We can’t talk about leading in 2021 without taking into account the emotional state of our employees and our teams.

You may have seen some of the latest research around the Mental Health statistics for employees.

Here’s an excerpt from the Morneau Shepell Mental Health Index report from December 2020. The Mental Health Index report measures the current mental health status of employed adults amidst the Covid-19 pandemic across Canada, the US, the UK, and Australia.

Here is something to consider:

Does your business currently align with YOU and your goals? Does it provide you with what you need to live your life in the way you wish?

Here are two important considerations:

1. Does it align with your desired lifestyle while working?

2. Is it structured in a way to set you up for your lifestyle after you want to move on from your business? (whether that’s passing it down to children or management, selling it, or moving into an oversight position, etc.)

Do you think of your business in these ways?

If thinking of your business in these ways is new for you or you simply haven’t given it much thought then I invite you to spend a few minutes to entertain them.

The unconventional strategy: Create space to think.

This may seem odd to highlight, but stick with me here…

Often, we go and go and go in a business we’re trying to create and build. We feel like there’s never enough time, there are more clients or customers to attract, or new products or services to release in this quest of creating, building, and growing a business. There’s a lot of doing. And a lot of striving.

And that action-taking can be worthwhile.

However, there is another side of the equation to consider….and that side is the opposite of doing.

It’s about taking frequent pauses. Creating space for something else…..

How often are you creating space for thinking, reflecting, planning, and considering?

People start a business for all types of reasons. Some start looking for more freedom and flexibility or financial freedom. Some start because they have a great idea that they haven’t seen in the marketplace. Some want to create a legacy or make a positive change in their industry. Your reasons could be all, some, or other reasons for starting your business.

But whatever your reason is, this question is relevant to consider:

Do you want to create a valuable business?

What does valuable mean?

Happy New Year!

I hope you were able to enjoy your Holidays and they provided you with what you needed.

As we look to 2021 I feel optimistic and excited for what’s to come.

As I look around to the world I still see turbulence, uncertainty, and many challenges. And I also see beauty, kindness, and innovation - solving and addressing some of those challenges we face.

As I turn inward and think about the impact I want to have and the role I want to play, I think about things like:

I’ll start by asking you as a business owner & leader - what do you need right now?

Maybe it’s a few more ‘deals’, maybe it’s to finish a project before year-end, maybe your work is winding down and you’re still shopping and thinking about preparing to celebrate the Holidays, and maybe it’s…rest.

Whatever the answer for you, I wanted to add some thoughts about what to consider as you wind down this tumultuous year.

You don’t need to get through your to-do list, focus on managing your priorities.

With changes happening regularly, sometimes hitting us daily, challenging our focus and shifting our plans, you can pretty much toss that to-do list out the window.

These days our weeks are anything but predictable, yet our work must continue.

So, how do we continue to adapt to our still-changing environment?

Beyond why you started your business, WHY did you start your business?

Let me explain…

Maybe your WHY was to build a business around a dream or passion, to achieve freedom and financial security, or to change lives through your product or service.

That’s great!

Now, that your business is a living breathing entity…what role will it play in your future?

Will it close when you’re ready to move on or will you try to sell it or pass it down?

Building a legacy or a company that will last beyond you is different than running a business for the purpose of providing an income now. Both are great goals, but the way you build and the focus for growth will be different.

In a year that has felt like five, if you are self-employed or a business leader, you’ve had to have ninja-like mental agility in order to roll with what has come your way. And, well, even if you aren’t in those categories, so many others have had to have this ability too.

So, how you are you feeling now?

Are you tired? Exhausted?

Wanting some calm waters to move forward in?

Or are you taking things in stride, feeling ok, optimistic about better days ahead?

Or you can be both.

Whatever camp you’re in - or both! - this is a great time to reflect on where YOU are right now - and I don’t mean physically, but your head space.

If you’ve often wondered how you can get your team working towards goals with the same sense of urgency that you have — you are not alone.

As a leader, meeting deadlines and goals are important, and yet you can’t accomplish this unless you have the whole team on board.

So what do you do when everyone isn’t on board? Or, have the same sense of urgency that you do?

In spite of the strategies you may try in growing your business or stepping into a broader leadership role, having ideas to pursue is only half the equation for success.

Often we know what we need to do, but why is it so difficult to do it sometimes? To internalize it.

There can be so many reasons why we humans don’t do the things that are good for us all the time or don’t always make choices that support us, but one of those areas that we could bring focus to is our mindset.

