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Author: Linda Fisk

Categories
Growth Personal Development

How to Create a Prosperity Mindset

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” – Maria Robinson

Abundance and prosperity can mean different things to different people. It is important that you have a clear understanding of what abundance means to you. Let’s start by defining abundance. What does a prosperous and abundant life look like? Is abundance about finance, love, health, happiness, or else?  What is your own definition of prosperity, what would it look like in your life?

Abundance doesn’t happen overnight. Most people who live an abundant life will tell you that they work at it every day. On a daily basis, they are accomplishing small actions that aligns them with what they want in life. For example, if what you want is more money, each day, you can make small deposits in a saving account. Five dollars a day will become $150 at the end of the month and $1,825 at the end of the year.  If you want more love in your life, start with self-love. Every day, make a point of recognizing one thing you love about yourself.

 “When I change, everything changes.” – Pastor Doug Taylor

And, really we’re talking about changes in mindset.  A small change in your mindset can lead to a different set of decisions – and that can change your life forever. But, first, let’s define what we mean when we refer to mindset.

A mindset is a way of thinking. It is a lens that allows you to see what you want in this world. Unlike beliefs and values, a mindset is something that is fairly easy to change with awareness, practice, and determination.

It is the general perspective you have on life and how you react to various situations. Our mindset can stop us from achieving our goals and accessing our desires in life. It doesn’t matter what beliefs or values you have, if you have the wrong mindset, it can limit you and hinder your general sense of happiness.

On the other hand, feeding the right mindset will be essential for you to create the life you want. The goal is to empower you to switch your mindset to one that will positively transform your life and attract abundance and wealth.

The key to change, is to let go of fear. – Roseanne Cash

There are two types of mindsets that was coined by the author of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” Stephen Covey. These are a scarcity mindset and an abundance mindset. The scarcity mindset is more about focusing on what we don’t have and our limits. Meanwhile, an abundance mindset is about creating opportunities and believing that there are enough resources for everyone to benefit.

A person with a scarcity mindset will be absorbed with what is missing. A scarcity mindset will focus on limitation and manifest obstacles which can seriously limit your success. When you limit yourself with your beliefs and actions, you are not open to receiving or recognizing the abundance that surrounds you.  You may wake up in the morning thinking you didn’t have enough sleep or won’t have enough time to accomplish all your tasks. No matter what it is, the scarcity mind is set on acknowledging what is not available.

Think of your life. Which areas do find yourself focusing on what you don’t have? What limits do you place on yourself? Which area of your life (love, relationships, finances, work, etc.) do you apply a scarcity mindset?

The other side is the abundance mindset. With that mindset, we realize that there is enough in this world for everyone to receive. You let go of negative feelings like jealousy, envy, or pity for yourself and take matters in your own hands. You move from being a victim in your life to a leader. In addition, you don’t focus on the limitation, but you recognize the good things that are already present in your life and set your intention to experience more of what you want.

Think of what you currently have in your life. Make a list of the things, situations, or people that make your life rich. What are you grateful for in your life? What do you appreciate about yourself?

Sometimes it’s the smallest decisions that can change your life forever. – Kerry Russell

One of the most common misperceptions about wealth is that achieving some monetary goal will make you happy. Happiness is a state of mind. Can you recall any wealthy people who are unhappy with their lives? Just off the top of your head, you could probably recite the names of half a dozen celebrities who are constantly struggling with addictions, relationship turmoil, legal problems, and worse.

Money didn’t make these people happy, and it can’t make you happy either. If you want to be happy, then you must decide to be happy now – regardless of your problems and challenges. Just having a ton of money in the bank won’t make problems go away unless those problems are directly related to a lack of money.

The greatest power you can ever develop is the ability to focus on the good so you can be happy right now – no matter what else is happening around you. Right now is all you have. Let tomorrow take care of itself. Instead, focus most of your energy on making this moment the best it can possibly be. Mastering this skill alone can make you the richest person on the planet.

Categories
Growth Personal Development

Overcoming Limiting Beliefs

Have you ever made a statement like “I’m not good at math” or “I have two left feet and would never make a good dancer”? These are examples of limiting beliefs that often falsely define you, and limit the options and possibilities in your life.

A limiting belief is a state of mind, conviction, or belief that you think to be true that limits you in some way. This limiting belief could be about you, your interactions with other people, or with the world and how it works.

