Plan ahead! Think Around the Corner Motivational Workshop
We can't always see around the corner. This we know. But I wonder if it's possible to think around the corner? I bet it is. In fact, deep down inside all of us is an ability on some level, I believe, to know when the wind is changing direction. It's been called intuition, gut feeling, and even a 6th sense.
Let me ask you this: I wonder what your experience was when you had that lightbulb moment when you said "I knew that was going to happen." I bet most of us have. As a classically trained pianist, we are taught to read ahead, think ahead, and move ahead. I spent many of my teenage years planning for competitions on a big scale, and beginning my undergraduate studies as a piano performance major, with practice requiring 18 hours a week. When you're memorizing 20 pages of Hayden, you're definitely thinking ahead.
It was early 2000 when I was managing a large retail territory and we were the first generation, if you will, to face market dilution where clients came in to try their favorite products, and went home to shop online. At every meeting we attended, there was this overwhelming sense of urgency and alarm over what was going on. We had programs for our programs, and backups for our backups. We had to have ideas ready for our stores at any given time and we were touching base daily (often hourly). Add to that the writer's strike in Los Angeles a few years later, and of course 2008 and a year or two before or after and it was 10 years of total uncertainty. And it still is somewhat.
So how do we anticipate what might be next? We often can't see what's coming and we often don't even know what hit us until it did so, and left. But I believe that even though we can't SEE around the corner, we can "Think Around the Corner!"
So, what's a corner? Go look it up in the dictionary. I have my version (many in fact) and I think around them. But if we "think" about this carefully, a corner can be a safety, it can be the unknown, or it can be an absolute calamity. So let's break this down.
Clear. We have to be clear about where we are, where we've been and where we're going. We also have to be clear on who's with us (or not).
Open. Yes, we have to be open. When we start agreeing more we reduce tension. We can let go of fighting with how we thought something should be and we can see it for what it is, and we can do something about it, or not. But we have to be open to accepting that whatever is going on is actually going on. Then - we're in a position to make better decisions and accept new ones.
Ready and Responsive. Years ago I had my first big "credit" if you will and a good friend told me "Billy Lowe, you need a publicist right now, right this minute. I do'n't mean tonight, I don't mean tomorrow morning I mean right now and right this minute." I'm sure those are my words and not his but you get the idea. We need to have ideas and systems in place for keeping ourselves out there, available, and approachable.
Network. Now more than ever we must be networking. And the people that aren't returning calls are missing the point.
Engaged. We need to stay engaged in this fast moving world. Wanna promote your brand? Find out what's going on out there. Hire a trainer, a mentor or a coach. Work with someone that's not just a numbers player, but someone that also knows how to tell your story and make an impact for you or with you. 2 + 2 is always going to equal 4. But can your numbers person tell your story?
Remember. Remember who you are, where you've been, and the experiences that brought you to where you are. Remember how things were when you were growing up and some of the differences today. Didn't you turn out ok? I sure did. I climbed trees and splashed in mud puddles. I played piano and and listened to the crickets at night.
I'll leave you with one thought. Growing up, it wasn't always possible for us to have every meal together as a family. I'm the oldest of the children and I've had jobs ever since I can remember. But one thing was certain; my dad insisted that we have our evening meal together and Sunday as well. In8 addition to that, we held hand at the table every time we were together and dad gave thanks. No one left the table until everyone was done. We were Clear, we were Open, we were Ready, we were Networking, we were Engaged, and today I Remember those years and I'm thankful for every one.
To book Billy Lowe for a Think Around the Corner Workshop or Event, please use our contact page to tell us a bit more about your company or direction.
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