Webster defines power as the ability to act or do. Given that, we all have it. Everyone can act. Despite that, not every business owner uses their power or uses it in the right way. Some entrepreneurs give their power away to others, and it’s not pretty. But, when tied to your power grid, business growth occurs easily and naturally.
Plugins to Electrify Your Business Growth
- Become toleration-free. When you’re tolerating (i.e., putting up with stuff), you’ve given your power to the very person, place, or thing you are tolerating. So, when you shift from a person who puts up with stuff to becoming toleration-free, you take back what was yours.
- Get your personal needs met. You’re familiar with physical needs such as food, water, and shelter, right? But, did you know that you have personal needs? Some of our everyday personal needs include the need for appreciation, recognition, and safety. And unfortunately, we are subconsciously driven to satisfy our unmet needs. This energy results in some not-so-attractive behavior and a sense of helplessness. By consciously getting our needs met, we can choose healthy behaviors that support us in achieving our business goals.
- Set strong boundaries. Boundaries are imaginary lines drawn to tell others the type of behaviors or interactions that are acceptable and unacceptable. It may be okay that someone offers constructive criticism. It’s not okay that they deliver that corrective communication in a degrading or demeaning way. You have a right to protect yourself from behavior that diminishes your spirit. You don’t need to suffer “pushoveritis” to be successful.
- Clarify your values. Values are who you are. These are the behaviors you’re naturally drawn to that bring you great joy and satisfaction. Think back to when you were six years old. What was it that you loved doing? Were you naturally inspired to create, explore, teach, or relate? Once you tap into your values, your ability to make intelligent, strategic decisions is enhanced.
- Develop a reserve for fear. The standard advice for facing fear is “feel the fear and do it anyway.” (By the way, that concept never quite worked for me.) Fear indicates a pending risk. One way to alleviate fear is to develop a reserve (i.e., more than you need) around what you fear. For instance, if your fear threatens financial stability, a monetary reserve to grow your small business may help eliminate fear.
- Practice self-kindness. Self-kindness is the ability to take better care of oneself, a requirement for a powerful person. Self-kindness includes the frequent use of the word “no,” healthy eating, regular exercise, and hanging out with those who treat you as a brilliant person capable of accomplishing great things.
- Acknowledge your strengths and gifts. Buying into the perceptions of others as truth can drain your power. For instance, assertive, ambitious, energetic, hard-driving, and determined may be perceived as an asset for one gender group and liability for another. Some praise weaknesses as strengths; some perceive strengths as weaknesses. Decide for yourself what strengths you possess.
- Operate at 51%. Unless you’ve had a frontal lobotomy (i.e., removal of the brain’s frontal lobe) that renders you inept, you are responsible for all that is happening and not happening in your life. Erica Jong said, “Take your life in your own hands, and what happens? A terrible thing; there’s no one to blame.” Take control over your response to life.
Despite all written about personal power, it is often misinterpreted and confused with manipulation. That’s control, not power. When you have true power, you don’t need control.
Personal power transferred to your business creates new ideas, opportunities, and connections.
Are you ready to plug in?
