How much time do you spend on personal development as a solopreneur or small business owner?
While it can seem hard to find the time, it is the thing that will keep you and your business strong.
I recently finished, "What Got You Here Won't Get You There," by Marshall Goldsmith, and found one of the exercises near the end of the book to be helpful.
This book is written by an executive coach and is packed full of stories of people who rose to the top of their profession but still needed to develop additional skill sets that would allow them to excel and truly perform at this new level.
The exercise is called, “complete the sentence” and is a way of determining which behavioral or interpersonal skill most needs to change.
We all have things we can work on. No one is perfect. This exercise is not about trying to “fix” all of our imperfections. Rather, it will help us determine which change is most important to our continued success at this time.
Here is how it works: Pick something you think needs to change, especially as it relates to you as a business owner, listening skills, being more organized or even exercise.
Then, complete the sentence:
If I become more X….Y will be the result.
For example:
If I become more organized…
If I become a better listener…
If I become better at communicating my expectations...
Then:
…more of my work would get done ‘on time’
...I would know what to focus on for today
...I would feel better about myself
...people around me might share more of their ideas
...those around me would not be as frustrated
Keep listing the results until you cannot think of anything else. Really try to imagine if that thing were to be a reality and describe it in detail.
When you find the one where the benefits listed become, as Goldsmith put it, “less expected and more personal and meaningful to you" then you have found the personal development item you should put energy into changing.
The good part? You have the thing you need to change and a long list of motivating reasons why.
Do you have 30 minutes this week to block out and try this exercise?
If you are interested in starting a coaching program visit amylynnecoaching.com/coaching or schedule a phone consultation with Amy here.
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Amy Lynne Coaching works with small business owners and solopreneurs in the Twin Cities metro area.