Limiting beliefs can have a number of negative effects on you. They could keep you from making good choices, taking new opportunities, or reaching your potential. Ultimately, limiting beliefs can keep you stuck in a negative state of mind and hinder you from living the life you truly desire.

The good thing about limiting beliefs is that you have the power to change them at any time. This doesn’t mean that doing so will be an easy process, but commitment and a greater level of self-awareness can make it possible.

Make a list of every possible limitation you can think of that prevents you from achieving a truly abundant, happy, prosperous life. Include information about your own fears and doubts, as well as any perceived shortage of opportunities in your life. Then examine each one carefully and decide if it’s really true or not. You may be surprised at some of the things you’ve convinced yourself to believe!

It’s also important to keep challenging these false perceptions on a regular basis, because some of them may be embedded pretty solidly into your subconscious mind. Logically, you may know that there’s nothing holding you back, but then you still find yourself hesitating or procrastinating. If you keep challenging your limiting perceptions, and you take action despite them, they’ll begin to fade away and eventually disappear. You’ll have convinced yourself that they’re not true after all.

Now that you’re starting to transform your perceptions of limits, you’re in a much better position to begin taking focused action. The question is: What kind of action should you take? All of the richest and most successful people in the world have one thing in common: they found a way to contribute value to the world and are rewarded well for their efforts.

Think about that for a minute. The seeds of your wealth are tucked away in a surprising place: in your greatest interests and passions. Of course, simply following your passions isn’t enough. You also have to find a way to make your passions pay. That means finding a way to use your interests and talents to contribute value to the world. This can be done in any number of ways:

  1. Find What You Love

In order to have an abundant life, you need to figure out what it is that you love doing. Many times, we try to do something that others do, simply because they are successful. The more you will align with what you love doing, the more abundance you will attract in your life.

  1. Feel What You Want

It is not only important to identify what you want but it is more important to feel what you want. The more you will align with the feeling you want in your life, the more you will attract it in your life.

  1. Appreciate What You Have

A simple step to abundance is to start recognizing how rich your life already is. Take the time to appreciate what you have in your life. Maybe it is health, people you love, your colleagues, skills, or the simple beauty of nature that surround you every day. You will find yourself realizing how abundant your life is and that what you need is right there in front of you.

  1. Accept and Let Go

The opposite of an abundant life is scarcity. In order to move yourself from that space of “not enough” you need to accept that sometimes you don’t have what you want at that moment.  You need to let go of destructive thinking patterns and instead, focus your energy on what you want to create in your life. When you realize that you don’t have something, rephrase to state what you want to have.

In order to overcome limiting beliefs, you must train yourself to turn your attention away from anything that distracts you from focusing on your well-being.  You have to stop obsessing over the challenges and problems in your life. A good rule is: Do what you can to improve the current situation, then immediately move on to more positive pursuits.

Refuse to wallow in setbacks; avoid spending hours a day worrying about what you don’t have;  don’t talk yourself out of taking action because you might possibly fail. Be proactive and precise in your actions and keep focused on where you want to be, not where you don’t want to be.

Only you have the power to change limiting beliefs – and you can change them any time. The world can become full of options, opportunities and possibilities with a greater level of self-awareness – and a commitment to overcome your own limiting beliefs.

Categories
Growth Leadership Personal Development

Embracing diversity and inclusion practices as a sustainable competitive advantage for your company

As companies of all sizes grapple with the urgent and complex issues brought on by the pandemic, such as employee and customer safety, revenue slowdowns, business delays, and employee downsizing, their commitment to workforce equity, including ongoing diversity and inclusion programs, often tumble to an ancillary consideration of very little importance.  But, during these challenging times, there may be a growing divide among various employee groups as businesses pivot amidst changing circumstances.  In the new virtual environment, now is the time for champions of diversity and inclusion initiatives to be more deliberate about connecting with, advocating for, and developing diverse talent. Leaders must balance the speed of decision-making, which is critical in these times, with the need to include the voices that represent the full spectrum of talent within the workplace. Diversity matters because it brings a broad collection of experiences, perspectives, backgrounds, and viewpoints to the discussion, and that leads to better decision-making.

It’s increasingly clear that a commitment to equity is not just the right thing to do, it is smart leadership and good business. Research has proven over and over again that leaders at organizations with advanced diversity and inclusion strategies are more likely to feel highly loyal to their company, engaged in innovative work, and dedicated to top performance.  Today, a strong commitment to diversity signals an exceptional work environment – where each employee contribution is valued and all employees are provided every chance to succeed.  That kind of organization promotes achievement, encouraging people throughout the organization to reach for their best because they are valued based on their performance.  Not only does that kind of environment drive productivity, but it also cultivates employee satisfaction – and when satisfaction rises, so does financial performance.

