Powerful Ladies Unite!: The Power of a Plan

Powerful Ladies Unite!: The Power of a Plan: "In my former career, I had the pleasure of working for a very talented salesman. In fact, this man was so talented the company we both..."

The Power of a Plan

In my former career, I had the pleasure of working for a very talented salesman.  In fact, this man was so talented the company we both worked for created a sales training program based upon a book this man wrote.  The book had lots of valuable gems.  My favorite was a “magic” question that sales people were instructed to ask to gain insightful knowledge of their customer’s business and their customer’s true concerns.  The magic question, elicited very interesting responses.  I found that it did provide insight into the customer’s business.  However, what I found more interesting was that is uncovered whether or not the customer had a plan.   

The question seemed basic,  “What few things must go absolutely right in the next few months for the next few months to be a success”   But the responses were amazing.

The customers with a plan loved the magic question.  Their answers contained specific-concrete-objectives, goals, and metrics.  The energy and excitement of describing what needed to go right would transform the conversation.  Suddenly instead of being on a sales call you were on dream building call.  Cool stuff! 

In contrast, for those without a plan it was the most painful question you could inflict on them.  Often the customer would spend an uncomfortable amount of time staring back at you like a deer in the headlights.  The stare of horror was generally followed by a meandering diatribe with no clear message, no logical sequence, and no actionable items.  The answer frequently felt like death by a thousand paper cuts as the customer attempted a stream of consciousness response not appropriate for anyone ears but their own as he/she attempted to work through in their own minds what success might actually look like. Just as the question filled the room with excitement for those with a plan, it just as quickly deflated the room of any energy if the customer did not have a plan.

The stark contrast between the two types of responses was as different as night and day and yet the only variable was one customer had a plan and one did not.  Having a plan in place is a critical step toward achieving success in any setting as it provides the WHAT and the WHY- what do you want to accomplish and why do you want to accomplish it.   Many people get hung up on the how and therefore skip the plan.  The how is determined day by day with your action items.  But, you won’t know the how until you know the WHAT and the WHY- i.e. the plan.  Just like my sales customers who were either energized by the opportunity to discuss their plan or deflated by the realization that they did not have one, the same is true for each and every one of us for anything we want to accomplish.  

I meet plenty of high-level professionals who are going through the motions, with no plan for business success.   This phenomenon seems to be worse with women-particularly Moms.  I see a lot of working Moms who have traded a plan for business success for day-to-day survival.  I understand the importance of day-to-day survival, particularly in the early days; survival may be all we are capable of.   But if you remain in a state of survival your career is likely to stagnate.  Without a plan, the Mommy guilt of leaving little ones at home, the economy, the horrific boss, the lay off, the illness, the … (fill in the blank with any other external circumstance you can imagine), can derail your desire and ability to move up the ladder.  If the ladder is no longer the golden ring, then you need a plan to reach the newly defined golden ring.  Either way, YOU NEED A PLAN or the weight of day to day responsibilities will crush your spirit slowly like death by a thousand paper cuts leaving you on a meandering path with no clear path, no logical sequence, and no action items (sound familiar?)

In order to achieve success, we have to have a plan.  Think about every success you have had-there was a plan.   If you play sports, you knew the rules of the game and what it took to win.  You may have had a specific conquest you were after- a state championship, etc.   In school, you knew you needed a certain grade to advance to the next level and you had a plan for how much schooling you wanted/needed to achieve your desired career.  A diet-you had to know what you were trying to lose- a certain number of pounds, a certain % of body fat, or even fit into the dress you bought 6 months prior.  The same holds true for every facet or our lives and our businesses.

My challenge to every Powerful Lady reading this blog is to spend the time to think about what you are really after, what is your golden ring.   Then, create a plan to reach it.  Don’t get caught up in the how.  The how will be a series of small action steps but you won’t know if you are stepping in the right direction until you know the plan.  We each get one life, are you living yours on purpose with a plan for success or are you in a state of constant reaction to whatever life throws your way?  I vote for having a plan!

About Jonelle- Jonelle Vold is a business coach passionate about success.  A mother of twins, former Assistant Dean at a tier-one law school, attorney, and seasoned sales professional, Jonelle understands the challenges of high-level professionals.  Her coaching philosophy is every person has the ability to achieve greatness by cracking their own personal codes and living with intention.  You can reach Jonelle at jonellevold@me.com, 520-225-9053, or www.coachhonoree.com/jonelle

