The Entrepreneurial Leader’s Guide to Getting Unstuck

It happens to all of us.  We get overwhelmed with our “to-do” lists and even the opportunities that come our way and begin to lose focus, causing us to start moving in circles and eventually to get stuck.

If you’ve ever uttered words similar to, “I’m so busy my head is spinning…and I’m not getting anywhere” then you know what I mean.

The Power of SOBCon

Fortunately, I had the opportunity this past weekend to attend the SOBCon conference for the second year in a row; a rather intimate conference at which only 150 business owners gather each year, most of whom run small or solo entrepreneurial businesses.

Those who attend the conference know that the juiciest nuggets of value don’t necessarily come from the content presented, but indirectly from purposeful small group and individual interactions with the other attendees that arise because of the content presented.  It is in these smaller groups where we ask each other questions like, “Have you ever thought about it this way?” and “What’s your next big thing?”

Of note, these are incredibly powerful questions when asked by your peers in an environment that encourages you to think differently; to think bigger.

This year, one of the most valuable opportunities for me was listening to a presentation by Steve Farber (world-class leadership expert, coach, consultant and author) where he talked about how he got to where he is today.  He didn’t present it as, “How to get unstuck,” but for me that’s how it resonated.  And it resonated loudly!

The steps that Steve shared that enabled him to get to where he is today (and that I believe create a clear path for entrepreneurial leaders) are:

1. Have a burning desire to excel

You’re thinking, “Lisa, this is obvious.” The truth is, it’s not.

Many of us excel at many things, and we find opportunities come our way because of this.  So, we take these opportunities and we may even make great money doing them.  And yet, if we don’t have a burning desire to excel at them, then we won’t be able to pave our own, individual path of career joy with them.

Steve encouraged us to ask ourselves the question, “Why do I love this work?” If your answer to any part of what you’re doing in your career is, “I don’t love this work,” then you must find a way to let that part go and to focus on what you have a burning desire to excel at.

This focus will prove to be your first step toward getting unstuck, and to finding true career fulfillment!

2. Hone your chops

This is where we bring ourselves back to the reality that the path of fulfillment and success starts with a lot of hard work.  Steve spent a number of years working hard at becoming a stellar public speaker; it didn’t happen overnight or without countless hours of diligent practice.

He encouraged us to ask ourselves, “What more can I do to deepen my knowledge, expand my wisdom and broaden my experience?”

You’ll easily create a page worth of answers if you’re serious about answering this.  Get started doing them, and you’ll be further down the path of getting unstuck and moving forward.

3. Develop your point of view

Steve did a brilliant job of reminding us that, given the history of mankind, it’s not likely that your perspective is “new.”

However, whatever it is that you do have to say, no one has ever said it in your voice, in your way, and at this place in time.

Figure out what it is that you have to say in your unique voice that will add value, and you will be fully ready to break out of being “stuck!”

4. Build your body of work

Once you have learned to focus on the work you truly love, have deepened your knowledge, expanded your wisdom and broadened your experience, and you have developed your point of view in a unique voice that brings value, then you get the joy of building a body of work that enables you to share your voice with the world.

If you’re looking to build a career legacy, the ability to share your true voice with the world seems, to me, to be the pinnacle.

What do you think?

I hope you can see why, for me, Steve’s steps to success represent a clear path for entrepreneurial leaders to take in order to get unstuck, and on the road to career fulfillment.  Does this resonate for you as well?  What other steps do you think are important?

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Thank you for reading and for being part of this community – it means so much to me.

You can find me on Twitter at @LisaPetrilli and on LinkedIn. To hire me for Visionary Leadership programs, Magnetic Marketing Consulting or for the Social Media Concierge program, email me at Lisa@CLevelStrategies.com.

Photo is Fiat 500 Gear Stick by Nick@.