“Life has no rules. That is its mystery and unknown laws. What you call knowledge is an attempt to impose something comprehensible on life.” The Red Book – Liber Secundus Nox Tertia C.G. Jung page 348 of A Reader’s Edition.
I am a rule follower by nature, so this is a conundrum. Reconciling this with experiences as an employee, business owner, fire chief and dad, the following are the truths to help you win each day:
1) Improve each day.
What are your daily, weekly, monthly habits that increase your mind, body, soul, and relationships with others?
2) Seek alternative mindsets and guidance and prove through introspection.
How can you look at the problems you’re solving from a different perspective?
Ways to challenge your mindset –
Read
Workshops
Accountability partner
Conferences
Embrace Failure: View failure as a learning opportunity rather than a setback, and challenge yourself to see failures as stepping stones toward success.
Embrace Change: Embrace change as a constant in business and challenge yourself to adapt quickly to changing market conditions or customer preferences.
Set Stretch Goals: Set ambitious but achievable goals for your business and challenge yourself and your team to push beyond your comfort zone to reach them.
Network Effectively: Expand your network by connecting with other small business owners, industry experts, and thought leaders to gain new insights and perspectives.
Practice Mindfulness: Challenge your mindset by practicing mindfulness and staying present in the moment, which can help you approach challenges with clarity and focus.
3) Find your audience.
With whom do you connect that increases your excellence capacity? Who do you lift up, and who challenges you?
Social Media Engagement: Utilize social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook to connect with fellow franchise owners, share insights, and engage with industry influencers.
Online Forums and Communities: Join online forums, discussion groups, and community platforms specific to your franchise industry to connect with like-minded individuals and share experiences.
Host Workshops or Webinars: Organize workshops or webinars on topics relevant to franchise ownership and invite other franchise owners to participate, share insights, and collaborate.
Attend Mastermind Groups: Join or create mastermind groups with other franchise owners to exchange ideas, provide mutual support, and hold each other accountable for personal and professional growth.
Strategic Partnerships: Form strategic partnerships with complementary businesses or service providers to expand your network, access new customer segments, and create mutually beneficial opportunities for growth.
4) Learn, learn more, then add to your knowledge.
Where do you find your knowledge growth?
5) Small experiments lead to enormous change.
How do you try new processes, discover new and positive habits, add to your cache of resources?
Implement Incremental Changes: Break down larger goals into smaller, manageable tasks or experiments to test new processes and ideas without overwhelming yourself.
Set Clear Objectives: Define specific objectives or outcomes for each experiment or new process to track progress and measure success effectively.
Keep a Growth Mindset: Embrace a growth mindset that values learning, experimentation, and adaptation, recognizing that failure is an essential part of the learning process.
Seek Feedback: Solicit feedback from customers, employees, and peers to gather insights, identify areas for improvement, and refine your approach continuously.
Embrace Technology: Explore and leverage technology tools, software, and automation solutions that can streamline operations, improve efficiency, and enhance the customer experience.
Invest in Training: Invest in ongoing training and development for yourself and your team to acquire new skills, stay updated on industry trends, and foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
Monitor Key Metrics: Track key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics relevant to your business to assess the impact of new processes or experiments and make data-driven decisions.
Cultivate a Supportive Environment: Foster an organizational culture that encourages creativity, risk-taking, and experimentation, where team members feel empowered to suggest and test new ideas.
Iterate and Iterate: Continuously iterate and refine your approaches based on feedback, data analysis, and evolving market conditions to optimize performance and drive sustainable growth.
Celebrate Wins and Learn from Failures: Celebrate successes and milestones achieved through experimentation, while also embracing failures as opportunities for learning and growth, extracting valuable lessons to apply in future endeavors.
6) Your values are the solid foundation to adjust your vision and mission for clarity.
Core values reveal themselves in the tough times along with how you handle success.
7) Greater self-awareness creates greater impact on those you touch. Self-awareness is an iceberg. We understand and measure what’s above the surface. What habits help you understand and reveal what is now submerged?
Reflective Practices: Set aside regular time for self-reflection, journaling, or meditation to explore your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, gaining insights into your motivations, values, and aspirations.
Solicit Feedback: Actively seek feedback from trusted mentors, colleagues, and team members to gain different perspectives on your strengths, weaknesses, and blind spots, facilitating greater self-awareness and personal growth.
Seek Professional Development: Attend seminars, workshops, or training programs focused on self-awareness, leadership development, or personal growth to acquire new knowledge, skills, and strategies for enhancing your self-awareness and effectiveness as a leader.
Seek Coaching: Consider working with a professional coach who specializes in personal development or leadership coaching to explore underlying beliefs, patterns, and behaviors, and develop strategies for enhancing self-awareness and achieving your goals.
8) Give your knowledge away.
Instruction manuals are the starting point to effectively acquire new skills. Knowledge is worthless unless it’s put into practice.
9) Everyone is a colleague.
Each person has varying experiences from their perspective. What can you learn from the simplest lessons?
Your values show through the most in the toughest times; areas for improvement are revealed. Your true audience stays through the credits (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off reference).
Bonus nugget – The ends of the spectrum are danger zones. How do you change either/or thinking? The ends of the spectrum require absolute truths, of which few exist.
There is no call to action for this article other than to offer my ear to those who want to discuss it and start uncovering your truths.
#94XMovement #Franchising #TheRedBook
Luke Frey is a seasoned professional who helps franchise owners succeed where corporate support needs to be improved. With a diverse background that includes 20 years as a successful franchise owner of ImageFIRST Cincinnati, 6 years as an industrial engineer for a Fortune 250 company, and 19 years as a firefighter and chief, Luke has honed his leadership and problem-solving skills to become a positive driving force for other franchise owners’ successes.
Luke’s extensive experience and drive to learn make him a sought-after advisor for franchise owners who want to maximize profits through proven leadership strategies. His management, marketing, operations, and sales expertise helps franchise owners improve their bottom lines and achieve their goals.
As the founder of Bella Vista Executive Advisors, Luke supports franchise owners with the tools, guidance, and support they need to succeed in a competitive market. To learn more about Luke and how Bella Vista Executive Advisors can help your franchise thrive, please visit our website at www.bellavistaexecutiveadvisors.com.
