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5 1/2 years??, Mindfulness for Strategy, It’s all about the right tools..

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Business

5 1/2 Years??

Wow. The great folks from the Chamber of Commerce came out to our shop on Monday to honor us as the “Leading Business of the Week.” It is a great honor and we had a great time (see photo below). After I realized that you have to be a Chamber member for 5 years to receive this honor, it struck me. We’ve been in business 5.5 years!

Again, wow. I started this business in March of 2011. I got married to my amazing wife in January of 2011, we found out we were pregnant within a few weeks of our honeymoon and I left a great job with the great people at Ambling 2 months later to focus on my passion.

I always say it was the ultimate bait and switch on Jill’s dad. He seems like a nice guy, has a great job….oops!

Here are a few highlights of what I’ve learned over my first 5 years of self employment.

Following your passion is scary (especially with a family to support!)
Courage is not lack of fear, but continuing to push forward despite the fear
Faith grows when it is tested
The world is full of a lot of good people who really want you to succeed
Helping others accomplish what they want is the best way to accomplish what you want

Lastly, and probably most importantly, I’ve learned that you don’t have to follow the well worn path of those who have gone before you whether they be your parents, your peers, whoever. The world is changing dramatically, allowing people to work together from around the world at virtually no cost (Thank you Skype). People are more free than ever to pursue their passions and do work that they love from wherever they are working.

The old models are changing. Businesses are no longer tied to locations and potential employees are demanding autonomy and flexibility in their work.

It is a brave new world out there.

A huge thank you to everyone who has allowed me to chase my passions and my dreams while creating an amazing life for me and my family!

Click the picture below for the full write up from the Chamber.

Health!

Can Mindfulness Improve Strategy?

Last week, we talked about how deep breathing (which is a big part of mindfulness) can improve your health. This week I stumbled upon an article about how mindfulness can improve strategy – say what?

If you know me, you know I love strategy. I also know that organizations without a clear and compelling strategy fail to reach their potential. But how can mindfulness improve strategy?

I’ve written before about how mindfulness can improve your life by improving your ability to be present wherever you are. I just finished up a second listen to the book, “Search Inside Yourself”, that outlines the Google University program they created to increase Emotional Intelligence through mindfulness at Google.

This article points to organizations from Apple to the Pentagon to the House of Representatives as users of mindfulness practices. Paul Ryan has encouraged fellow lawmakers to gather each Monday to just to sit together and “be quiet.”

As a Christian, this brings to mind the admonition from Psalm 46 to “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 1 tells us to “meditate on his law, day and night.” Isaiah 30 states “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”

Is an Eastern practice like meditation helping Christians do what we we’ve been told to do? Big question, but back to strategy…

Richard Rumelt in his book “Good Strategy, Bad Strategy” states that a good strategy is built on the ability to step out of the internal story line and shift viewpoints. Harvard’s Richard Chait calls for “generative thinking” to build great strategy.

In fact, the entire process of creating great strategy is based upon stepping back, getting distance from the day to day problems of organizations to think creatively and deeply. This article presents 3 ideas to incorporate mindfulness into strategic planning.

Take Mindful Moments – Whether it is quiet time or prayer, take a moment to step back from the situation to gain perspective and insights.
Explore Alternatives – Through activities like scenario planning.
Visualize Positive Outcomes – Without vision, the people perish. Vision is a requirement for organizational clarity. Visualizing a “best case” outcome and spreading that vision throughout the organization is required to engage, inspire and execute.

Great article with a totally different spin on mindfulness from anything I have read before. Check it out here. You can also check out the book on how Google does it by reading “Search Inside Yourself.”