6 Steps to Creating a Warrior Mindset in Life-Changing Situations

Difficulty doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t matter if you have a net worth of $50 million or $50,000.

It doesn’t matter if you’re running a multi-million dollar company, or working for someone else.

You’re going to encounter situations that draw a before-and-after line in the sand, where things change in a moment’s notice.

If you are a business owner, you face more risk than others because you have so much more on the line. Therefore, the ability to recover is absolutely essential.

Recently, several friends have encountered what I call “before-and-after moments.” Most recently, a friend received news that her 9-year old daughter has Type-1 diabetes and will be on insulin the rest of her life.

In my own life, I’ve beaten melanoma, had a breast cancer scare, overcame two business bankruptcy possibilities, lost people I love, and recovered from a fairly devastating betrayal by someone I thought was a true friend.

I recently provided some experiential wisdom to my friend whose daughter was diagnosed with diabetes.

I’m sharing my 6 strategies for creating what I call a Warrior Mindset.

1: Block out the sky-is-falling supporters. When we receive bad news, or go through something traumatic, our natural response is to reach out to others for support. While the outreach is important, what is even more important is who we are seeking for support.

We are at our most vulnerable state when we are facing a difficult situation. We require support from those who can lift us higher and move us forward. We need support from those who are stronger than we are.

2: Move out of the “why-me” response as soon as possible. It’s natural to feel a loss of control, and to feel victimized by our circumstances. When circumstances drastically change, they often require a mourning process to eventually accept the new reality. This may include denial, anger, grief, and finally acceptance.

3: Get a grip on your fear. Fear is also a natural response to life-changing news and situations. We must remember that it is just an emotion. Nothing else. However, if we empower it – if we go to that place of, “What happens if….” then we will be paralyzed. There’s no time for inertia or inaction.

4: Seek out your new “tribe.” Diabetes has profoundly impacted our family; we have lost young people we love to the disease. I advised my friend to quickly connect with others that have already walked her path. I recommended the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) as well as Facebook support groups and meetups.

When the rules & parameters of our daily living change, we must create a tribe so that we know we are not alone, and so that we can make informed decisions based on knowledge & facts, rather than emotion. We need people like us.

Our other tribes may not understand, or even approve. That’s not your concern. Your healing & progress depends on getting the right support.

5: Seize control over the situation. This may not be the situation you would have chosen, but it is YOUR situation. Choose control over it. We either control our circumstances (even the poor ones) or they control us.

6: Remember that your circumstance does not define you. Your situation is one piece of a tapestry that is your life. I had cancer. I am not cancer. Several friends struggle with depression. They are not depression. Several friends have experienced business failure or divorce. They are more than their business situation or marital situation.

We decide how well we-co-exist with our new reality… how much it defines us.

Life delivers us a blend of the good and the bad. How it all shows up for us largely depends on our outlook and our mindset. We are not our struggles. They are only a part of the amazing people we are.

Good luck!

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About Successful Culture

We work with business owners, CEOs, and leadership teams that want to achieve their greatest personal & organizational potential. Through coaching, strategic consulting, retreat facilitation, and workshops, we equip leaders & emerging leaders with the mindset, tools, strategies, and processes they need to excel.

Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, Linked In, and Twitter.

Please check out my Inc. Magazine columns on my Author Page too.

Learn about the 12 Habits of Horrible Leaders, and How to Break Them.

Wishing you joy and success on your journey!

In gratitude,

Marissa Levin
CEO, Successful Culture
“Taking Leaders from Triage to Transformation.”
[email protected]

The Two Questions You Need to Answer When Faced with Indecision

A client is currently interviewing potential project management partners. This is a big decision. She intends to delegate all project management tasks. She is expecting meticulous reporting and financial oversight, and a strong representation of her company’s brand. She has no interest in micromanaging.

• How does this option align with our core value system?
• How does this option align with the culture I am building?

From Inspiration to Implementation: How to Re-Enter Reality After a Conference

I recently returned from speaking at Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) NERVE Conference in Nashville, TN. I had the privilege of hanging out with 800 other entrepreneurs for three days straight.

I also just returned from the Inc. Magazine Women’s Summit in New York with 600 women entrepreneurs. It was incredible powerful!

Every session I attended at both events (speakers are always in learning mode too!) was packed with awesome, actionable content.