Diversity definitions have now expanded to include less visible characteristics like parental status or religion.  But, today, leaders are not only focused on embracing the strengths of a diverse workforce, but they are incorporating inclusion strategies as well, clearly demonstrating their drive and commitment to engage the unique qualities and abilities that every single employee can bring to a job.

Inclusivity is all about maintaining core diversity values of equal opportunity, but shifts focus to look less at groups of people than at individual persons, less at racial and ethnic backgrounds than at unique skill sets.  Inclusivity shows people that while diversity may appear to be about groups, it is actually about every person in the organization being treated as an individual.  It’s about individuals being able to break out.  The inclusivity formula can empower everybody in the organization to have the opportunities they deserve. The pace of complex change in business demands that corporate America leverage all relevant talent in each and every member of its workforce –  no matter what his or her background.

Importantly, inclusivity breeds employee support, builds morale, and nurtures employee loyalty – even down through line operations where the message can still too often can get lost.  By focusing on individual abilities, and rewarding exceptional performance, the company can engender the sense of fairness and just rewards that diversity and inclusion were always meant to instill.

Further, if organizations are not actively renewing their commitment to eliminating overt, or subtle, discrimination, they can expect to see inequities grow more insidious as companies face challenges in the coming year.  Both women and minorities of all genders suffer from unequal pay practices, lack of advancement opportunities, and implicit and explicit bias at work – and at times of acute stress and pressure in a corporate environment, these inequities can be amplified.  This is a time where an organization’s investments in diversity and inclusion initiatives can yield significant rewards, and eliminate inequities, as we all adapt to a new working environment, due to the global pandemic.

So, how do you unleash talent, and ensure that your organization has representation from multiple points of view, and can leverage diversity and inclusion practices as a sustainable competitive advantage for your company?  Here are a few key considerations for your business

  1. Understand who you want to be as an organization, and how you want to be known as an influencer in your industry.
  2. Once you’re clear on the reputation you want to have as a company, clearly communicate how you expect your leaders to behave to create and sustain a healthy and dynamic culture collectively.
  3. Create clarity around what success looks like for your organization and communicate expectations, creating frameworks of accountability to ensure that all leaders live up to those ideals.
  4. Commit to a journey that embraces diversity and inclusion, both inside and outside the organization, clearly signaling your commitment to diversity and inclusion, and reflecting the values of the organization to your customers, stakeholders, and prospective employees.
  5. Acknowledge where you’ve fallen short and make the bold choice to ask for the resources to help with the learning journey, making investments in diversity and inclusion, and involving your employees in the future that you are aspiring to create.
  6. Understand what your success signals are for your company, ensure that you are making meaningful strides toward an equitable workplace, integrating the feedback from your employees about your progress toward creating an equitable workplace.
  7. The judges of whether or not your company operates as an inclusive organization are your employees, so ask them regularly to report on their perspective. Conduct focus groups, issue engagement surveys, and create other feedback mechanisms.
  8. Demonstrate and live your values of embracing diversity, inclusion, and cultural competency by integrating that messaging both inside and outside your organization, being transparent about your commitment, your progress and the work yet to be done.

As the pandemic shifts economic realities for many companies and forces businesses to pivot dramatically, the needs of their workforce will also continue to change. Smart leaders will use this time to understand these needs and re-configure diversity and inclusion programs to meet the changing work environment. Savvy leaders will position diversity and inclusion programs as strategic assets in both good times and bad, crucial to the ongoing financial performance of their organization.

Your diversity model can set you apart – and offers a significant recruitment edge for your company.  Your organization can cultivate a reputation as offering a fair and equal playing field when it comes to career opportunity.  That message provides a sustainable competitive advantage for your company – and it breeds industry excellence.  It motivates every kind of talent in your business, supports external relationships with vendors and customers, and it enhances your competitive position in the industry.  Now more than ever, it defines the kind of corporate America that has always been the engine of U.S. innovation, effectiveness and success.