The Power of Action

OK Ladies, it is Monday morning.  Spring is in the air and new growth is everywhere.  What a perfect time to dust off the old New Year’s resolutions or create a new set of goals.  If you are daydreaming about making changes in your life NOW is the perfect time to start taking concrete steps to make those day dreams a reality.  Maybe you have always wanted to own your own company, write a book, have a multi-million dollar book of business, or climb a mountain.   Whatever desire is knocking at your heart- it is time to get started.   
"How?" you say- simple, take action.  So many of us spend so much time living in our own heads.  We are like the old Tom and Jerry cartoons with the angel and devil on each shoulder. Angel-  “I want to bring in a new client” Devil-“You are too young, too old, too new, too much estrogen, to bring in a new client” Like every great debate, each thought has a point and then a counter-point.   For every desire the angel identifies, there is a limiting belief or fear that the devil identifies.  And so the mind debates go on, and on, and on leaving us paralyzed and truly stuck on the hamster wheel.   The only action we ever take toward making concrete changes is to expend our energy and brainpower moderating our own cerebral debate.  Well, now is the time to put an end to the debate cycle, and to start making progress.  
I understand that the fears and limiting beliefs feel well founded.  Maybe you had a horrific experience at another point in your career, maybe someone fed you the belief growing up, maybe you have lived by the belief for so long that it has become larger than the rest of your brain which is packed full of powerful know how and amazing knowledge.  Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter.  I am going to give you a simple but full-proof system to start moving yourself forward no matter how big the fears and justified the limiting beliefs.
The first step is simply to DECIDE you are going to do whatever it is you want to do.   You don’t have to know how you are going to do it, but you must decide that you are going to do it.  Deciding means you stop looking for the reasons your desires cannot come true and simply trust that they will.  So, are you ready?  Decide.  Write it down.  It doesn’t have to be huge, but decide what you want to accomplish and put it to paper.
The second step is to take action.  Yes-that is right, DO SOMETHING.   You don’t need to get organized, you don’t need to do an analysis of the possible actions and choose the one that is most effective, you simply need to do something- anything.  If you want to find a new client, go somewhere there might be clients, call an existing client, take a friend to lunch, put an ad in the paper, it really doesn’t matter-just do something.  Get out of your head, come from you heart, and take some sort of action.
The final step-is to pay attention.  Set the goal, decide you are going to achieve it, take action, and then PAY ATTENTION.  Is the action you are taking working?  If so, do more of it.  If not, do something different.  And then pay attention again.  Taking action will shift you from the analysis paralysis toward actual progress.  Keep taking action until you find something that works.  As you take action, allow yourself to take chances and make mistakes-you never know whom you will meet and what you will learn on these little detours.    In my own life and career, I have stumbled backwards on to the right action many times.   But, you have to be in motion to be able to stumble.  
I know it sounds simplistic but trust me, you can reach those goals that you have been putting off until someday.  Here is the formula:1.     Decide2.     Take Action3.     Pay AttentionAlong the way you may decide you want some support.  If so, there are a plethora of groups, books, and online support systems.  If your goals are professional your company, bar associations, marketing director, HR professional, or colleague may have resources for you.  As you decide to achieve your goal, don’t worry, the resources will appear.  If you get in a bind, email me, I have plenty of resources I can suggest.  Plus, I would love to be a part of your progress.
Powerful Ladies, today is the day, no more excuses, no more debates, in the spirit of March Madness and its NIKE sponsor,  JUST DO IT!    I know you can and your life will never be the same once you do!
Jonelle Vold is a business coach passionate about the success of women.  A mother of twins, former Assistant Dean at a tier one law school, attorney, and seasoned sales professional, Jonelle understands the challenges of professional women.  Her coaching philosophy is every person has the ability to achieve greatness by cracking their own personal codes and living with intention. Jonelle would love to be a part of your success today.   You can reach Jonelle at jonellevold@me.com, 520-225-9053, or www.coachhonoree.com/jonelle

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Powerful Ladies Unite!: The Power of Language

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The Power of Language

OK Powerful Ladies, today I have a bone to pick.  As part of the research for my book, I have been interviewing professional women who are also Moms and also engaged in some sort of business development.  One of the questions I ask is, “How would you rate your business development skills.” All of the women except one, answered in some self-deprecating or dramatically under-stated manner.  Even the women who has just finished telling me amazing stories about fantastic business development wins rated themselves as not great but improving or OK but not as good as I should be.  In the interviews there seemed to be no correlation between the women’s accomplishments and the self-ratings. 

 Curious about this strange disconnect, I decided to ask a few of my male attorney friends about their business development skills.  Perhaps, all professionals are advised to be modest about their business development skills???  Nope- definitely not the case.  The average answer from the men were things like, “I rock, I kill it, I was born to do business development” The answers from the men were colorful and oozing with self-confidence.  Now, knowing these fellows I can tell you that from the outside looking in these are not necessarily the descriptions that I would originally assign to their abilities.  But, upon hearing their confidence, I was swayed.  If they are so sure of their abilities, they must be good at it.  Their language impacted my opinion and I instantly upgraded my opinion of their abilities.  (hmm-take note!)

Back to my opening sentence, Powerful Ladies, I have a bone to pick.  I am tired of Powerful Ladies giving away their power.  I know that many of us, myself included, value manners.  I also know that growing up we were taught not to boast, no one likes a braggart, and many other constraining beliefs.  That is all well and good, but good manners do not require excessive modesty.  It certainly does not require self-sabotage.  For many of the women that I interviewed, business development was a critical part of their future career opportunities.  Despite their notable success they were under-selling their abilities thus creating doubt in their own minds and in the minds of anyone else that is listening.  So, Powerful Ladies please STOP giving away your power by using limiting language that does not serve you, represent you, or embody your abilities.  Be conscious of your language choices.  Not only do we teach others how to treat us, our language teaches them how to perceive us.  Even if you are not entirely confident in your abilities, choose language that embodies the ability you wish to attain.  I am not advocating lying about your abilities but sometime we do have to fake it until we make it.  Take a note from my male attorney friends and give an answer that empowers you and leaves no room for doubt in your own mind or that of your listener.   

The next time someone asks you a question about your abilities and you are struck by the need to offer a modest answer- stop.   For the sake of Powerful Ladies everywhere, resist the urge to be modest and instead speak up, speak out, & answer in a way that represents who you truly are and who you want to become.  In short, answer like the Powerful Lady that you are!

Jonelle Vold is a business coach passionate about the success of women.  A mother of twins, former Assistant Dean at a tier one law school, attorney, and seasoned sales professional, Jonelle understands the challenges of professional women.  Her coaching philosophy is every person has the ability to achieve greatness by cracking their own personal codes and living with intention.    Jonelle would love to help you or your organization achieve success and reach new heights in your professions.  

Contact Jonelle at jonelle@jonellevold.com, 520-225-9053 or www.coachhonoree.com/jonelle