Blind Spots: Part 2: ASSUMPTIONS

January 25, 2007 Leadership No Comments

As I talked with a client yesterday, I was noticing that he was getting ready to make a few decisions for his business based on what he was pre-supposing to be facts (they were actually huge assumptions). I knew from my experience of working with thousands of people around the globe that he was assuming something about his business which just was not true…or at least, we did not have the facts to back up his assumptions. And…I had also seen other business cases just like his which had some great outcomes based on multiple solutions he had not yet seen.

Making business decisions based on assumptions can be very risky business. Let’s say that you have a new product or service, and you assume that it is going to rock the marketplace, and you don’t take the steps necessary to beta test and perform some solid R and D. Without this information, you don’t really know if your product or service is going to sell. Another example might be that you are facing a tough business dilemma, and you assume that there are no answers…no one to help you get through this. Rather than go searching for answers and support, you spend a month or two spinning about your problem.

When assumptions rule your decision making, you actually develop a closed world view…a world view that is very narrow and has very limited possibilities. We get locked into judgments, worst case scenarios and a constant negative stream of consciousness, and while we are spinning, our businesses are slowly but surely going down the drain.

If you are reading this blog post, and you have been living in assumption, the best advice I can give you is this…Get educated! Look out there in the world for answers, fill in the gaps, talk to people, and look for new possibilities…new ways of viewing your decisions. You might just be surprised at what you find out!

Meet Bea Fields

January 20, 2007 Leadership No Comments

Bea Fields is the President of Bea Fields Companies, Inc. and the Founder of Five Star Leader Coaching and Training, a leadership consulting firm currently serving over 800 clients world-wide.

Her latest book, co-authored with Scott Wilder, Jim Bunch and Rob Newbold, Millennial Leaders: Success Stories From Today’s Most Brilliant Generation Y Leaders is now on sale through Barnes & Noble and Amazon. The new book explores and analyzes Generation Y - the young adults currently between the ages of 18 and 30 - from a socio-economic standpoint. The book highlights 25 members of this generation who have already made a name for themselves, and provides crucial insights for business and political leaders seeking to tap into this demographic. Along with Corey Blake and Eva Silva Travers, Fields is also the author of Edge: A Leadership Story (Writers of the Round Table Press: May: 2008).

Fields’ educational background includes a bachelor’s degree from The University of Alabama, and a certificate degree in Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University in Washington, DC. She holds several important certifications which include The International Coach Federation’s Professional Certified Coach (PCC) designation and the Guerrilla Marketing coach certification. She received the Thomas Leonard Award in 2006, which is an honor bestowed on a coach who has exhibited mastery in the profession of executive coaching.

Bea Fields Companies, Inc. has had great success in using a variety of leadership and business development programs to assist clients in the areas of leadership and team development, strategic planning, business development, strategic alliance development, training and event development, creative writing, leadership branding, and public speaking.

In addition to her consulting work, Fields maintains an active role in her community. She has served on the Board of Visitors for The University of North Carolina’s Children’s Hospital, and the board of directors for The Sandhills Children’s Center in Southern Pines, North Carolina. She has also served as a director for The FirstHealth Hospice Foundation in Pinehurst, North Carolina, and The Episcopal Day School in Southern Pines, North Carolina. She is the Chairman Elect for the Board of Directors of the Moore County Chamber of Commerce.

Fields lives in Southern Pines, NC with her husband, Mike. She is the mother of three: Ann Fields, Sophomore at Duke University, Katie Fields, Sophomore at Wofford College and Jack Fields, who is a Senior at Pine Crest High School and will be attending and playing golf for the University of North Carolina starting in August 2008.

Blind Spots: Part 1: THE FAULT FINDER

January 16, 2007 Leadership No Comments

You know the scene…You are driving down the highway, you start merging into the left lane, and suddenly you hear horns blowing loudly and the sound of screeching tires. Fear floods your body, because you suddenly realize another car was in the left lane! Yes! The car was in your blind spot, and you never even saw it.

Blind spots are a very common phenomenon, and they don’t just happen with our vision as we are speeding down the freeway. Blind spots also occur in our thinking and our emotions, and we don’t even know they exist…but guess what…other people see them, and as much as I hate to admit it…other people talk about our blind spots (and usually not directly to us…they talk to other people about our blind spots!) We are usually clueless as to how these blind spots are affecting our lives…our environments, our business, our ability to make money and the people (including our customers) we come in contact each day.

Every human lives with a blind spot of some type…And today, I want to talk about one: The “Fault Finder”. I hope to raise your awareness just a pinch…because most humans have a “Fault Finder” in them…it’s just human nature.

You know the “Fault Finder”..He or she contacts you to tell you about the typos on your website, or they always say “Hey…that’s not my fault!” They find problems and mistakes at every turn, and they label you based on what you “did or didn’t do.” It’s almost as if the “Fault Finders” think they were born to find faults in other people and in situations and to blame the world for their problems! Yawwnnn! Ugh! If only they could get paid for these good deeds (or faulty deeds…if you are a “Fault Finder”, you can choose the language that best suits you).

This blind spot is a BIGGIE, because the “Fault Finder” never takes responsibility for their role in a situation…I have big news for you! If you are currently in a relationship or a business venture or a life circumstance that is going sour, guess what? It’s your fault! Yes…it’s true…in every situation you find yourself in life, you have deliberately chosen to put yourself there.

Each day, we make choices…We wake up and decide to either exercise or drink an extra cup of coffee. We decide to go right or turn left at the red light. We decide to procrastinate or move forward on our action steps…We decide to stay in a negative relationship or a negative business partnership. Yes my friend…the decisions you make today are in your control. If something is not going your way, my first question is this: “What did you do to contribute to this negative situation, and what are you going to do about it?”

The typical response is usually the same “Well…it’s not all my fault!” Well…let’s look at that…if you are choosing to stay in your current situation, you are 100% responsible for what happens. If someone “does something to you”, somewhere along the way, you made the conscious choice to be involved…right? Or…you made a conscious choice to STAY involved.

As soon as you begin to realize that you are at choice and 100% responsbile for your life, you will find a new level of freedom and abundance. You will understand that you have a choice to go right or left at the red light. You will understand that you have a choice to eat a piece of yummy chocolate fudge cake with dark chocolate fudge icing (is your mouth watering?) or a crisp, sweet apple. You will understand that you have a choice as to whether you lose or make money. It’s all in your hands.

As you read this blog entry today, begin to consider “What choices are you making that are impacting your life, and how will you become 100% responsible for what you choose to do?” And…give yourself a great gift, and leave your “Fault Finder” behind…just for today. Let me know how that works for you!