Challenges.
Do you embrace them or avoid them like the plague?
What if I told you that your approach should depend entirely on the specific instance of challenge?
Many of us either embrace challenge (this will stretch me, grow me and get me to my goals) or run from it (this is too hard!).
The trouble is this “one size fits all” approach is not actually what is best for you. What works best is to decide which one of 3 types this challenge falls into, based on your specific situation and circumstance:
1) A challenge that stretches and grows you, moves you towards your goals, and is something you should be focusing on.
This is a challenge that is one you should take on, it suits you and your talents and where you’re going as a business owner.
For example, if one of your goals is to be a great business owner then sales should definitely be part of your skillset. If a sales challenge comes up, it will most likely be useful for growing you and improving your sales skills.
On the flipside it may be it’s a challenge that is not required, and actually isn’t useful. For example I don’t need to make cold sales calls in my business because I’ve set up marketing and networks so that sales opportunities reach out to me, instead of me chasing them.
With any challenge make sure that it’s right for YOU to be taking it on, or potentially it’s a type 2 challenge, so let’s drill into that type now.
2) The second type of challenge will stretch and grow you, but is not the best use of your time.
If I were to try and change the oil on my car it will stretch and grow me, but it’s not the best use of my time! Just like my clients hire me because I’m a professional and an expert in my field, I hire other experts to take care of things for me instead of taking them on myself.
In my business I could handcraft websites for our marketing (we used to run a web development company) but instead I either outsource this or use systems and tools that enable us to have websites without digging into code and html.
Make sure you get staff, outsourcers or others to take on challenges that you shouldn’t be dealing with.
3) A challenge that does not serve you or your business.
Sometimes we get caught up in something because we feel passionate about it, or because we think it *should* be done.
Your time is precious, and shouldn’t be spent doing things that don’t drive value for your business. Equally you don’t want to be paying staff to do it either. There are some things that you need to let go of, because they’re just holding you back.
This is the third and final type of challenge you can face.
As you’re making your way through this week notice if you’re struggling and working hard, and ask yourself “What type of challenge is this?” and handle it appropriately, have a great week!
Are you dealing with challenges in your business right now?
We can help you navigate through these challenges quicker and with more ease. Sometimes it only takes a few tweaks to get through them and get you moving forward again to the next level of growth.
