Are you and your business in transition? Of, course you are!
June 2021
Are you stuck? Are you drawing a blank about your next step? What would you do today if you were brave??
"Beginnings are usually scary, endings are usually sad, but it's what's in the middle that counts. So when you find yourself at the beginning, just give hope a chance to float up. And it will."
~ Steven Rogers, Hope Floats: The Screenplay
Transitions are sometimes the hardest of all. Which is where many of us find ourselves now.
Transitioning from an ending to a new beginning Post Pandemic can be exciting, and very scary. If your business floundered, if you had trouble making ends meet, if you had to let go of staff or close your doors, these covid months have hopefully given you a time-out, an intermission to grieve, and to get ready to start anew.
As a business coach for many years and in the trenches as a multi- million dollar business owner, I've navigated many transitions myself, and helped my clients navigate their transitions as well. It's never easy, is it? I've realized that there is a wisdom that comes with transition and it is only bestowed on those who choose to navigate this with courage and tenacity and love.
Personally, I've decided to jump into serving a new demographic, and I'm only at the very beginning of exploring. Although my heart gratefully welcomes (still!) the opportunity to serve every female business owner and leader to grow her company and staff for a more profitable and sustainable business, my time and attention now is focused on the challenge of ageism.
Why?
- Maybe because I'm a boomer.
- Maybe because covid reminded me with a sledge hammer how short life is, how uncomfortable it is not knowing how many breaths we are given.
- Maybe because with covid, I have lost many dear friends.
- Maybe because I will serve whoever needs me the most until my very last breath.
Next week, I have signed up for an 8 week online retreat for the Modern Elder Academy, spearheaded by Chip Conley and his brilliant team of cohorts. I've admired Chip for years when he was the owner and service-driven leader as a rebel boutique hotelier who exemplified my vision of 'service enthusiasm' in the hospitality arena. He sold his hotels at the same time we sold Cookies from Home. He was looking at an open horizon in midlife, just like I was. Then he got 'his call' from the young founders of AIRBNB, asking him to help grow their disruptive start-up into a global hospitality giant. Chip had industry experience, but was lacking the digital fluency of his 20-something colleagues. The rest, as they say, is now history.
Chip's book Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder has become my daily supplement to real life. I can see myself serving in this way. There are too many of us boomers who are beginning to disappear or feel invisible in their purpose and contribution in this next chapter. Changing the face of ageism is not about plastic surgery or denial or sadness. To me, life is all about vitality, cherishing every moment of breathing and living fully, seeing with my eyes wide open, and helping others once again embrace the 'outrageous and courageous...and highly contagious' that every day offers us!
So, June 5-July 24, I will immerse my whole being in the MEA's curriculum focused on (of course!) Transitions. In preparation, here's what I learned so far:
- Personal Transitions: moving, empty nesting, divorce, or strained relations
- Physical Transitions: changing hormones, diet, sensuality, physical and cognitive health
- Psychological Transitions: feeling anxious or depressed, inflexible, lonely, or angry
- Pandemic/Passing Transitions: fear, death, mortality, uncertainty, loss
- Professional Transitions: retired, changed careers, lost job, starting new business
- Purpose Transitions: finding legacy, spiritual connection, purpose or new direction
Do you see yourself at a particular stage? I see several that are calling my name.
May I suggest as a start: Subscribe to Chip's daily 'micro-doses of Wisdom' at wisdomwell@modernelderacademy.com.
Every morning, I read his provocative words, and begin again. Promise to let me know what you think!
I have been for many months transitioning to this new Modern Elder adventure. My intention is to learn how to use my wisdom of many years and translate it into pearls that can be used by those who seek guidance in this world. I can feel myself still searching but also being born again into this new role of life.
In this beginning phase of my transition I'd like to:
- Serve you, and help you explore the answers you seek.
- Learn about you and the answers you seek.
- Mentor you as you live those answers out loud and with passion.
- Continue to be a student of life and share new wisdom with you.
Stay tuned, and please check in while I'm in this caterpillar phase of my own evolution.
The Ultimate Customer Experience Serves You Right!™
Everyone Deserves to Feel Like they Matter
I'd like to thank my good friend and Modern Elder, Tom Frank, from I'm Essential project and Round World Management because he's the one that first introduced me years ago to the Modern Elder concept and opportunity. Here are a handful of questions for you to consider as you return to work and your team. Tom shared these with me and now I share them with you. I hope this helps get your motor running so you can show your team the ultimate customer experience, because they are your customer too!
- What effort did it take to make it through the pandemic?
- Who were the key individuals who contributed to that effort?
- What does recovery look like? How is it different from the pre-pandemic?
- What is the effort that the recovery will take?
- Are you and your team prepared for the effort?
- How are you going to leverage what you learned from the pandemic to stand out as an employer of choice during the recovery?
- How can you create a more 'meaningful condition' for your entire team after the pandemic?
Thank you again Tom! You can reach him for more inspiration at tom@roundworldmanagement.com.
As a business growth specialist for both business owners and corporate leaders eager to increase profitable revenue with controlled and strategic growth, Susan is the real deal.
She has run the entrepreneurial gamut of starting, growing and selling an iconic, multi-million dollar, award-winning company…a company that sold cookies, yes, lots and lots of cookies! She’s been ‘in the trenches with her red boots on the ground’ for more than 30 years. Susan’s proven strategies deliver results: a financial sustainable business that remains competitive in today’s changing market.
Susan brings her first-hand knowledge and enthusiasm to her every client. You will experience Susan's passion and expertise as she helps you create and implement a service-driven culture, coaching existing and potential leaders, strategic and innovative marketing that demonstrates your company's brand and messaging. Entrepreneurs and professionals hire Susan to get their business on the fast track, off stuck, and onward to a profitable and sustainable company.
Susan celebrates five decades of marriage, two flourishing adult children and five genius grandchildren.
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