What's the Crisis?

The subtitle of the book "Reset," by Kurt Anderson and Tom Brokaw is: "How this Crisis Can Restore our Values and Renew America." I agree with this view.

So what is "this crisis"? Is it simply an economic recession, calling for increased frugality and hard work? Or is it something more fundamental: an opportunity to redefine our most basic assumptions about who we are--and about life itself?

THE OPPORTUNITY
If crisis is, as the root characters in the Chinese language suggest, a "danger" and an "opportunity," then the opportunity here is to reclaim our most basic freedom. That, I think, means: to recognize and claim our own resourcefulness and intelligence--the capacity to learn, adapt, and contribute--as the *real* source of our security.

Is this not the meaning of the word maturity? When we find our worth in ourselves-- rather than looking to any person, institution, or employer to define our value--have we not crossed the threshold into adulthood?

I heard an ironic assertion recently: that employees are motivated by the value of security, while business owners value freedom. It *is* messy that many of us are becoming--by necessity--"accidental entrepreneurs" (as my friend Peter puts it). But it is also exhilarating to create our own work and manage our own time--whether in a business we start, a franchise we buy, or even a so-called "Network Marketing Company" that has a minimal buy-in and teaches us basic business skills such as sales, recruiting, and customer relations.

Clearly, the phrase "job security" has become an oxymoron. Yet this sad fact is also liberating. Our current economic climate frees us from the illusion that a "good job" gives us security! It never did. Yet, as entrepreneurs, we are uniquely positioned to be in the driver's seat of our own success.

A ROADMAP TO SUCCESS
So how do we take advantage of this opportunity for growth? The first step is to ask ourselves the most profound question we *can* ask ourselves: who am I? What do I most love to do? What moves me to passion--whether 'positively' or 'negatively'? (It is ironic that we all want passion in our lives but tend to ignore our own day-to-day feelings: the root of passion). What are my most basic talents? What most excited and fascinated me as a child--that points to core motivations still alive in me? Who have my heroes been, and how am I like them? What would I like to have written on my tombstone: the legacy I will leave?

Next, we must look at our accomplishments in life--from the perspective of value given to others AND our own enjoyment. To craft a sustainable career, it is essential that our work be both enjoyable *and* make use of our best skills and talents. We need to analyze WHO we have helped: what kinds of people; what kinds of problems; what exactly did we DO to solve those problems; and what RESULTS were realized--especially those results that can be measured in dollars!

We then need to survey the economic landscape. WHERE are those kinds of people with those kinds of problems? For example, in my case I have worked with career changers, 'down-sized' executives, and self-employed professionals wanting to be more effective in reaching their desired market.

It takes significant research, time, and creativity to figure out how to connect with our ideal clients or customers. There are *many* questions to ask: do we need to be face-to-face with our customers, or can we work "virtually"--using the computer, telephone, SKYPE, etc.?

We also need to discover who else is serving this market niche, and, most importantly, we need to find a gap between what our ideal customers want and what is currently available to them--that we can fill. It is quite useful to enlist the aid others (whether professionals or good friends) in this endeavor. There are several reasons to ask for help: for one, we tend to not see ourselves as clearly as others can. Getting feedback--about both our strengths and skills, as well as areas where we could improve--is invaluable.

We all have blind-spots and areas we tend to neglect. For example, the best salespeople tend to be less than rigorous with documentation and quantitative analysis of their results. It is *very* useful to have someone other than ourselves speak with our current and past customers, clients, and/or former employers. People will rarely tell us directly about such sensitive subjects as our weaknesses or "growth areas" needing improvement. Yet such information is vital, if we are to pinpoint and serve our market segment in a truly superior way.

When we receive such information, we may also need to be prepared for changing how we do business. For example, if we are used to being solo entrepreneurs, we may need to find ways to collaborate with or hire others whose strength areas complement our deficits.

Finally, we need to be brilliant in our efforts to communicate with our target market. We need to both educate them about how we can help them, AND how it is possible to realize benefits from a level of service which we can provide--that they may not even have realized is possible. Social Media--sites such as Facebook and Linkedin--provides a free opportunity to position ourselves as "thought leaders" in our field by educating people with regard to how to select a coach (if you are a coach), for example. Such sites also offer ways to ask and learn from our target market what *they* would consider as "knock your socks off service."

BECOMING A CONSCIOUS ENTREPRENEUR
My favorite definition of "conscious" (from "Conscious Business" author Fred Kofman) is simply to be aware of what is going on--both outside and inside of ourselves. Such awareness makes us responsible--response-able--since we are able to respond in an effective way only if we have access to all relevant data. That is, we accurately perceive our own feelings, thoughts, needs, etc.--in addition to accurately perceiving what's going on with those around us.

By pondering the questions suggested above, we have an opportunity not only for a significant income, but also for a level of self knowledge (and the peace of mind which that brings) that few of us have. We also have the opportunity be become much more skilled in interpersonal communication than entrepreneurs usually are: a real benefit, as better communication leads to better sales!

A CHANGE IN MINDSET
Entrepreneurs are often seen as competitive, "lone-wolf" types--largely because of their enormous belief in their own abilities. I believe that if we really want a breakthrough in our ability to serve our clients and customers, we must adopt a new mindset--one that makes room for creative use of partnerships and collaborations. Two heads really are better than one (and three are better than two)!

And, while it may be an enormous stretch for most of us to change our ways, the upside rewards are immeasurable. Not only will we be able to truly dominate our marketplace, we will also have the more "soulful" benefits of deep self-awareness and true camaraderie.

Your comments and personal stories are most welcome. I can be reached at coach4miracles@gmail.com. Thanks, and happy entrepreneuring!