Your mindset WILL support you to navigate challenges and is an important determinant of your success.

Carol Dweck, author of Mindset: , says that…..”Mindsets frame the running account that’s taking place in people’s heads. They guide the whole interpretation process.”

If you look back on this year, how do you feel about your business?

Do you feel proud of your efforts weathering the uncertainty of this year? Do you feel frustrated or disappointed? Do you feel gratitude? Or perhaps a combination of all those things….

If you were to look ahead at how you would like to feel about your business in the coming year, what would come to mind? Accomplished, proud, successful, fulfilled……

Of all the things you could do in your business, often overlooked is how we want to be in relationship with the work we do and how the business can serve us and the people it depends on.

Particularly, if you’ve identified that HOW you show up in your business has a big impact on what gets accomplished and how the business does.

Being ‘Out of sight and out of mind’ is a killer when you’re trying to build and serve in your business.

Typically only a small percentage of your target market is ready to buy at any one time. So, staying in touch and developing relationships helps you stay ‘top of mind’ when your customers are ready for your product or service.

Because, when they are ready to buy….you’d like them to immediately think of you!

So, consider this….how can you stay in relationship with your potential buyers/clients in a way that adds value?

We all have them….things we want to accomplish in our work and in our personal lives.

Whether you’ve got many goals or just one or two, the steps you’ll take to get to each goal may look different but there’s ONE thing that is the same for every goal you work towards.

How you start.

It takes a commitment.

A commitment towards a future where that goal has been attained….We won’t move forward unless we commit to that decision.

And, after you commit and start working towards your goal….You’ll need the follow-up strategy of…

The life of an entrepreneur and Leader is fraught with traps….

• dealing with all the things that come at you in a day

• having multiple decisions to make

• dealing with competing priorities

• balancing day-to-day tactical items with strategic planning

Even if you’re a whiz at ‘getting things done’, we’re human and it’s impossible to be good at all the things.

Any one of the above items can suck the time out of our schedules in what seems like the snap of a finger. Yet, we so often think about these things in terms of the time we spend. Or the time they take.

How about instead of looking at these things that take up time, consider asking yourself

Let’s talk about WHY you started your business:

Was it to:

• Have flexibility and freedom

• Secure a financial future for your family

• Make a difference in the lives of others through your products & services

• Make a greater impact more broadly on the world

• Do what you love to do

Do any or all of these reasons ring true for you?

There’s a power and practice we all have access to that I would say is one of the most underutilized tools in our everyday toolbox….and I would venture to say, also in life.

First, here are some questions to consider:

Do you ever feel like your business or work is happening to you - a force unto itself and you’re not really in the driver’s seat?

Have you often wondered about the next step to take or how to navigate tough decisions?

Do you feel regular swirling thoughts of uncertainty and lack of direction or lack of focus when you think about your work or business?

Do you find yourself off course often - realizing that what you were doing all day or all week isn’t getting you closer to your goals or aligned with your vision?

Here’s the thing: I know how it feels to be uncertain about the next steps, to feel like it’s ‘hard’ to figure out what’s next or to wade through the noise and chaos of what comes at us daily.

I have found a simple tool and practice helpful and I wanted to share it with you today.

There’s so much to say on this topic and how it relates to being successful.

The perspective I’d like to take on this today, with you, is to illuminate how powerful it is when you create focus and simplicity in your work.

There’s a caveat here: Simplicity does NOT equal easy :).

If you’re scrambling in your role or business and not seeming to get the traction you want, an injection of clarity can help.

I help Business Owners and Leaders create a positive social impact through their business by helping them to grow and be sustainable.

Our current reality is the sum of our actions and decisions.

If some of those actions and decisions are not aligned to a single focus or destination then it’s a little like…

What kind of impact on the world are you aspiring to make through your business?

Companies who are moving towards their vision and accomplishing big things through their businesses are very thoughtful about WHO they need to communicate to (and with!) in order to get their message to the right people so they can fulfill their mission and purpose.

Having a big vision and achieving that is largely about getting your message to the people who need to hear it.

The question here is: HOW do you get your message to those that need to hear it?

This sometimes feels so elusive - where are they? How do I get more?

If you’ve been in business for a while then you actually have some data to draw on. Instead of looking outward, look inward to your previous experiences.

These experiences can tell you a LOT about how to find more clients/customers like the ones you already have. It can be a great source of information for you.