What Iâve found in working with teams or with even solopreneurs, is there are a few different approaches that people take when theyâre starting something new â but while starting a business project it always needs to begin with clarity.
Just Get It Done: Clarity without Feedback
Some people say, âI just want this done. Youâre going to do it my way.â The downfall of that is that theyâre not really considering the team or the existing business processes (if they have employees they may not have clarity about how the work gets done).
Working with the âI just want it doneâ personality can become an alienated process where people may just do what theyâre told but the outcome may not be as great because feedback and alternative approaches arenât considered.
Stop the Analysis-Paralysis
There are other people who really enjoy research. The problem with researchers is, that when they go to implement, they kind of clam up or they donât want to do it. This is often called analysis paralysis. They never get to the âdoing place.â
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SIGN UPWork Through the Fear
In my work on both large-scale and small projects, Iâve met a lot of fearful people â particularly when it comes to more technical tools and apps. They donât understand it. They procrastinate on getting to it.
They wait until the last minute to talk to the specialist and they either get an answer they donât like or the person tells them exactly what they like and they just say, âOkay. Go do it,â and thereâs no leadership coming from someone who would typically be your champion on a project. And then, you get mixed results on that end, too, because you need a leader.
I work with the executive or the leader or the owner of a business and we talk through some of that stuff. And we really talk about what it is theyâre looking for, what they want because sometimes, mindset issues happen as a result of a lack of clarity.
Or you can have absolute clarity and itâs about talking through what itâs going to take for that to happen and seeing if we can kind of reframe it so that people understand what itâs going to take in terms of time and money so we can manage expectations.
On the fearful side, itâs really about empowering people to be leaders.
And the way that I always talk about this with people is to say, âLook. If you were going to get your haircut, you donât go in and say, âI donât care. Just do what you want.ââ No one wants a purple mohawk. Unless they specifically ask for a purple mohawk.
Remember, Youâre Batman
Batman doesnât let Robin drive the Batmobile and itâs the same way with your business. You have to be Batman but you have to coordinate and champion and have clarity.
The primary thing I help businesses with is laying the foundation for a digital marketing strategy. Many businesses donât realize that the decisions you make when you form a business chart the course for how big you will show up online.
I can tell you if you have certain pillars of technology and tools set up as your foundation that really support your business, it will help you go leaps and bounds toward whatever business (and marketing) goals you have.
Depending on a personâs comfort level, a digital marketing roadmap can have humble beginnings.
When I sit down with a client and we go through a business ownerâs goals and concerns, I make it as simple as possible. âOkay, hereâs the one thing that you can do.â And we do that one thing, and then it just kind of has this snowball effect.
Chunk It Out
Iâve seen it work again and again where when you chunk out a project into manageable pieces, then the mindset starts to shift because really, weâre just looking for small wins. The business owner sees some small wins and they feel like, âOkay, I get it,â and then it snowballs. And sometimes, for me, itâs about actually going to where the person lives, and we just sit down together, and we just knock it out together.
When it comes to marketing tools and apps, thatâs the thing that people are most fearful of â that theyâre going to totally mess up, get embarrassed, etc.
I think that failure is actually absolutely part of the process if youâre going to own a business. If youâre so worried about doing it right all the time or you only do the things that you know, then youâre missing out on a lot of growth because growth happens when youâre like, âOh, Iâm not doing that again.â
When that happens, you go do something else. And thatâs the most beautiful part about owning a business.
This blog post is based on Jenâs recent appearance on the Everyday Business Leader Podcast with Gregory Gray, titled âMindset, Clarity and Action with Jen McFarland.â You can listen using the player below.
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