Scary Times Primer or how to get your confidence back!

I have decided to do my very best and stay away from the constant barrage of "bad news" in the media right now. As a contrarian,

I am going to look at this as a chance to really dive deep and remember that in every problem lies an incredible opportunity!

Yes we have all been impacted by the current economic and political events. Our clients are experiencing a lack of confidence

and we are all seeking clarity about our future. Yes we are hearing from many of our corporate clients that the Pause Button has been hit.

Many people are hard hit. We also know that many businesses are doing better than ever.

What do I know for sure?

In hard times people are looking for leadership. When times are scary, people seek out leadership. Now more than ever before, you have this opportunity

to increase the confidence of those around you-your clients, your team,and your family. Step up to the challenge.

We are here to help you.

"In turbulent times, there are ways of thinking that work better than others." (Dan Sullivan)

Over the next few days I am going to give excerpts to a great white paper from one of my mentors, Dan Sullivan, of the Strategic Coach.

These are 10 tips for transforming negativity and unpredictability into opportunities for growth, progress and achievement.

We hope these straegies support your creative thinking, communications and actions. 1. Forget about yourself, focus on others. Uncertainty can drive people into themselves, making them feel isolated and helpless. The best strategy here is to go in the opposite direction, expanding your connection with others — focusing on helping them transform their negatives into positives. The more you contribute in this fashion, the less you will need to worry about your own situation. You will become a source of confidence for everyone else. 2. Forget about your commodity, focus on your relationships. In uncertain times, people become frightened about the viability of their “commodities” — the things they sell and the jobs they hold. A more strategic response here is to disregard your own commodity and focus on deepening the power and possibility of all your relationships — with family, friends, team members, suppliers, clients, customers, and prospects. Every time you strengthen a relationship, the viability of your commodity will increase. A strategic response is to take advantage of every resource that is immediately available in order to achieve as many small results and make as much daily progress as possible. 3. Forget about the sale, focus on creating value. Most people don’t like being sold at the best of times. When the future is less certain, they turn off, hang up, and slam shut. But what people want at all times is value creation — that is, solutions that help them eliminate their dangers, capture their opportunities, and reinforce their strengths. When you focus on providing these three solutions, the sales will naturally follow. The next three tomorrow!