How To Manage Quick Growth Without Losing Your Marbles
Last Fall I felt like I might lose my marbles. I had started speaking nearly every month.
I loved it.
More and more people were finding value in what I was sharing and started working with me. In the past five years I’ve had a comfortable number of private clients but at this point I was starting to reach my max.
I teach on increasing health, wealth and happiness for high achieving business owners and community leaders. I better be practicing what I preach right?!
At this point my life was starting to slip “out of balance” and I knew I needed to manage myself and my business differently.
For example…
You could have caught me scarfing my lunch in my car in between appointments. High class :). Back then I would travel here, there and everywhere to meet clients at their office spaces. Yes. A lot of driving. A lot of sitting.
Enter the sore neck and tiredness. I would come home wishing my imaginary personal massage therapist would greet me at the door to stretch me out.
Growth is good. It made me happy…and overwhelmed!!
More Freedom, right?
More clients or customers means more money to save, travel with, enjoy nice things, give away. Happy, healthy clients (families and teams), transformed lives and bank accounts. Growth is a good thing, right?
Are you asking yourself the same question I did? How do I manage a thriving business without losing my marbles? How do I stay focused and on my game when there are so many changes taking place? Let me share with you what helped me maintain my peace of mind so I always have more to give.
- Get Clear On Your Standards
In the book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws Of Leadership, John Maxwell says that leaders never stop sacrificing. In fact, the higher up you go, the more sacrifices will be required of you. Let me leave you with a question. What are you never willing to sacrifice and what are you willing to sacrifice? For me, exercise and time in nature are a must. 1-1 time with my husband and God is a must. Time for continual education is a must. I saw less of my dear friends but communicated what my new routine would look like to avoid confusion and hurt feelings. I’m always working on this one.
- Communicate Your Needs
Communicate your feelings and needs with your spouse, your assistant, your kids, your team. Communicate more than you think you need to. Avoid assuming they can read your mind. “They know how I’m feeling. They know how to be productive on their own.”
Let’s not talk about the trouble I’ve gotten myself into by making assumptions instead of communicating!! When you communicate often (and this involves a lot of listening too), business growth is much more likely to be a smoother transition because people feel heard, trust is generated and conflict is discussed, not avoided.
3. Make FUN a priority
It became more and more difficult for me to take time off without feeling like I SHOULD be working, doing, accomplishing. I stopped calling family as much as I like to. I stopped mountain biking…it became a quarterly activity! I was putting all my marbles in one basket…finding all my fun in work. Now, WATCH OUT for this. If this is you, (and this was me) I was finding a large amount of my personal worth in the fact that I was a coach.
Unconsciously I was relying on my work to provide me with feelings of worthiness, value and purpose. What happens if a potential client says no? What happens when a long term client says, “I’m leaving.” What happens when sales plummet for no apparent reason in your business? What happens to your confidence and happiness then?
My encouragement for you is to find fun in all the right places. Make time to feel alive on a regular basis. This includes vacations, time with loved ones, adventures and comedies…
How have you managed quick growth and success? I’d love to hear your strategies and what’s helped.
For more strategies to Boost Wealth, Health and Happiness visit www.amyenglemark.com. To contact Amy directly email coacha@amyenglemark.com.