Staying Stronger

By Lynn Grodzki

Private Practice Success Newsletter, January 2012

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When the going gets tough, the tough get growing. Hard times are often the impetus for personal and professional growth.

After a year of newsletters in 2011 that focused on slowing growth to boost your existing profitability, (see last year’s newsletters here) for 2012, as the economy begins to show signs of improvement, I am exploring avenues of private practice growth.

But first, some preparation.

It’s been a hard year for many small business owners. I hear, each month, about therapists, coaches, consultants, and advisors that are feeling tired. To begin to grow, when you are already tired, requires business resilience.

Business Resilience

Business resilience means that you, as the business owner, can bounce back from adversity. Resilience is that wonderful combination of hopefulness and pragmatism. As the Japanese proverb says: Fall seven times, stand up eight.

Resilience means that in the face of crisis, you respond, not just react. You fail fast and correct fast. “Eyes on the prize,” one of my clients repeats to herself during the day, to remind herself to stay focused on her goals despite the multiple stressors she faces in her business.

A resilient mindset is elegantly described in this 9-word poem by Masahide, a Japanese poet living in two centuries ago (found in Lucien Styrk’s translation of Zen poetry, 1995.)

Barn’s burnt down –
now
I can see the moon.

Or perhaps you prefer the chorus of Kanye West’s popular song, Stronger, that is on my workout playlist:

N-now th-that that don’t kill me
Can only make me stronger
I know I got to be right now
Cause I can’t get much wronger

Just as with learned optimism, a resilient mindset can be taught. I have watched hundreds of small business owners go from feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, or fearful from a myriad of business and personal challenges to developing resilience and gumption.

Patterns of Thinking

Start by noticing your patterns of thinking, when you think about your business. Are you a worrier— dwelling on worst-case scenarios, feeling down about your lack of success, rejecting possible ideas because you assume they won’t work?

Are you a planner—making mental lists of what to do next, staying focused and motivated? Are you overly optimistic—seeing many opportunities, not able to prioritize, needing direction?

Are you a procrastinator—coming up with good ideas but never feeling ready to start?

Negative beliefs and critical self-talk cause you to collapse. Constructive, optimistic yet pragmatic thinking help you to stay in the game, taking the next steps.

Successful Entrepreneurs

Successful entrepreneurs stay resilient by adopting the following six qualities into their thinking:

1.    Given a set of challenges, they see opportunities:  Successful small business owners face continual challenges and problems. To stay resilient and upbeat, you need to see the opportunities inside each challenge, the silver lining. If staff leaves, a client terminates, a contract is not awarded, a therapist with your same skills moves in down the hall from your office – do you retreat or advance? What opportunities do you see? When staff leaves, you can hire better staff or automate with upgraded systems. If a client terminates it is a reminder that you need to keep marketing, a given for every small business owner. Lost or un-renewed contracts push you to broaden and diversify. As a change agent, you probably use this skill of seeing opportunities within challenges for your clients to help them stay hopeful. Adopt this same mindset for yourself as a business owner.

2.    Given a problem, they are both optimistic and pragmatic: Successful entrepreneurs are hopeful, but realistic. Can you walk with your head in the clouds seeing what’s possible, while keeping your feet on the ground noting what’s probable? You need to balance expectations with pragmatism. Which side of the seesaw needs more weight? Do you need more practicality in your business thinking or more optimism? The best  entrepreneurial equilibrium helps you see both sides of every challenge or opportunity – the risk and the reward – at the same time.

3.    They expect a lot from themselves and others. They want a lot for themselves and others: Expecting a lot from others—those who work with you, be they staff or clients—means having clearer boundaries around your requests with clients or staff. Express your needs and wants more cleanly and directly. Expect those around you to come from the best in themselves, and hold yourself to this expectation as well. Wanting for others means that you can hold a big vision and goals for those around you. When one of my clients sets a goal, I will support the achievement of the goal by staying interested, by brainstorming, and by celebrating when it is met, but I don’t demean the client by reminding or nagging about the goal. I may hold a strong vision of success for my clients, even when they can’t see how things will ever work out. I am amazed at how just holding this vision, week after week, month after month, even in the face of set-backs and challenges, can result in my clients being brave and persistent, taking difficult steps, and accomplishing great things for themselves. “I see that it’s possible for you to fill your practice with the types of clients you want to work with and charge a fair fee, if you are willing to take your practice seriously.” or “I see that it’s possible for you to make six figures and still have a balanced life. I’d be happy to support you to see you reach that goal.”

4.    Persistence is their middle name: This skill is necessary in business: successful entrepreneurs have the ability to stay with a goal for a long time. Persistence is critical because business results take time to achieve. I can be relentless when I have a goal in mind and feel (and act) like a dog with a bone. I simply can’t let go of a project, idea, action, desire. I try to temper this with patience and compassion for myself and others, but I still hold on. I will adjust my behavior (if the goal doesn’t work) and just try again. And again. I accept my failure as feedback and tweak my approach with curiosity each time until I get it right.

5.    They enjoy making a profit: The definition of a business is an entity that makes a profit. This quality means that you enjoy business for business’ sake. As you become more mature in your approach to money and reconcile profit and service, making money can feel congruent with providing good service.

6.    They operate from a state of abundance: Abundance means that there is enough—enough clients, opportunities, time, energy, money, ideas, etc. for you to have what you need in your business. When you believe there is enough out there, you don’t mind being persistent in your actions to get your share. When you believe there is enough, you can think strategically – the question isn’t if but when and how. This belief makes business more fun. It’s the difference between standing on the beach watching others swim, or getting your feet wet and jumping the waves. You only feel the abundance when you find the courage and will to get into the swim of things.

Copyright by Lynn Grodzki, 2012, reprint with permission only.