If you’re reading this right now, it’s pretty safe for me to assume that you are (or want to be) an entrepreneur. You’re likely filled with creative ideas and numerous ways in which you want to share your gifts with the world while getting paid well. This, after all, is part of what makes you a conscious entrepreneur... you want to make money AND make a difference, big time!
One of the characteristics you may possess as an entrepreneur is strength. I know this is true for me. I’ve been through so much in my business that I have acquired a tremendous amount of strength, especially during the times of adversity. Let’s face it, it takes strength to wake up everyday and pursue your dream when the odds look like they’re stacked against you. It takes strength to stay focused on your goals when life throws you a curve ball. It takes strength to stay true to who you are, when other people pile their expectations on you. It takes strength to endure in what can be a very challenging and uncomfortable journey at times. But, as an entrepreneur, you wouldn’t have it any other way.
However, strength (as we commonly think of it) is an illusion. And, this is the next gift I want to share with you from Las Vegas.
Gift #2: Your strength comes from your vulnerability.
When I arrived in Las Vegas on May 2 my colleagues would never have guessed what was going on inside of me. On the outside, it was apparent that I’m experiencing a lot of success: my book The Freedom Formula was just released, my new website was launched, my clients are making great strides, I recently hired four new team members to help manage the growth in my business, I have a clear vision of the next phase of my company.... I’m living in the “sweet spot” where gifts are manifesting every single day in surprising and awesome ways.
You’d think my feelings of strength and confidence would also be at an all time high. You’d think I would have bound up to the front of the room when it was my turn to share and rave about all of the great things happening to and through me. Now, I certainly could have played that role when I was speaking to my colleagues, but something inside me knew I had to be brutally honest with myself, and with them. And, so I proceeded to share some of the “wins” I was experiencing... and then proceeded to be completely vulnerable (as I’m being right here, right now, with you) and share with them that my confidence felt like it was plummeting. After they picked their jaws up off the floor from the shock of my statement, they gently asked me to tell them more about what was going on. And, I did.
I shared the struggles, fears, doubts and challenges that were surfacing along with my victories and successes. I allowed myself to let go of any feeling of how I “should” be and showed up exactly how I was in that moment. And, as a result of being vulnerable with my trusted colleagues, we all engaged in a meaningful discussion about the common challenges we (as entrepreneurs) face. The challenges we discussed were not about the external aspects of our business like marketing, systems, websites, strategy, etc. Rather, the discussions were around our spiritual connection, mission, mindset, passion, purpose and our desire to EXPERIENCE ourselves at our best THROUGH our business.
Somewhere in the middle of our deep conversation, I could feel my confidence and strength being restored. All I needed was to be authentic, honest and vulnerable with my trusted colleagues. And, allow myself to receive the abundant gifts that came forth from our deep conversation. What I discovered is that I wasn’t alone in my feelings of fear and doubt. And, that all of us (at one time or another) face these doubts in order to move through them.
I think where entrepreneurs get in a real “pickle” is when they feel they always have to show their strength; when they force themselves to appear like they “have it all together”; when they don’t have a space to simply BE and SHARE their truth.
So, I invite you to create safe and sacred relationships with colleagues you know, like and trust. And when your feelings of fear and doubt begin to surface, rather than willing or forcing your way through it, allow yourself to be authentic, honest and vulnerable. It is in THAT space where you’ll receive the abundant gifts that arise around and within you the moment you BE exactly who you are.
©2008 Love Your Life, LLC
Want To Use This Article In Your Ezine or Website? You have my permission, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Christine Kloser, Author of The Freedom Formula®, publishes the revolutionary ‘Conscious Business Connection’ ezine. If you're ready to put Soul in your business and Money in your Bank, get your FR^EE tips now at www.LoveYourLife.com
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Conscious Business: How to Be a Business Leader Beyond Your Business
I recently attended a meeting of my mastermind group in Las Vegas. They're a group I've been meeting with for the past two years. Those meetings have always been a phenomenal experience for me... experiences that helped me catapult my business from struggle to success. This latest meeting, however, truly changed my life. I had the extraordinary experience of enjoying two days with like-minded colleagues in the most powerful, authentic mastermind I've ever attended.
So, you may be wondering what was so different about this one? Well, let me tell you.
This mastermind had no leader. It was the first one I’ve been to that was a result of a group of individuals coming together on their own accord to support each other. Nobody got paid; nobody was responsible for the group; nobody was “in charge.” And, it was pure magic... which brings me to the first gift Las Vegas taught me about business.
Gift #1: Show up as a leader.
You may be wondering how my weekend in Las Vegas even occurred when nobody was in charge. Here we were; a group of 10 entrepreneurs from across the United States and Canada, sitting in a meeting room in Las Vegas having some of the most powerful conversations of our lives... and nobody was in charge. So, how’d it happen? How did we orchestrate such an undertaking if nobody was at the helm? The secret is... we were ALL leaders.