Categories
Growth Management Personal Development Women In Business

The New Path to the Top: 4 Reasons CMOs Can Be Great CEOs

The road to the top position in a company, the Chief Executive Officer, is shifting from a decade ago.  The types of skills that today’s CEOs need to cultivate in order to excel include: strong communication skills, the ability to collaborate closely in a team, the ability to operate with genuine empathy, and the ability to build high-performing teams.  The skills that will be of foremost importance for today’s CEO are to listen carefully and communicate openly in order to elicit public trust as the face of the company.

We know that as times change, and the marketplace evolves, navigating a successful course requires new leadership skills.  So, when it comes to managing your own career, how do you prepare yourself to move into the top position?  What abilities should executives focus on developing as they choose companies, functions, and jobs?  And, what path should executives follow as they strive to reach the next level?

Those aren’t easy questions. The trends vary by function, geography, and industry – and of course, by company.  But, once a leader reaches the C-suite, technical and functional expertise matters less than softer leadership skills and a strong grasp of business fundamentals.  In other words, the skills that help you climb to the top, won’t suffice once you get there.

To thrive as a CEO, a leader needs to be an astute student of business, but also an exceptional leader, adept at the “softer” leadership skills. Requirements for today’s CEO have shifted with the value being placed on being a team player, a collaborator, a good communicator, and a strategic thinker.  The CEO of today needs to be capable of multitasking continuously, leading in a team-oriented style, successfully coping with stress and pressure, and carefully managing the performance of their team, protecting them from burnout.

Marketing has not typically been a route to the top position in an organization. However, marketing is often the area that is responsible for crafting the company’s brand, communicating their values, creating a sense of identity, and connecting with customers in a tangible, but personalized and authentic way.  And, with the ability to track, measure, and report performance in every aspect of sales and marketing now, marketers are now able to show tangible evidence of their ability to accelerate profitability and growth. And, in the new digital-first works, marketers are expected to be tech-savvy and have a deep understanding of, and connection to, the company’s customer base. That’s a powerful combination in today’s complex business environment.

Today, with the increasing importance of digital and social connection to the customer, CEOs that rose to the top through marketing have not just become a possibility, but an imperative in many companies.  Here are four reasons that a CEO that rose to the top through a marketing career is now a significant competitive advantage:

  • Experience in a position of listening, learning, and engaging – Marketers have developed unique expertise to ensure that all customer touchpoints help the company learn about customer expectations, needs, and preferences to create and communicate a vision and roadmap for meeting their needs – whether it’s products, services or values they can relate to. And, marketers have developed sophisticated practices of ensuring that those customers who have purchased good and services become their advocate and champion, engendering their loyalty.

 

  • Experience with produce innovation that supports sales – Marketers have the ability to provide a pathway for cycles of product innovation that are more and more aligned with customer needs. CMOs are in a perfect position to facilitate this since they sit between sales and product development teams. They also enable sales to execute effectively with key messaging, support materials, lead generation programs, and appointment setting programs that relate to the problems customers are trying to solve.

 

  • Experience with sales enablement and driving revenue through new sales channels – Marketing has now broadened in scope as new consumer channels and touchpoints have emerged, and e-commerce initiatives are now typically falling to marketing. Marketing is now expected to drive revenue through direct and digital channels – often becoming the primary sales channel.  The lines between traditional marketing and sales functions are continuing to blur with social technologies, digital interactivity, and mobility becoming integral to consumer and business connections.  Because marketing and sales must respond seamlessly to new opportunities, marketing leaders now often serve as the CEO’s single point of contact for revenue generation.
  • Experience owning and managing the customer relationship – From start to finish, the customer lifecycle, which is comprised of hundreds of touchpoints across a number of platforms over time, yield a wealth of valuable data. These data-driven insights can, and should, influence overall business strategy, powering strategic business decisions. Marketing leaders also have experience establishing alliances to extend customer lifecycle across all touchpoints, using the data to leverage the resulting insights.

Overall, the ability to promote transparency and manage customer communities and public conversations are increasingly critical, all while leaders manage a workforce that has grown up in the digital age and expects immediate access to information. Technology, and in particular digital channels, will continue to dominate marketing and sales strategy in the future, catering to a customer base that has an ever-increasing desire for speed and easy interaction.  The demand for segmentation capabilities will grow as companies address a more diverse population of customers who expect ever-higher levels of service and increasingly tailored and personalized products and solutions.

For all these reasons and a dozen more, marketers are now able to show tangible evidence of their ability to accelerate profitability and growth and compete for the top position in the company. What path should executives follow as they strive to reach the next level?  Marketing seems like a really good choice.