Growing your business, art & life is a GRIND!
As small business owners and entrepreneurs, we spend so much of our time keeping up. We focus on the next task. We attempt to keep our heads above water. And this is just our business life!
Throw in improving our craft – photography, art, writing. Pile on top of this the rest of our lives – kids, house, hobbies, etc, etc, etc.
Living life is so much bigger than the daily world we are in, but we are in danger of missing it. We can’t see the forest through the trees.
Life quickly becomes a GRIND. Yes, even when you work for yourself, life can be a grind!
Photo Credit: gak via Compfight cc
Here’s how to step back.
This is the question that keeps me up at night, “How do I step back from the daily ‘grind’?”
There are different ways and steps to escape the grind, but here is a great way I heard…
Create a Personal Board of Directors
A few weeks ago, I listened to a podcast from the Harvard Business Review (HBR). They interviewed Priscilla Claman, the author of an article on the topic – Forget Mentors: Employ a Personal Board of Directors.
It’s a great idea because no one person has it all figured out. Some people are financial or business experts, but they may not be interpersonal or spiritual experts.
Here’s the point.
It doesn’t matter whether your board of directors is 1, 3, 5 or 10. What matters is you have a person or set of people you can turn to for advice. It’s vital you have someone you can ask questions. But you also want someone who can challenge you. By the nature of this relationship, you give them the right to ask you hard questions.
These hard questions will force you to look up, look around, and get your bearings. Then you will have someone give you great advice on what you see.
My personal board of directors
As I listened to the podcast, I asked myself the question, “Who is on my personal board of directors?”
I quickly came up with 8 different people who have directly influenced my life. These are people I turn to for advice about specific or general issues. To be clear, I haven’t specifically had conversations with this group about being on my board of directors. I know when I have a question about something in their area, I can ask. I also know they can ask me hard questions that will cause me to reflect on my business, art or life.
- Mike Hanline – building and maintaining a successful (family) business.
- Don Lewis – building my personal, family and spiritual life.
- Sarah Petty + Erin Verbeck – online marketing and sales.
- Todd Antisdel – personal interaction and in person sales.
- Nancy Nardi + Ken Kneringer – SEO, WordPress and social media concepts.
- David Jones – building my personal and spiritual life.
Also note, these people are ones I can meet and talk with personally. I can pick up the phone, call them and have a conversation about pretty much anything.
There is another group of people who I read and listen to. These people influence the same and other areas of my life too. I won’t list them here, because while they deeply influence my life, they don’t have personal interaction with me. I will share this list of people in the near future.
Who is on your board of directors?
My challenge to you, create a list of your own personal board of directors.
Who can you personally turn to for advice and information? Who can you give the right to challenge you with hard questions?
It’s very likely you already have this board of directors so make a list. Then the next time you need perspective – a look up – you’ll know who to turn to.
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