Small business owners are vulnerable to major disruptions when life throws a curve-ball. We make ambitious plans with “permanent” deadlines, knowing that one unexpected event can derail everything and we will need to pivot.

Recently, we had an unexpected death in the family, and it required me to step back from Successful Culture for about a week. Mostly everything carried on without disruption, but my planning and preparation for my Premiere Mastermind Power Summit, scheduled for May 28th, took a major hit.

After much thought, and consultation with a few of my mentors, I decided to postpone the event until September 18th. This was a painful decision, because my team and I have put a lot of effort into the planning. However, my first priority with Successful Culture is to provide a transformational experience for my clients, and I felt that I would not be able to provide that with the original date.

This decision to delay the Premiere Mastermind Power Summit links back to the core values I have defined for Successful Culture:

· Excellence

· Accountability

· Transformation

· Growth

My postponement is a pivot to ensure that my promises to my clients are never compromised. Everything I do for my clients must deliver transformation and growth. If my ability to provide excellence is endangered in any way, I will not move forward.

In all aspects of my life, I move through my experiences as both a witness and participant….student and teacher. This is no exception.  I am grateful for this experience as a teachable moment because Successful Culture supporters must also see the vulnerability and humanity of leaders – not just their strengths. They must see that plans sometimes have a tendency to shift in mid-flight, and that it’s OK to veer off-course.

After all, it is the vulnerability and the human side of leadership that enables us to connect with others at a deeper level, which in turn makes us transformational leaders.

Six Steps to Lead Your Business (and Yourself) Through a Setback

When the time arrives that life throws you a curveball, and you need to step back from the business (for a day, a week, a month, etc.), follow these steps to navigate it as calmly as possible:

1: Acknowledge that you have experienced a setback that will impede your ability to carry on with “business as usual.”

2: Reach out to those closest to you for two reasons: To tell them what’s happening, and to ask for help.

3: Prioritize what’s happening in your business that involves you, and determine what absolutely MUST be done now.

4: Communicate to all stakeholders about impending changes. Early and honest communication is key.

5: Shift as needed. Adjust travel plans, cancel appointments, move events, adjust deadlines.

6: Breathe. Patience ultimately untangles everything. Eventually, everything that needs to be done will get done. It always does.

Thanks to everyone for their support of the Premiere Mastermind Power Summit. I look forward to seeing you on September 18th in Tysons Corner, at the Morgan Stanley headquarters.

PS: I’ve written a white paper on Nine Strategies of Resilience. These are the strategies I’ve developed over almost 20 years of business-building and parenting to bounce back from unexpected setbacks.  I hope a few of them can help you too!

Keep growing!

~Marissa