plenty can be done to build success in the future. So priority number one is to map out a clear picture of the tangible and intangible aspects of your business. Although this is rarely done if ever, it quickly reveals where the potential for action exists. At the risk of sounding self-serving, it is easier to do this with a management coach that helps you gain a new perspective on your business reality. (One or two hours is usually enough.)
Once you, as leader, get clarity, focus on the following three steps to bring your team around:
1. Create common ground among everyone in your team.
2. Set the team to work together with you to uncover the potential of the business as it is now.
3. Allow the commitments to action to flow naturally from this common work.
You can change your business reality from fear to action in a couple of weeks by focusing everyone on what really matters and rekindling the energy of all involved.
