What happens when you realise your path is entrepreneurship rather than employment? Lindsay takes up the challenge and shares an account of her journey as it unfolds…

The enthusiasm I am getting from other people is my fuel. Knowing that what I offer is resonating, is deeply reassuring. And with that comes energy, comes power, comes self-control – to move from insecure to confident. And it feels completely different. I’m the leader I remember myself once being.  Just now a little wiser.

I’m calling each network member and hearing their positive feedback, their eagerness to pitch Mirror Mirror to that client they have in mind, and hearing their questions, the meaning of which allows me to understand how to help them.

I’m reading Seth Godin’s book on marketing.  With expert practitioners in mind as my target audience, I am clear about path I need to follow.  The path that I believe will be worthwhile the effort of walking. I can measure the 4 or 5 crucial metrics that will show me what affects that effort is having. Using that, I can feed the system into itself to build more.

It’s not rocket science, it’s just a great book at the right time.  Words don’t mean much unless you can plug them in to your context.

Here’s how it’s going to work: one of my network members is focussed on Project Management.  He sees Mirror Mirror is perfect for new teams, to rapidly build their shared understanding and collaboration to deliver on their goals.  I’ll support him to get a first client. We’ll write a case study. I’ll target Project Management media to promote that case study, and him, and Mirror Mirror. He’ll get another client…

I have a call with my coach.  I tell him about this ‘success energy’ I’ve got, wondering what he could possibly coach me on today. I mention that I had a rash and a stomach ulcer last month and that the doctor said it could be stress.  I’ve never had that reaction to stress before. Don’t worry – I took care of myself, had lots of early nights, went on a course of medication and I now feel back to normal.  It all seems so long ago now.

COACH:            It’s great that things are going well. But how are you going to manage yourself when the work gets tough again? 

ME: I’ve got quite a bit of awareness around self-management from previous experiences. I know when to look out for that amber light warning in future.

COACH:            That’s your amber?  Hives and an ulcer would be a red warning light for me. 

ME: Well I’ve had worse from previous roles but at least I’ve got the flexibility, as my own boss, to control things. 

COACH: But you ended up going to the doctor.  

ME: Yes, I didn’t see that amber coming up.  Every phase of the business is so different, you’ve got to keep adapting and the amber last month caught me by surprise.

COACH: What do you think brought it on?

ME: Last year’s product development and marketing readiness work was hard going.  And preparing for the training and adjusting the course every time it ran over a 2-week period must have been really stressful, I guess. I just need to keep managing myself. But that’ll get easier now that things are moving in such a positive way.

COACH: We don’t know what’s going to happen but for sure, the good leaders are the ones who can be flexible, regardless of whether they feel success or not.

 

Mirror Mirror – a team alignment diagnostic tool and process in one, helping people align to the strategy, as well as each other.

What happens when you realise your path is entrepreneurship rather than employment? Lindsay takes up the challenge and shares an account of her journey as it unfolds…

Twenty more people just went through my training

While the rest of the world is reeling and waning

I’m fresh with affirmation, boosted by validation

This is a movement not a product – that’s my realisation.

 

It’s really flowing now, the format, the explanation

Meeting professionals who want to give alignment full attention

I don’t care how long it takes – this is just what I do

And now we can help remote working teams too.

 

Last week we ran a webinar with network members in a panel

Now Mirror Mirror itself can be a marketing channel!

They shared tips on how to lead and align remote teams

And in talking, it brings home what the reality of coronavirus means.

 

It continues to move on here, busier still

While so many people are suffering all kinds of hell

It’s so difficult to hold these extremes in mind

We do what we can, hoping to see a light for mankind.

Link to the webinars on remote team alignment.

 

Mirror Mirror – a team alignment diagnostic tool and process in one, helping people align to the strategy, as well as each other.

What happens when you realise your path is entrepreneurship rather than employment? Lindsay takes up the challenge and shares an account of her journey as it unfolds…

And now the world has changed. United in social distancing: We’re all together apart. So far 11,000 have died. How far will it go? “Stay in your homes or people will die” is a message we never expected to hear.

First a kind of shock. How strange to have these new limitations, while nothing much except the news seems different. I’m still working from home and doing my thing. But for many people the changes are huge, bringing confusion, anxiety and fear.  Global economies are tumbling and productivity is stumbling as shops close and people are forced to work at home.

For some however, it’s a sigh of relief:

• Remote workers say they save 8.5 hours a week in travel time
• Remote workers spend av. 25 minutes exercising more each week
• Remote workers average 21.9 workdays per month, office workers 20.5 a month
• 28% of onsite employees had quit a job because of toxic relationships with their co-workers – something you don’t have to deal with so much when you work from home.

And if you face up to the challenges to find the opportunities, it’s a learning curve.

Mirror Mirror is certainly something that can help remote teams align and can be delivered remotely.  So just a week after a face to face workshop in London, there’s a new direction.

• Remote delivery network call
• Remote team alignment – tips from the experts: public webinar with network member presenters
• 24 hour survey link and Quick Scan report delivery for a remote telecoms team in Romania via a network member
• Slides on remote delivery
• Input of the remote angle into presentation slides for tomorrow
• Keynote postponed (predicably) but content for that will change….

It’s exhausting actually.  I need a drink!

Mirror Mirror – a team alignment diagnostic tool and process in one, helping people align to the strategy, as well as each other.