Accomplishment Coaching

Combining spirituality and business may seem like a crazy idea. It may even seem, to some, taboo. And to others it may seem like a basic relationship. Whatever your school of thought, I’m clear that reflecting on a personal spiritual journey AND my journey as an entrepreneur is critical to success. Just like our Law & Order friends say, “These are my stories”.

A year ago, I embarked on a personal journey around my spirituality. The short version of the story is I grew up Protestant and I’m converting to Catholic. So for the next six months, I’m going through the Catholic Church’s RCIA (Right of Christian Initiation for Adults) program to learn about not only Catholicism, but religion itself. Let’s see how all this applies to entrepreneurship too.

Session Number One – The Development of Interpretation

Did you realize there were at least eight different theological interpretations of religion dating back to “way back when”? For all of you dying to know, here they are: Fetishism, Animism, Totelism, Shamanism, Pantheism, Monism, Dualism, and Polytheism (just to be sure, this is the interpretation of one group of people). People have spent a lot of time searching and distinguishing a variety of religious interpretations and practices. For example, for those who believe in Animism, their “god(s)” is that of physical objects such as planets or volcanoes. For those who believe in Monism, their “god(s)” exists inside of intellectual or mathematical theories (the number 9 is “holy” as 9×3=27 and the number 27, if you add the individual numbers, equals 9). It’s fascinating to learn about these different philosophies.

Which leads the conversation to philosophy itself. What does anyone need to know or have to be a philosopher who defines such significant theories such as religion? Below I’ve given both the ideas shared with me about “Prerequisites of Philosophers” AND my definitions of those (in parenthesis):

• Intellectual Honesty (Integrity & Responsibility)
• Common Sense (Intuition & Presence)
• Reasoning or Correct Thinking (Completion & Listening)

So, now is the point in your reading you might say, “What is Preston talking about? Where is this joker going?” Thanks for asking.

How frequently in our businesses do we operate under a variety of philosophies? Or, more specifically, how often do we operate our businesses under a variety of interpretations? My assertion is that we operate 100% of the time in one or more interpretations. “This is the best way to market my business.” “That’s the most effective model for leadership.” “I believe the proper process to start with is…” We live in a world of interpretation everyday.

So how can we know what the correct interpretation is? I don’t believe (notice – my interpretation) we can know what the “correct” one is. The “correct” interpretation would rely on something called the “truth” which itself is an interpretation (next time you hear someone proclaiming the truth, ask them “whose truth?”). Here is a classic example if interpretation – write the following statement: “How many 2′s are in our language”. How many did you come up with? To, too, two and 2. They are all correct or possible answers to the question. And they all mean something different. Interpretation at work.

So the issue becomes not whether or not interpretation exists, rather how to use it effectively. I’ll reflect back to several terms I used earlier with regard to the “prerequisites of philosophers”, since all of us are truly philosophers:

• Integrity & Responsibility – Where are you currently practicing integrity in your business? If you were do define integrity as your intentions, speaking and actions aligning, what do you notice integrity is “out” in your business? Where are you being responsible, or at cause, in your business? Where are you being victimized?
• Intuition & Presence – How often do you really pay attention to your gut? What do you trust / not trust about your intuition? What’s your level of distraction in your business and life? How easy is it for you to sit still? How much attention are you truly paying to your clients, employees and peers?
• Completion & Listening – What part of your past is still getting in your way (our past is the playground of our interpretations)? What is incomplete about current business relationship, conversation or event? At what level are you listening to your heart, your staff and your colleagues? When someone shares his/her interpretation with you, what are you hearing – judgement and criticism or possibility and future?

Practice being a philosopher in your business. Practice asking lots of questions. Practice noticing your interpretations and the interpretations of others. Notice when you’re disguising your interpretations as facts. Commit yourself to integrity, responsibility, intuition, presence, completion and listening.

And above all, have some fun with your interpretations – create empowering ones!

Happy Philosophizin’,

-Coach Preston

www.breakyoursilence.com

I just got off the phone with someone I called to create an introduction with another professional colleague of mine. The person I called (let’s call him Steve) said “No, it wouldn’t make sense for me to talk to Mark (that’s what we’ll call my colleague)”. When I asked Steve “how come” he didn’t think it made sense, he said that he didn’t want to be “sold to”.

Got it.

How often has this happened to you? You actively reach out into your network to put two people together and one of them just “poo-poo’s” the request. Depending on how often this occurs, it’s no wonder we get timid about making introductions for others. Why would I put my tender backside out to help someone when all I’ll get is “no thanks” or worse?

Aahh, the beginning and the end of creating introductions as a marketing strategy. “-)

So what is there to do (or be) about this situation?

First, have some compassion for the person you’re calling making a request that they talk to someone you know. Everyday we all get sales calls from strangers trying to sell us one thing or another (I might be one of them). We get tired of “being sold to” and put up the wall of resistence in an instant.

Second, get clear that you’re making a request. Not a fuzzy, round about, beat around the bush, “I’m going to sell you on my buddy” demand, but a straight-forward, clear request. Here’s an example, “Hi Steve, it’s Preston. I’m calling to make a request. Would you be open to having a conversation with Mark of ABC Company. He does a lot of work with companies like yours and I thought you two might hit it off. I don’t know if you need anything he’s got, but I respect both of you and wanted to make the connection.” Be clear and don’t BS the reason you’re calling. And be willing to accept a “yes” or “no” without upset. Make Choice available to them.

Third, consider that the intention of putting two people together is NOT to have them do business with one another but to offer them one more person to be in THEIR network. And, consider that when someone sees you making introductions for someone else, they’ll begin to see you as a valuable resource for their own business (especially when it comes time for them to ask for introductions).

By making introductions for others you will elevate yourself in the eyes and hearts of many.

Happy Match-Making,
-Coach Preston