Commitment to ourselves and our dreams is crucial for success. We may have heard it before but do we really understand it? Sure we can say the words and think we are acting with commitment, but are we really?
As a Multi-Site Manager, I had stepped back from a Regional Manager position due to burn-out. For me, it was interesting to be able to wear the shoes of my regional but also be in the shoes of a site manager. The tough part for all the site managers at that company was that when the beloved owner died, his wife (not as well accepted) took over and hired managers from the local department store that she frequented as Regional Mangers to direct the Site Managers. It was tense – very tense for long-time managers that had worked under the “real” owner.
I was lucky because I was in a position of understanding and not 100% caring – which may sound terrible. But I was able to stay detached enough to do what needed to be done and to actually help my Regional learn and grow in the process. I was her not-so-secret weapon and coach. The Site Managers were upset enough by these “Clothes – Sellers” coming into the top spots without experience that when they were switched up on us so frequently, it added to the burden of having to relearn the new person and re-train another “newbie.”
But, like I said, I was detached so I didn’t really care. In fact, when the “Missus” brought in a new company CFO – also from outside the property management world (gasp!) he eventually worked his way around to me and started asking me for my opinion on things and suggested I should be promoted and such. Looking back, I realize that my detachment was my saving grace and I was able to be detached because I came to the company just after the owner had died so I knew him by legend only. I also had my own agenda and it did not involve staying at the company or in the state for a long time, so I did not allow myself to advance in fairness to the company. I realize now, that I had never committed to the company. I was committed to myself and to making my dreams come true.
Once, in a coaching session, my client was feeling upset and frustrated with her business and the fact that everyone around her treated it as a hobby. During our session, Client realized that she, too, had been less than 100% committed to her business. It was an epiphany. She had felt she was doing what she was supposed to do but wasn’t getting the results she wanted. In a later session, Client related that she had sent out announcement letters to all of the people she knew. She introduced her business thus proclaiming herself and her intentions to everyone she could think of. That galvanized the commitment for her. She had told everyone so there was no turning back or giving up without having to explain her quitting to others. Her business took off after that.
How do you know if you are committed to your dream? Take this quick quiz:
1. How do I feel when I tell someone about what I am doing?
a) Excited and proud…and maybe a bit anxious
b) Like I am lying through my teeth
c) Sick to my stomach with dread
2. How do I sound when I talk about my business?
a) Positive and upbeat
b) Questioning and uncertain
c) Apologetic and ashamed
3. How do I spend my “business time”?
a) Diligently at work in an office or space with distractions shut out
b) Working once in a while when I feel I should at least make an attempt at something
c) Doing other tasks that I need to do for others and promising myself to try to get to my work
4. How do you really feel about your business?
a) I’d fight to keep and protect it
b) I’d feel bad if I failed or lost it but oh well
c) I’d give it away in a heartbeat
I am quite sure you know the answers to the quiz. The more “A’s” the better. It is okay to feel doubts and discouragement at times. It is how we work through the tough times that can define us. But let me leave you with this last thought. How much more successful would you be if you treated your business like one of your children or a beloved pet? I thought so…
Happy Trails!!
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