A New Approach to Solving Business Challenges

Everywhere you read these days there is talk about how the tried and true - the traditional practices of business - are failing us.Some people measure the problem in terms of economics and finance.  Others see a failure in systems and policies. Still others call our attention to misguided values and ethics.As with any complex problem there isn’t one right measure of the problem, nor one single definition.  In fact, it is better to say that all are true in varying degrees.Yet even as I acknowledge that the challenges facing businesses are a function of the economics, the finances, the product/service, the practices, the systems, and even more elements, I require a single, simple foundation from which to ground myself for the work I do with clients.Imagine… a simple, foundational structure for how to think about, how to approach and how to resolve the challenges you face with your company or your job. A system of understanding that opens new perspectives for what is causing the sagging sales, or the disgruntled employees, or the recurring patterns that will not shift regardless of changes you implement. A system that gets results when everything else you have tried falls flat.I developed and use the following system to help businesses identify a path through complexity at a time when there aren’t any road maps or easy solutions. I'm sharing this for a couple of reasons: in large part because the process creates clarity for me, but also because I believe it is a useful approach that others might use.

1. First, I imagine each and every person as a powerful creator – constantly creating from their wishes, dreams, beliefs, emotions and actions. Sometimes we are aware of what we are creating and other times we are not. For instance, we are very aware of the physical, tangible things we create like breakfast, a marketing report or a business.We are not so aware of the less tangible, less visible creations we put into the world such as the person we inspired with a compliment, the mood we changed in our employee with our distracted response, or the confusion we created when we said we agreed but mentally questioned.
2. I understand each person as a force of energy. It is from that force that we create. It is also a force that surrounds us always, like a cloud. When you create something physical into the world you are using your beliefs and your actions to create. Similarly, you can, and do, create into the world with your beliefs, thoughts and emotions. We just don’t see them in physical form.  But we do experience them in our lives. Imagine the times you have met someone ‘living under a dark cloud’ or wanted to spend time with someone because they were so upbeat and optimistic. These people have filled the energy around them with emotions and beliefs that you respond and resonate with.
3. Thoughts and emotions are energy and just like any other form of energy, it doesn’t really disappear or evaporate.  So, if you often find yourself thinking and feeling something then you are creating a pretty large cloud of that energy around you.
4. When you (or a group of people come together to) create a business, you have put out a whole lot of energy to create a whole new entity.  In legal terms, you now have a legal entity. But from an energy standpoint, you now also have an organization formed from your energy.  I imagine that you have a legal entity that also has an energy expression to it. It has been formed with your beliefs, your emotions, and your thoughts – all energy that in a way ‘imprints’ your company with those same beliefs, emotions and thoughts. Just think about how different companies have different ‘personalities’ – some are progressive, some are appreciative, some are creative, some are distrustful. Those personalities come from the force of energy that IS the company – formed by the founder’s beliefs and further formed by each employee who joins and supports the company.
5. In the same way you can work to identify core beliefs that are limiting or influencing your life, you can do the same with a business.  One of the most common frustrations I hear from the entrepreneurs I work with is that they want to be making more money for their work. And usually they have come to work with me because they are ready to make some big shifts and accept awareness of their value. When they begin to BELIEVE in their value, when they feel it, then they begin to make choices that support their intention of making more money. Similarly, when a business owner comes to work with me, there are a set of core beliefs that can be perceived through these areas:
   1. the owner
   2. the dynamics of the employees, and
   3. the performance of the business, in relation to its customers, vendors or other key constituents.

At the core of this system is the premise that beliefs exist within the energy of the business – and they can be identified through the outcomes, patterns and challenges played out within your business organization. Once identified, work can be done to shift and release the organization’s resonance with outdated beliefs and increase resonance with new beliefs.Based on this system, I’ve designed and am testing the Company Culture Tune Up as a service to help your company identify and shift the beliefs that have held it back from the success you have been working for.  It is very results oriented work that makes quick shifts for organizations. I encourage you to check it out and share.I'll be writing more about this topic - hope you'll stay tuned. 

published March 14, 2012, proxying for April 23, 2012