Companies and executives seek out professional business coaches for various reasons, but they all have one thing in common: they’re ready for lasting change in their business.
Are you hungry for a change in your business? Maybe your company is just starting, and you need to ignite the spark that propels it forward. Maybe you hit a plateau, and you want to breathe new life into your brand. Maybe you just feel stuck in a pattern of mediocrity, and you are looking for a breakthrough that will transform your company’s growth and culture.
We are here to tell you that not only is change possible, but you have the power to radically transform your life and your business if only you are willing to take a chance and step into uncertainty.
“Breakthroughs aren’t reserved for the brightest or strongest, they’re reserved for those who dare to dream of a different way.”
Here’s the truth: only 20% of business success is mechanics, while 80% is psychology. If you can master the psychology of success, you will find the breakthrough your company needs.
Change is possible, but we are often held back by uncertainty. It is human nature to fear the unknown. Most of us would rather deal with the devil we know than the one we don’t. However, to make massive changes, we must have the courage to step into the unknown.
“Stepping into uncertainty is required of us to break away from what’s not serving us.”
Pattern of Transformation
There is a science and a pattern to transformation that you can apply to your personal life and your business. You’ve probably experienced it before without knowing it. Think back to a time when you had a change you wanted to make for years, and finally, you broke through.
What was it that finally triggered you to make the change? What made you decide to change in that moment? What pattern made the change possible?
The steps leading up to change is simple: we move from being comfortable with our current state, to dissatisfied, to reaching an emotional threshold where we decide that enough is enough and we can’t stay the same any longer.
This is where we often feel the most uncomfortable, frustrated and at our breaking point. Rather than fear this emotional discomfort, see it for what it is—a source of power.
It is at this threshold that we have an opening where we can harness all that power and motivation to create massive and lasting change. But if we are too afraid to act, the moment will pass, and the cycle will start all over again.
Instead of repeating the cycle, ask yourself these questions to create breakthroughs that will transform your business.
What is your strategy?
If you are continually applying the same strategy to a long-term problem and nothing is changing, it’s time for a new strategy.
Let’s say you are trying to increase your sales. You have tried for months with promotions, social media posts and local advertising, but nothing changes.
Clients come to us and say, “We’ve tried everything!”
But have you?
Maybe you need to change the type of content you are creating. Maybe you should target a different audience. Perhaps it is time to offer a new product or service. There are hundreds of strategies for increasing your sales, and you’ll be stuck forever if you stick with the same strategy.
Most of the time, when leaders don’t get the desired results, the strategy is only one small part of the problem. Even more powerful is the story we tell ourselves.
What is your story?
A story is simply the accumulation of your beliefs—about yourself, about your business, about your potential, about your purpose.
“Change your story, change your life.”
Yes, you want a successful business that turns a profit, but the greatest companies serve a purpose that is greater than themselves. You get to create the story of your life and your company by discovering what drives you at a deep psychological and emotional level.
We all have a deep-seated desire for growth, fulfillment and purpose. What story are you telling about the role your business plays in your personal growth, the development of your employees and the contribution you make to your community?
It’s one thing to go into work every day to punch a clock and earn a paycheck. We all want to earn money, but that motivation can only take you so far. It’s a totally different experience when you go into the office with a desire to create a product that will improve people’s lives, build a business that provides crucial jobs to your community or create a company culture where your employees can progress and thrive. That’s the kind of story that gives a company power.
Some of the most influential and successful companies have been driven by a greater vision. Their story is bigger than just turning a profit. Microsoft’s vision is to “help people throughout the world realize their full potential.” Whole Foods strives to “nourish people and the planet.” IKEA wants to “create a better everyday life for the many people.” Disney’s is simple. They want “to make people happy.”
When your desire for transformation is driven by a deeper purpose, it gives you the emotional power for change, which leads to our final question.
What is your state?
Your mental and emotional state are the drivers for everything else. If you can get yourself in the right state, you can create the story and find the strategy to make meaningful change.
There is a real physicality to the process of transformation.
Think about it. Can you relate to a scenario like this? You don’t get enough sleep and start the day off on the wrong foot. Your heart rate spikes as you try to get your kids out the door to school. Your jaw clenches, and you feel anger rise when an employee fails to turn in a report on time. Suddenly, you find yourself more aware of every negative thing around you, and you snap at your colleague. It seems like nothing can go right. You’re tense the entire day.
In contrast, think of a day when you primed yourself for success–you got up early and took a walk before work, ate a good breakfast, and took some deep, meditative breaths before diving into your workload. Can you remember how you felt energized and confident about the day ahead? When you faced the inevitable hiccups and roadblocks, you didn’t even feel stressed because you knew you could handle it.
Our physical state signals our brain to how we should be feeling. You might think that you are at the mercy of your state based on what life throws at you, but you are not.
You can take control of our state, and your psychology will follow your cues.
“When people shift their physical state, they become unstoppable.”
Athletes have pump-up songs, and political leaders make rousing speeches. What can you do to shift your state? Before they even take a shot, you can tell if basketball players are going to make a free-throw based on their body language. Is their chest up and head high? Is their breathing measured and even? Or is their head hanging low, their movements and breathing erratic?
The same physiology can be applied to a job interview or a big presentation. One of the fastest ways to change your state is to change your physiology through movement or to change your focus by asking better questions. Take care of your body, take time to move, incoporate deep breathing or meditation, make a playlist, or read and listen to inspiring mentors.
You have the power to shift your state, and change will follow.
If you want to create a breakthrough in your life, create an empowering story and reevaluate your strategy, but most importantly, start with your state. Change is not only possible, but it is at your fingertips.