It always feel so great to be immersed in learning with peers that feel the same way you do about your business. We all leave recharged and re-committed to doing whatever we need to do to move our companies to the next level.

Then we come home.

Almost immediately, we are sucked back into the daily reality of life, except it hits us harder than usual because we’ve been away. Little by little, those warm feelings of inspiration and excitement – the conference afterglow – starts to fade. We move from inspired to discouraged.

How can we avoid this downward spiral? How can we retain that amazing feeling we had at the conference?

Well, the answer lies in our mindset before the conference.

Follow these steps to move from learning inspiration to learning implementation:

Prior to the conference, do these two things:

• Review the available sessions, and pick your top three subjects that are most relevant to your business right now. Of course almost everything will appeal to you, but not everything is relevant right now. From your top three sessions, prioritize them.
• On your calendar, clear the day after your return for re-entry. Do this as soon as you book your trip. Your mind is going to need breathing space. You will need time to follow up with your connections, connect with them on Linked In, etc. and prioritize your action items from your conference meetings. if you come home to a packed schedule, you will feel overwhelmed and out of control.

At the conference:

• Stay on topic. Commit to gathering as much information as you can about your highest-priority initiative.
• Do NOT get sucked into your colleagues’ agendas.

Upon returning from the conference (on the day you’ve cleared for re-entry):

• Prioritize your takeaways.
• Throw out anything you aren’t going to use.
• Connect with your new contacts on Linked In
• Prioritize the reading you will do with all of your new books, and select one book that is relevant to where you are right now.
• Turn over all of the business cards you collected to an assistant to input them into your contact management database.

Focus on one thing. File the rest for a later date.

I follow a similar philosophy for networking events. The goal is not quantity. It’s quality. If we can connect with one or two people in a meaningful way that can move us forward personally or professionally, than the event is successful.

We can all find one golden nugget at an event that can make a difference in our companies, our clients, our stakeholder communities such as those that read our blogs. Attend with intention and focus, and your opportunities will present themselves with clarity. As a writer, and as a growth strategist/coach that is always looking for trends and information that is relevant to the growth of my clients, I view conferences & learning events as opportunities to be better for them. I am the eyes and ears of my clients and subscribers, every time I am learning.

Wishing you all awesome learning experiences that take you, your clients, and your communities to higher levels of awareness and growth!

Sign up here to receive Successful Culture’s leadership blog every Friday. All posts contain actionable content to make you the best leader you can be, to help you develop your people to their greatest potential, and to help you build your best organization.

About Successful Culture
We work with business owners, CEOs, and leadership teams that want to achieve their greatest personal & organizational potential. Through coaching, strategic consulting, retreat facilitation, and workshops, we equip leaders & emerging leaders with the mindset, tools, strategies, and processes they need to excel.

Ready to move forward? Email us today at [email protected]

Connect with me on Instragram, Facebook, and Twitter. Engage with me during my morning Periscope sessions as well (@marissalevin).

Please check out my Inc. Magazine columns on my Author Page too.
– In my latest Inc, article, I share The Essential Guide to Avoiding Workplace Text, Email, & Social Media Disasters.
– Learn about the 9 Leadership Behaviors that Lose Employee Trust & Respect here.

~Marissa Levin
CEO, Successful Culture
“Taking Leaders from Triage to Transformation.”

Five Factors to Consider When Seeking Outside Expertise

We all seek counsel and comfort when we are embarking on something big, or going through change. Are you seeking the right assistance? Who we ask impacts the advice we get, and potentially the action we take.

Asking the wrong person can be disastrous.

When seeking counsel, remember these five factors:

1: An individual’s personal frame of reference. How is someone looking at your situation? When we reach out for help, others naturally reach back to their own experiences to try to help us. Have they gone through something similar? A friend of mine is seeking a new executive position. She requires a position that requires minimal travel because she has teenagers. She’s looking for an opportunity that is meaning- and mission-driven. When she consulted her father about this, his advice, while well-intentioned, was misguided. He worked through The Depression, worked in traditional and bureaucratic organizations, and never had to think about work-life balance. He told her to take the most stable job that comes along first.

2: An individual’s experience. Does the person have the professional experience you need to help you make sound decisions for the future? Have they accomplished a goal you are trying to meet?

