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Sometimes you have to re-learn a lesson, so it sticks.  It’s unfortunate, but as human beings that often seems to be the case.  Even a 20-year business coach can get stuck in that loop!

Let me explain with a story.

I have a corporate client  I’ve been working with for a number of years.  They’re a good client and I thoroughly enjoy the work I get to do with them … leadership coaching and presentation skills coaching and training.

Awhile back, one of their executives asked me if I would be able to help with a project that was out of my area of expertise.  I sincerely thought I could help them and, of course, wanted to please them.  It meant bringing in another consultant I’ve worked with and trust implicitly, who had the exact expertise they needed.  My job was to facilitate the project.  Win-win-win, right?

Well, the project grew.  Got way more complicated than I anticipated.  Took me out of my comfort zone, because I wasn’t the actual deliverer of the services.  We spent quite a bit of time and effort just defining the project.

And it was shot down by legal and compliance before we actually got out of the gate!

Thankfully, there’s a happy ending.  My client paid me and my consultant for the time we expended and was grateful for how we tried to help.

But it all brought home an important lesson that I obviously had to re-learn … one I often coach business owners on.

Stay in your lane!

Whether you’re a new business owner or a seasoned one, there are services you provide  that are your zone of genius … the intersection between your talents, passions, and strengths.

You’re so much better off when you stay in your zone.  The work just flows.  It feels easier.  You’re passionate about what you do and get great satisfaction from it.

But I often see business owners … especially newer ones … chasing after every little “squirrel” that crosses their path.  Now granted, when you’re new, it takes a while to find your zone.  You may need to stretch a little bit more to find that zone of genius.

Be careful of stretching in so many different directions, you lose sight of the path that will bring you the greatest rewards … both financially and emotionally.

And like me, seasoned business owners still want to carefully evaluate the opportunities that come their way, so they don’t get off the path like I did!

Warmly,

P.S.  Here a 4-step change model that’ll help you strategically evaluate your business.  It’s a great tool to use towards the end of every calendar year.  Enjoy!

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Meet Denise: Denise Hedges is a Business Development Coach and Speaker Coach for small business owners who want to be more comfortable, confident, and successful with their sales and marketing efforts. She specializes in helping them use speaking as a way to dramatically improve their results

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