So now, you may be wondering... if we were all leaders, how did anything get done? How could we be productive with ten leaders at the helm? You’d think it would be mayhem. But, it was the exact opposite. It was easy, calm, fun and totally ‘in the flow.’
The key to this was that everyone showed up as a leader... but, not in the same role at the same time. For example, two people worked together to negotiate the hotel contract, another person worked on the agenda, I coordinated our “night on the town” (where we danced our hearts out until 4:00 in the morning), someone else kept time during the meetings, someone else conducted a round-table conversation about our accountability/buddy system, someone else brought the movie “The Moses Code” for us to watch together, someone else facilitated our closing, etc. Everyone contributed their piece exactly as it was meant to be. The whole experience was 100% perfect. We were all in charge... and we were all changed.
What I’m taking away from this, and what I want you to consider for yourself, is that you ARE a leader, even if you’re not in a designated leadership position. As an entrepreneur, you have built-in leadership skills, so use them outside of your own business. Be willing to step up, to chip in, to do your part as an individual... for the good of the WHOLE.
As I spoke with Donna (my Online Business Manager) for our weekly meeting, she asked me why it was such a profound weekend for me. And, the answer somewhat surprised me when I said it, but the most profound piece of the weekend was that as I experienced everyone showing up as a leader... everyone taking responsibility, everyone knowing when to step up (and when to step back)... I couldn’t help but imagine what our world would be like if everyone showed up as we did, as leaders working together for the good of the whole. We’d live in a different world if this were the case.
So, I invite you to take a look at the groups you belong to, the communities you participate in, the teams you’re a part of... and see if you can contribute more as a leader, not for your own sake but for the sake of the highest and best good of everyone involved.
©2008 Love Your Life, LLC
Want To Use This Article In Your Ezine or Website? You have my permission, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Christine Kloser, Author of The Freedom Formula®, publishes the revolutionary ‘Conscious Business Connection’ ezine. If you're ready to put Soul in your business and Money in your Bank, get your FR^EE tips now at www.LoveYourLife.com
So, you may be wondering what was so different about this one? Well, let me tell you.
This mastermind had no leader. It was the first one I’ve been to that was a result of a group of individuals coming together on their own accord to support each other. Nobody got paid; nobody was responsible for the group; nobody was “in charge.” And, it was pure magic... which brings me to the first gift Las Vegas taught me about business.
Gift #1: Show up as a leader.
You may be wondering how my weekend in Las Vegas even occurred when nobody was in charge. Here we were; a group of 10 entrepreneurs from across the United States and Canada, sitting in a meeting room in Las Vegas having some of the most powerful conversations of our lives... and nobody was in charge. So, how’d it happen? How did we orchestrate such an undertaking if nobody was at the helm? The secret is... we were ALL leaders.
So now, you may be wondering... if we were all leaders, how did anything get done? How could we be productive with ten leaders at the helm? You’d think it would be mayhem. But, it was the exact opposite. It was easy, calm, fun and totally ‘in the flow.’
The key to this was that everyone showed up as a leader... but, not in the same role at the same time. For example, two people worked together to negotiate the hotel contract, another person worked on the agenda, I coordinated our “night on the town” (where we danced our hearts out until 4:00 in the morning), someone else kept time during the meetings, someone else conducted a round-table conversation about our accountability/buddy system, someone else brought the movie “The Moses Code” for us to watch together, someone else facilitated our closing, etc. Everyone contributed their piece exactly as it was meant to be. The whole experience was 100% perfect. We were all in charge... and we were all changed.
What I’m taking away from this, and what I want you to consider for yourself, is that you ARE a leader, even if you’re not in a designated leadership position. As an entrepreneur, you have built-in leadership skills, so use them outside of your own business. Be willing to step up, to chip in, to do your part as an individual... for the good of the WHOLE.
As I spoke with Donna (my Online Business Manager) for our weekly meeting, she asked me why it was such a profound weekend for me. And, the answer somewhat surprised me when I said it, but the most profound piece of the weekend was that as I experienced everyone showing up as a leader... everyone taking responsibility, everyone knowing when to step up (and when to step back)... I couldn’t help but imagine what our world would be like if everyone showed up as we did, as leaders working together for the good of the whole. We’d live in a different world if this were the case.
So, I invite you to take a look at the groups you belong to, the communities you participate in, the teams you’re a part of... and see if you can contribute more as a leader, not for your own sake but for the sake of the highest and best good of everyone involved.
©2008 Love Your Life, LLC
Want To Use This Article In Your Ezine or Website? You have my permission, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Christine Kloser, Author of The Freedom Formula®, publishes the revolutionary ‘Conscious Business Connection’ ezine. If you're ready to put Soul in your business and Money in your Bank, get your FR^EE tips now at www.LoveYourLife.com
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