This is an archived blog from when I ran Conscious Public Relations Inc. from 2008-2018. Excuse the potential outdated-ness!
Realizing limitations and knowing that you need help.
The past few days I have been getting repeated signs about self-limitation. I am a person who likes to take on a lot so that I can feel in control and know where all of the pieces of the puzzle are. In starting to bring on team members two years ago, I have also learned the value of working with others and of recognizing when help is needed. When I used to run the staff and board of the Vancouver Short Film Festival, it took me a long time to let go of the reins and let others be in charge, but our organization became better for it.
At Tuesday night’s Beauty & Wellness TV Meetup, guest speaker and host of Acubalance Wellness Centre, Dr. Lorne Brown, talked about the 4 C’s that are required to overcome fear in business. I think you could apply these to life as well.
Commitment – When something new comes along and you feel afraid because you’re not sure if you should do it but you feel excited about it, you need to commit so that the idea goes from dream into action.
Courage – Taking that leap of faith. Sailing to land and burning the ships behind you was the analogy Dr. Brown used. No going back now.
Capability – You can’t do everything yourself, so here’s where the delegating comes in. Finding partners, staff, training, bringing people (yourself included) and the project up to the level it needs to operate in, in order to succeed.
Consistency – You’ve succeeded. Now what? You can’t stay in your comfort zone now, or else it will get boring. So the cycle of innovation starts again.
This past week I have met a lot of people who are like me and can do things all by themselves, but it’s not just the only way you can do it, it’s the unsustainable way of doing it. So at one point or another you do have to admit that you need help, seek it out, and hold onto it. I’ve committed to the idea that I don’t want to do it all myself, and am figuring out the courage and capability piece. I know that once I can get the system going, consistency will be easier and then we’ll all be rocking.
What lessons in self-limitation or welcoming teamwork have you learned lately?
