Q1: How is business?

It has been such a joy and comfort to be asked time and time again, “How is business?” The interest and care has been overwhelming, to the point I can’t even keep up with the responses. I am thrilled that I have so much of your attention, whoever “you” is!

Time management has taken on a whole new precedence these last few months, as I learn the lay of my new land. No matter how much time I had to prepare mentally and physically before this change occurred, even the best coach in the world can still fall victim to not staying, “five steps ahead of the game”. It has been fun to watch myself walk my talk (and not at times!) and how I pick myself up. One thing is for sure, everyone needs accountability, even me.

It was important to find my drivers, carrots, shiny object or whatever other analogy I have used with you over the years, to ensure that behavior is not only instilled but systematized around new areas of responsibility.

These new areas primarily revolve around sales, marketing and leadership. While always having done a level of this work in the past, they have taken on a whole new importance as Synergy Business Coaching(link to site) begins to be developed. However as the first month so quickly became a memory of the past, I looked at how my activity matched my goals and needs. Was I pushing to hard or not enough? Well, it was definitely a bit of both and how surprised I was to find myself fall victim to the same things my clients fall victim to everyday. Time to walk the talk Rachel. Time to walk it now, right now.

I immediately started February off with what I knew I had not found; my shiny object. What had I not found that was going to incite me to do more? I have a family dependent on every dollar I bring in. This family is hungry, needs a roof over there heads, has desires, needs education, clothes…you would think those thoughts would be enough, right? I have quickly learned the better you get, the harder it is to get even better. I have relied on my stellar coaching skills for years and they have served me well in growing a strong and stable client base and security with a company that sees my skills and potential. I have wrapped myself to tight in that security blanket, way…too…tight.

It was easy to convince myself to keep doing what I do best, coaching clients. If I just coach clients, the sales will come. I have appreciated and respected over the years our strong sales gurus who have begun to change our understanding of what makes and keeps sales; stellar Client Fulfillment. If the focus of sales was actually centered around strong client fulfillment, then we don’t have to worry as much about sales, because we are keeping clients and growing referral bases. While that is partially true, we all know that one cannot ride off of that alone. Marketing and Sales strategies have to be created, worked, consistently measured and innovated. I know this; I know I know this as I coach it everyday. It was interesting to watch myself know the know and see how little action that generated.

Knowing is one thing, actually doing is another. What I found over the first quarter, is it takes commitment and commitment takes prodding. The prodding comes from your shiny object again, the “Why?” that is needed for everything we do. Why do I want to do Marketing? Well, that is easy enough, sales. Why do I want sales? That was a bit harder. Digging deeper and deeper led me to the real responses I needed to hear, write down and use every day I found myself getting off course.

What I found surprised me, as it was deeper than money, deeper than security, more real than, “my kid needs food”. A friend recently asked, “What could be more important than food”? Well, it wasn’t that something was more important than food, it was that I knew I could always provide. If it wasn’t coaching, I could always do something else and then it hit me. I didn’t want to do something else, I wanted to do this. I wanted to continue to be fulfilled through the amazing work I do with my clients everyday. I wanted the continual challenge they bring to me, that has allowed me to grow year after year. I want to live the lifestyle this business is affording me. This was actually about me and if “me” was fulfilled and “running on all cylinders”, then the rest would follow suit. Was I just being called out to identify my Values, Passion, Purpose? Was it time to revisit the Primary Aim?

Even I can over-complicate it and I just got the best taste of my own medicine. Back to the basics, as the basics had been overlooked. Now that I have found my “shiny object”, let that be a lesson to all that if the passion, energy and drive is not what you need it to be go back, go back to the beginning and start again, reconnect with who you are and allow that to lead the work and activities that need to occur to move you towards your objectives.

I do not feel behind the curve, as I know that is the foundational work that will drive the future. Moving two steps ahead, only to have to go back three because you skipped over something really does just slow you down, not this. I now feel armed and ready to head into the second quarter with the drive and energy to do the actions needed to grow my business. My focus is finally focused and driven with passion, which I see exuded from conversations, writing and coaching.

So, business is great and just getting better, with each day I apply the EMyth to my own business and action. Gosh, was it really just sitting underneath my nose all this time?

Action through Synergy or Synergy through Action(which one sounds better?)