Change your mindset. Reframe the challenge.
There is a little, small, fun fact that experienced mentors typically leave out when you mention that you are endeavoring down the path of starting your own business or stepping into a leadership role… I would like to think its on accident, but I am pretty sure its by design so that you don’t quit before you start :) That fun fact is that the moment you transition to founder or leader, your job becomes primarily a problem solver or fire-fighter. Now, sure, you have to problem solve in every role in a business, but the main difference is that the problems you are solving are on a much grander scale, have much larger consequences, they span across every single department, and sometimes pile on all at once. In the case of a start up, they ALWAYS pile on all at once :)
As you grow a business or run a team and a massive problem arrises, it can be extremely overwhelming when you are trying to run the race, create the new product, win new work, support existing clients, work with investors, manage the financials, build the team, and all the while doing it with a smile. When the storm looks bad, the easy way would be to give up, throw in the towel, and walk away… but chances are if you are in a place of leadership, you didn’t get there by giving up right? :)
So what’s the secret to not giving up?
Reframe how you look at that challenge.
Mindset is everything when you are in a place of leadership, because your team feeds off your energy. So when you are faced with a challenge (big OR small)… reframe it in your mind. Now you may be asking, “what does ‘reframing’ mean and how do I do it?”
I’ll tell ya…
Step 1: Take a breath and process the emotions that have come from this new challenge. Its okay to cry, scream, swear, or just sit in silence banging your head against a wall. However you process emotions.. just do that first so you can get it out and clear your head. It doesn’t make you weak, in fact I personally believe the greatest leaders show their teams that they too are humans and not robots.
Step 2: Think through the problem from a positive perspective. Warning: this isn’t easy. Especially if you are angry, exhausted, or simply just busy. But its the key. Instead of looking at this problem as something that will take you down mentally, physically, emotionally…or that it is simply impossible..
Shift your mindset by considering what opportunities can come from this challenge.
Pro Tip: Change your environment if needed. If you can’t stop banging your head against the fall even AFTER you have tried to change your mindset, then change your scene. Get fresh air. Go do something fun. Turn your phone off for an hour. Whatever it is, give your mind a quick reset. I personally escape to the mountains and hike with Milo.
Ask yourself the following:
What lesson can I learn here? *I mean the tactical lessons like learning a new skill…AND the bigger picture lessons like how can I avoid this situation in the future.
How can I grow through this situation to be bigger, better, faster, stronger so that next time it doesn’t even phase me?
What can I be grateful for during this process? (ouch .. this one sometimes really hurts..)
Remind yourself the following:
That you are smart enough to find the solution
That you are not alone and have support
That this is a part of the journey to be a better leader.
That its OK to fail. If you aren’t failing at times, you are playing it safe and not taking big enough risks to make an impact.
Examples:
Instead of “ There is no way to get through X, Y, Z. I have never dealt with this before” think “Wow, I have the opportunity to grow and learn X,Y,Z. Who can I lean on for support?”
Instead of “ I can’t win” think “ What I am doing isn’t working, so what can I do to adjust in order to try a different path?”
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I was listening to one of my female, wellness, entrepreneur idols Melissa Wood-Tepperberg (Founder of Melissa Wood Health) interview another female founder Sabrina Rudin on her podcast and this very topic came up. However, Sabrina painted it in an even more positive light to empower you through hurdles when you feel yourself in the doom and gloom spiral—
Ask yourself “Is this a worry or is this a problem?”
Because a worry is something out of your control that truly impacts life, IE: a family member is sick, etc. A problem is something that is temporary WITH a solution. So ask yourself when you are stressing… “Is this a worry or problem?” If the answer is a problem (which most often it will be), then breathe, follow those 2 steps to reframe your mindset..
Remember, every problem has a solution and you are smart enough to find it.
T.