3: Aligned value system and motivators. Does the person value the same ideals as you? Whether it’s family, money, spirituality, philanthropy, self-development, or any other ideal, are they driven by similar motivators?

4: Similar risk tolerance. A potential advisor could have a similar frame of reference, the experience you seek, and a similar value system. However, they may or may not have the same risk tolerance. Risk is an important criteria when seeking counsel for any decision. If someone is thinking of sky-diving, who they seek for support may alter their decision.

5: Your personal potential. Finally, a potential advisor may have factors 1-4 in common with you. However, if you have potential they don’t have – whether it’s intellectual, emotional, physical, spiritual, financial, or time-based – they can’t advise you well. Our oldest son is evaluating college choices. He has many options. Part of his evaluation process is to talk with current students at prospective colleges. We’ve reminded him to “consider the source” when gathering information. Do they have the same interests? Intellectual abilities? Personal drive? Everything matters when seeking outside perspective.

Ultimately, we are all responsible for our own choices. Ultimately it is our voice that drowns out the others. However, we can learn from others that have gone before us. Choosing our advisors wisely enables us to make informed decisions.

Good luck!

Sign up here to receive Successful Culture’s leadership blog every Friday. All posts contain actionable content to make you the best leader you can be, to help you develop your people to their greatest potential, and to help you build your best organization.

About Successful Culture
We work with business owners, CEOs, and leadership teams that want to achieve their greatest personal & organizational potential. Through coaching, strategic consulting, retreat facilitation, and workshops, we equip leaders & emerging leaders with the mindset, tools, strategies, and processes they need to excel.

Ready to move forward? Email us today at [email protected]

Connect with me on Instragram, Facebook, and Twitter. Engage with me during my morning Periscope sessions as well (@marissalevin).

Please check out my Inc. Magazine columns on my Author Page too.
– In my latest Inc, article, I share The Essential Guide to Avoiding Workplace Text, Email, & Social Media Disasters.
– Learn about the 9 Leadership Behaviors that Lose Employee Trust & Respect here.

~Marissa Levin
CEO, Successful Culture
“Taking Leaders from Triage to Transformation.”

Image courtesy of nenetus at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Four Steps to the Best New Year’s Gift You Can Give Yourself

“Those who live in the past limit their future.”

This was the message I received on my Yogi tea bag last night, as I enjoyed my nightly cup of tea. How timely and appropriate as we bring 2014 to a close.

Ten Questions to Ask to Determine if Your Customers and Employees Really Understand Your Company

Business owners live and breathe their company missions. Often, their business identity plays a significant role in their personal identity. Naturally, they can effortlessly explain what their company does, why it exists, what it stands for, and where it is going.

This is not often the case with employees or customers.

Here are two sets of questions to help you determine if your two most important stakeholder groups – your employees and your customers – really understand your company.

“I Know You’re Busy But…”

“I know you’re busy, but….”

“This may sound [crazy/stupid/silly], but…..”

In one of my recent coaching sessions, I worked with a client who is having difficulty engaging with an aggressive, somewhat disrespectful colleague. Let’s face it; we all have to deal with difficult people at some point in our careers. They are as predictable and enjoyable as taxes.

Living Your (Customer’s) Mission

Only when we understand the motivations and missions of our customers can we create a compelling mission statement that inspires a customer to trust us. There is a big difference between selling a product or service and fulfilling a mission.

Driving an Intrapreneurial Spirit and Mindset

I’m working with a great company who’s committed to moving to the next level of growth. The owner/founder has done a very good job of establishing himself as a highly dependable and reputable subcontractor, but wants to triple the company size, and evolve into a prime contractor over the next 3 years. We have a lot of work to do. To make this pivot, we have to build his infrastructure, implement required processes, and align with the right people.

One of our most immediate tasks is to evaluate and shift the mindset and commitment of his current team. Growth can’t happen alone. It takes a village to build a business.

Avoiding SP-RH Syndrome

It’s all coming back to me….the early days of building a business, and laying a solid foundation to support healthy growth. I find myself with lengthy to-do lists that require many sets of helping hands. It’s tempting to simply throw new tasks over the fence to those that have already proven to be experts as I grow Successful Culture.

But wait. I’ve been down this road before with Information Experts. I’ve bitten off more than I can chew, and then tossed the overflow to a team mate. Eager to please, they say yes, even though my new request is outside of their core expertise… setting us both up for disappointment.