Do you know who you are in a business crisis situation? Are you the sort of leader who can assess the threat that you’re facing while still being mindful of your long-term personal, professional, and financial goals (PPFs)? Or are you someone who loses sight of the big picture, begins improvising short-term solutions, and makes decisions that might endanger your future and damage your legacy?

Everyone thinks they’re the former — calm under pressure, proactive vs. reactive in their decision making, and willing to stay the course even when roadblock after roadblock challenges their ability to move forward. But if you were really honest with yourself, would you say you’re a little more the latter? 

Don’t let fear change your trajectory

Many business owners I’ve worked have confided in me that when the pressure is on, their minds fill with fear, and they question the worth of their goals. Because their emotions have gone into a tailspin, so do other aspects of their lives and businesses. 

I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t need to be this way. Starting now — starting right now — you can change this way of thinking so that when the pressure is on, you’ll be prepared in an emergency situation to keep moving toward that future, perfect picture that you’ve created for yourself. You’ll assess the threat and take action that propels you towards your personal, professional, and financial goals. 

It’s about all perspective

Your future really depends on the decisions you make today. The things you think about, the things you say, and the things that you do ultimately create your legacy. Often, people forget that they have a choice in how they choose to think, speak, and do. The more control you have over your thinking, the more power you ultimately can have over your decisions and actions. 

When your business is in a crisis situation (like the one so many have faced with the COVID-19 pandemic) you have a choice in how you react:

• You can look at the crisis  from a perspective of worst-case scenarios, bogging yourself down in “I can’t” and “What if?”-driven thinking. 
• In contrast, you can choose to step back, separate yourself from the emotions of the situation, and assess what’s happening in order to identify the opportunities that always exist.

Now, which perspective do you think is going to help you achieve your future perfect picture and PPFs?

Here’s what I tell every business owner I work with who is looking to elevate their future self in order to achieve their PPF goals and 10X their businesses:

1. Ask yourself: How are you viewing your current situation? This is where your ability to honestly assess your perspective comes into play. How you’re choosing to view what is happening right now at this very minute is entirely based on each and every decision that led you to this moment, just as every decision you are about to make will determine your future. What changes need to be made in your thinking, in your manner of speaking, and in your course of action in order for you to propel yourself, your team, and your business into the ideal future state? 
2. Reflect on the sum total of your experiences. Remember, your decisions have led you to where you are, good, bad, or indifferent. It’s time to be completely honest with yourself by carefully isolating and examining your past decisions with intentionality. This process should include an assessment of who you have chosen as your mentors and with whom you have chosen to surround yourself with. Who is your circle? How have they influenced your thinking and decision making, and how have those influences positively or negatively affected the situation you now find yourself in? Determine what decisions need to be made now in order to avoid the same mistakes in the future. Seek additional guidance from those around you who have had a positive impact on your life and business. 
3. Define and memorize your mission, vision, and values. A lot of businesses have mission statements, but how many use them as the North Star that guides their decision making? How many exemplify their mission, vision, and values through their actions so that their teams can easily do the same? 

Your mission, vision, and value statements should be treated as guiding principles in your business, and each and every person on your team should not only know them by heart, but should be able live them in the way they support the business. 

So, if you don’t have mission, vision, and value statements, I urge you to create them. They should reflect a stronger, more secure outlook for your business. You and your team must learn to articulate them, to repeat them on a consistent basis until they roll off your tongue with ease, and to represent them through your actions. These are steps you need to take in order to prepare yourself for a brighter, more successful future. Make decisions with intention,  model this behavior for your team, and prepare yourself for any situation that might come your way. 

Are you a 10X business? Are you ready to elevate your future by achieving your personal, professional, and financial goals?

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