EXECUTIVE LIFE & BUSINESS
Life and business lessons come out of reflection but so few executives find the time to do it, unless they make the time in their diary. An important skill to cultivate that doesn’t come easily to highlight the changes you want to make and the lessons you have learnt over time.
History is a great teacher. History repeats itself over time and it is more important than ever to keep looking back when planning for the future. If you keep repeating the same behaviours over time, it is a sign that you have gone into ‘mindless’ mode and not asking the right questions. Reflection is the ability to ask the right questions, at the right time and look BACK for the root cause of a problem rather than temporarily trying to do a quick fix. Once you identify a root cause to the problem you are in a position to do something about it.
2017 is going to be amazing year
Whether you are managing your lifestyle or managing growth for a business, it is a double edged sword. This is a critical time for reflecting on how you are doing. For example, Growing too slowly, you miss the opportunity of expansion, but when you grow too quickly, there is a risk of not grounding yourself and the changes, slipping back to square one.
It is not uncommon that life has a habit of throwing us difficult issues to overcome. An example of the Gordian knot which is commonly used to described solving a complex problem with a bold action, reflects the way you look at a situation. It’s your perception, do you untie the knot or do you cut the cord? Which will it be?
When we are impatient we tend to overspend or act too quickly without thinking through what we actually need or want to achieve, if we are too slow in making decisions we get frustrated as nothing really happens and we begin going around in circles repeating the same behaviours.
This is a tough act to manage and cycle to break. Like in all things there needs to be a balance in life, work and decision making. When we hold on to old habits it is time to start disciplining a healthy mind mentality and, in business, a small business mentality, this keeps a lid on the cash flow tight and decision making fast.
Times have changed over the past couple of decades, whether you think of yourself as a brand or having a brand in business that is aligned to the service you are offering is important because it promotes your values, principles and attitude. In this era this is how people get to know you and your business. This wasn’t always the case but the 21 century technological era makes branding all the more urgent to differentiate, for example, from artificial intelligence (AI) robots and other technological processes that are creeping their way into our business landscape and society.
Lifestyle & Business Lessons Learnt
Drawing on reflection, the perception of expert skill or know-how in a particular service can go a long way with customers. A critical executive function has now become selling, irrespective of the title. Selling, big or small or between, is the lifeblood in business. Problems arise when we don’t pay attention For example, if you are in business with an amazing service, have you hired a trained sales specialists to sell your services? On the other hand who is doing your social media, do you have s digitally intuitive on board.who understands social media and can navigate the digital landscape, it’s invaluable.
Don’t sit and wait for the market to come to you, you have to go to the market. The job landscape is changing, there will be no jobs for life anymore. Many executives are turning to entrepreneurship or up-skilling for the next upcoming role. On reflection we understand why we need to keep up to date with learning, it is important now to be highly trained and effective sales leads, no matter what job title you have.
Make the time for reflection, take the lessons you have learnt and make the future happen. Hope you have benefited from these thoughts for this year – Happy Festive Season and Happy New Year
Best in Health Talent, Executive Talent Search & Wellness Group. www.executivetalent.com.au ,
