Have you got a SECRET SQUIRREL in your business?
Have you got a ‘Secret Squirrel’ in your Business?
You went into business wanting to be flexible
and have personal freedom
that allows you to pivot and be creative in ways that you just weren’t able to do when you were working for someone else.
Am I right?
As an entrepreneur you are highly motivated, you love starting new projects and you love creating new things. These are great qualities; however, if you have a ‘Secret Squirrel’ in your business this can cause you problems.
I love nothing more than watching the red squirrels that visit my big oak tree. They run here, there, everywhere. They find acorns, they bury them. They get distracted by the two magpies that come to stand guard and then they forget where they put that nut! They jump from branch to branch and run up and down the tree using up huge amounts of energy. Is that happening to you?
Have you got a ‘Secret Squirrel’ in your Business?
You went into business wanting to be flexible and have personal freedom that allows you to pivot and be creative in ways that you just weren’t able to do when you were working for someone else. Am I right?
As an entrepreneur you are highly motivated, you love starting new projects and you love creating new things. These are great qualities; however, if you have a ‘Secret Squirrel’ in your business this can cause you problems.
I love nothing more than watching the red squirrels that visit my big oak tree. They run here, there, everywhere. They find acorns, they bury them. They get distracted by the two magpies that come to stand guard and then they forget where they put that nut! They jump from branch to branch and run up and down the tree using up huge amounts of energy. Is that happening to you?
Are you chasing project after project?
Are you chasing project after project, buying course after course, reading blog after blog and finding yourself feeling overwhelmed and wiped out with little to show for all that effort?
If you know anything about Belbin profiling it may be you aren’t a ‘Completer Finisher’ and you need to work on these qualities. If you have completed a DISC analysis it may be you have a high ‘Influencer’ profile and this makes you more likely to want the excitement of a new project, rather than the rewards of a completed one.
Having this self-awareness is a step in the right direction of getting your ‘Secret Squirrel’ under control.
So what happens when ‘SS’ is in full performance mode?
First, you’ll find it hard to complete what you started. You’ll be excited at the beginning, but if the results aren’t coming quickly you’ll switch to a new project, potentially before you’ve managed to reap the rewards of your efforts.
Secondly, you may simply start executing an idea with no clear direction or planning and no idea on the follow through. This can sometimes work, but more often than not you will have limited results and simply change direction, as you believe it isn’t working, and want to move on.
Thirdly, you’ll be spending this, that and the other on technological tools or courses to fill an ‘undefined’ knowledge gap or simply in the excitement of the latest ‘thing’ because everyone else has one and it looks really exciting. Yes, the dreaded FOMO!! Or even worse, you fill the gap with the purchasing, because you feel disappointed in your lack of results and buying something makes you feel like you are doing something to change things.
Finally (but this list could go on!), you end up confusing yourself. Wondering how you got where you did and why and what the heck needs to happen now.
Sound familiar? Secret Squirrel can actually be quite a dangerous little rodent, if not controlled in your life and business.
So, how do you do that?
Control that rodent!
- Have an ideas book so that when inspiration hits you can record it.
- BLOCK business development days into your work life in order to research and explore whether this idea fits into your overall vison and compliments your current offer.
Only then, embark on the new project when it has been scheduled into your overall strategy.
- Once you’ve decided a new idea is a goer and has a place in your Vision and wider strategy, talk to your coach, mentor, staff team or potential clients about what they think about the new idea.
- Listen for perspectives, potential challenges, concerns and how they might be overcome. This can help you shape and develop what you offer and how you offer it. (Warning: Be careful who you share the idea with don’t choose the ‘Toxic Frogs’ in your life.)
- Have long and short term goals for each project and work in 90 day Cycles, which allow you the flexibility you crave with a clear focus on a project at a time.
- Complete and finish projects even when you feel you are getting bored, or fear that there isn’t the impact you want. Instead of looking for another nut to crack, stay curious, fun filled and focused on what you are doing until the end. Remember the excitement of why you started it and stay excited in the moment, as you carry out the smaller tasks that will make it come to life.
- Look for opportunities in and outside of work to have the fun and dynamism you crave.
- Only give up on the project if you have genuinely stayed on track, executed a clear and dynamic project, not had the results and truly can’t see a way forward that will make it work.
Get your Secret Squirrel under control and enjoy seeing your Vision come to life.
If Secret Squirrel is running YOUR Business come and have a Overwhelm to action Session with me and we'll have him out of your life and into action. Click here to book Award winning coaching now.
"My absolute first recomendation if you are feeling overwhelmed is Michala Leyland, Wood for the Trees Coaching. She personally dragged me back from the brink of giving up on my business and crying everyday because I felt so overwhelmed. I cannot recommend her services, help and support highly enough." Rachel, UK.
Questions? Comments?
I would love your feedback and comments about this article if it has made you stop and simply think about your current situation and how you are managing your energy.
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