‘Give yourself permission to stop pushing towards societies expectations of your business and results. Instead, push towards your own heart and vision for the future. Only then will you see and feel amazing success.’ – Sheila Gray
Sheila is a mastermind behind building companies strategies and the short 9 months that she has been consulting with Parker Management, we have learned so much about setting goals, obtaining them and knowing your worth.
As we enter Q4, we are gearing up for a strong finish to what can only be described as a crazy, strange year. But it’s not over (!!) and we are here to make the best of it! We sat down with Sheila for a three part series for how to make the most of the end of your year, and set yourself up for success in 2021!
Sheila comes from a long line of corporate leadership. She worked her way up the ladder at large companies such as Starbucks and Target but she knew there was more for her. She is a true ‘visionary’ (source: Rocket Fuel: The One Essential Combination That Will Get You More of What You Want from Your Business) and she discovered she wouldn’t be fulfilled working for others – she wanted to lead others.
After Sheila had her first born, she left Target to have more flexibility and worked with her husband on his business. For years, after being asked for business advice on a regular basis, she had her ah ha moment – consulting. She registered her business, jumped into a Facebook group, marketed herself and within 12 hours she had 2 clients.
Thrive Consulting was born. Part one of the series starts with the basics:
Your brand is your business so the first thing to start with is figuring out your why!
‘If you haven’t established this yet or haven’t looked at it for a while- NOW is the time to do so. Your WHY should ground you. Root you to the trajectory of your company. Every major decision you make must align with your WHY. Then you establish your long term vision – the future.’
3 reasons why your why is so important –
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- When we are clear on our why and our vision for our company then when we are amidst uncertain times we can maintain focus
- It is deeply personal and will help you stay balanced and help you have passion like you’ve never had before
- This is a biological constant… what makes you tick. It does not matter what you do, what field you are in… it stays the same!
Here are a few questions to ask yourself to establish your why
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- Let go of society expectations – what’s important to you, right here, right now?
- What inspires you? Lights your fire?
- Why am I doing this?
- Work with a partner
As you start to plan and make decisions for your company you need to measure them up to your WHY and VISION. Do they align? If the answer is NO then that is not the right decision or step and you need to release the decision and start again.
Her main motto: Act like a CEO.
Successful leaders have 5 traits in common – it is so important to look at people ahead of us and see what behaviors they display to create consistent success.
These 5 behaviors are mainly:
- Leaders are strategic and prioritize their time well – CEO’s know when/where and how to show up in their business. Most importantly – where to spend their time! They understand how to plan, who to delegate to and when to outsource. And this takes a plan! You NEED to be smart about how you grow your business and who to work with to help you get there. When we look at successful women in business they are really good about planning and preparing, looking at what is on their plate and removing, delegating and narrowing down the most important pieces.
- Leaders take care of self first – In other words schedule family and self time before anything else! This could be time for growth, learning, workouts, meditation and so on. Schedule YOUR time before anything else and then add in date nights, kids stuff etc. This is fuel for the soul! It will help you be the best version of yourself and SHOW up for your clients and project.
Feeding yourself first can be a gamechanger for your business. I see it all the time with my clients.
Remember – YOU are the most important aspect of your business you need to protect is YOU! Learning, growing and protecting your time is of the utmost importance!
You are literally hired because of YOUR BRAND. This means that people want YOU… not me, not your accountant not your biz bestie.
You are the expert they are paying for! The product they are buying. You are incredibly valuable!
- Leaders are decisive – This one can be tough – especially when you don’t have enough evidence that you can make great decisions. Here is what it boils down to – gather information, make a decision and press ahead. Don’t waiver, you’ve got this!
- Leaders learn continually- challenging themselves to grow – The best thing you can do for your own growth is to figure out your gaps in business and find resources to help you learn HOW to solve those, fill them and move forward.Another important piece to bring up here is how easy it is to casually be online ALL DAY LONG. I believe it is common in your industry because you feel the need to respond to DM’s, comments etc immediately.
But this is a false sense of reality and security and it will ENSURE that you are not showing up authentically or as your best self.
What would happen if you time-blocked your time online throughout the day? What is the WORST CASE SCENARIO? I bet it isn’t that bad.
- Leaders are adaptive – we don’t always have a playbook for what comes at us. It is imperative that you move quickly with change and make decisions.
We are so appreciative of Sheila for her growth tactics and cheerleader mentality! Her information is so valuable in helping you believe and achieve within your brand and business.
Stay tuned for Part Two where we break down goal setting – your how to, your purpose and where to begin!
