You won’t be surprised if I tell you that your levels of courage and resilience have a huge impact on your ability to survive, grow and sustain your business as well as create a successful life! Just think of the most successful leaders we all look up to. I can guarantee that each one of them will have their own story full of examples of their courage and resilience along their path to success.
Why am I telling you this?
Well, I may be stating the obvious but sometimes it’s good to be reminded of such things, so that you recognise it within yourself, celebrate it and develop it even further….especially in difficult times or when you are looking to lead your business through a growth phase as most of our clients are.
In this blog, I am focusing on:
– Why courage and resilience are so important when reacting to difficulties
– Why courage and resilience are so important when proactively working to grow your business
– Reminding you of your own immense courage and resilience
Why courage and resilience are so important when reacting to difficulties…
We are in a competitive, fast paced business environment and we are all operating in our own personal business context which brings it’s own set of challenges, so it’s fair to say it’s not easy to be a successful business owner sometimes, is it?!
When we have our most difficult times it can give us perspective, that as long as we are alive and healthy, that’s the most important thing, which is right of course. AND for many independent business owners their business can be like their baby, nurtured and developed over time, an extension of them-self and the result of a lot of blood, sweat and tears already! So issues in your business can feel so personal.
When difficulties hit, inevitably it will cause a reaction in the moment and can take some time to recover. However the speed of recovery within you personally has a direct impact on your ability to recover the business! And we have seen this type of courageous and resilient bounce back from many business owners through the last decade (and of course many who haven’t).
The bottom line is that no matter what you do, there will always be unforeseen circumstances, that are genuinely out of your control, that can somehow knock you off track. It is vital that you draw upon your courage and resilience to rise up and face your difficulties head on and Lead the business forward to survive and hopefully thrive.
Why courage and resilience are so important when proactively working to grow your business…
In addition to reacting to difficulties out of your control, if you are to build a successful business, you must also proactively create positive, purposeful, changes that are aligned with what you want to achieve. So for example if you are looking to lead your business through a growth phase, you know that it’s not going to be easy but that it’s the only way to get where you want to. This can be daunting and scary, many don’t even bother and stay as they are, so it takes courage to really go for it despite fear.
Then as you are working to make it happen there will inevitably be an assault course of challenges along the way, and it will take courage and resilience to keep going with it.
Specific example areas that seem to particularly demand courage and resilience are:
- Standing by your vision for the business despite external influences or lots of “no’s”
- Making significant decisions and setting the direction for the business (when it means coming out of your comfort zone)
- Dealing with cash flow issues or searching for funding for growth
- Having to proactively generate new business (when there is limited sales experience)
- Doing things you are not used to like networking, presenting, tendering
- Learning to delegate and let go of control to others to enable growth
- Having difficult conversations with partners, customers, employees or suppliers
Recognise your own IMMENSE courage and resilience…
It can be hugely valuable to recognise just how courageous and resilient you are.
So for a moment, focus on the courage and resilience I know you, as a business owner have drawn upon to get where you are now. After all it takes courage to set up your own business in the first place and it takes courage and resilience to keep it going.
ACTION: Take a piece of paper and make a note of all the examples you can think of where you have shown courage and resilience with your business (or in any scenario significant to you). Don’t be modest – really recognise the power in you! I expect that pen to be setting fire to the paper right now and if not dig deeper…….
Now this immense courage and resilience is what you have to draw upon going forward whatever difficulties you face, whether you have something come out of nowhere or you are striving for business growth.
Hopefully this has given you a much needed boost right now or will be remembered next time you feel you are up against it. Do please comment if this has been useful.
Thanks for reading.
Follow on blog: 10 Tips On How To Develop Your Courage And Resilience
