
Ask yourself a simple question: Is the environment around your business controlling progress or is your process controlling the reaction to the environment?
What is your offensive position?
What is you defensive position
What is your strategy?
I see too often that leaders spend 2X defending their business. I myself fall prey to this. If you are constantly on the defensive, then who is on the offense and strategizing for the future? I know what my internal dialogue would say if asked this question. “I don’t have time, there are not enough hours in the day, if I don’t handle this no one will.” I get it, I do it, and I have learned to see past it.
This is going to sound strange in regards to this subject, but hear me out. How do you start your day? Do you wake with a purpose or when you decide you have to get up? Do you take time first thing in the morning to wake your body with movement? Do you take time to center yourself? Is your internal dialogue helping you start the day or keeping you comfortable?
In business, I am the most productive when I start with my personal process. That starts with waking my body for a few minutes when I get up, journaling in my notes about my thoughts, taking time to read a book while I drink my coffee, and exercising for an hour before the day demanding my time. I don’t have to do these things, but I know on the days I don’t, my day controls me.
The main area I struggle with is insuring I have 3 hours of focused success. This doesn’t include the countless meetings, reacting to critical situations, or managing my team. My focused success is based on an hour of new client tasks, existing business decisions, and an hour of planning for the future. You heard me right, I take an hour out of my day to let my mind loose, get in front of my skis. The goal here, like my personal process, is to ensure I don’t let the complexity of my business control my day. After these simple things are done, let the chaos begin.
Take a moment to listen to what your internal dialogue is saying and reflect on how it affects your decisions.