By Chris Klonoski

Distress can be a gift.

Burnout, depression, frustration, boredom… Also, the stagnation of sales, analytics, team performance…all of these are signs that it is time to take a pause, regroup, and assess. 

The ebb and flow of your emotions, your client interactions, and your personal productivity are all reflections of your business health. Are you strong, competent, and thriving, or are there some symptoms that need to be rooted out? Their core issues identified and addressed? 

When the going gets tough, the tough…

Text a friend. Take a nap. Go home. Call a professional.

All of these are valid actions, but when it comes to your business and brand, we suggest you return to your foundation.  

Welcoming the storms.

We are our patterns, habits, and stories. 

These forces guide our thoughts and actions, and we need the occasional upset and disruption to disturb the norm and the rote. We need “something” every once in a while to make us question that which has become dulled and staid. 

Sometimes, we need an event to rail against, some affront or sadness that breaks up our normal responses. This keeps us fresh and relevant, keeping our business attuned to what is happening outside our meeting rooms and computers. 

Don’t run from pain. It is an essential part of life and of business. 

I try to consciously lean into the anxiety, the fear, and the anger. I know that feeling your feelings is not just something we tell kids, it is essential to being on this planet and being a mature, thinking person. 

Your pain doesn’t freak me out either. After all, it is what is broken inside of us that makes us relatable, lovable, and funny. I’m here for your mood, your trauma, and your upset. 

Applying that same approach to your business opens previously unseen opportunities. 

When we approach challenges with open eyes and an open heart, not shying away from the mess ( the mistakes, the missteps, the lost chances ) we create room for insights and revelations, resulting in new energy and enthusiasm.  

This has the added benefit of signaling to your team that you won’t freak out. You are reliable, calm, and receptive, which allows them to feel comfortable sharing their experiences and insights. They may have identified opportunities. They may also see the pitfall before you do, particularly if they are in the field.   

Tune In 

When days are difficult, tune in. Taking a pause always, always, always helps. 

Always. 

When emotions run high, it is easy to miss important clues, even when they are evident to others. 

A couple of years ago, we had a client who expressed a lot of anger and irritation about recent events inside her department that had changed the composition of her team. She felt a sense of betrayal at the loss of her colleagues, but her feelings blinded her to what she needed to pay attention to.

She missed the sign. 

Instead of focusing on possible culture issues (or a salary issue, or maybe a supervisor issue), she clung to the one thing she could not control – a perceived lack of loyalty – missing both the crux of the matter and the actual solution. Her original irritation was the sign. But instead of tuning in and discovering what was real, she stayed in an emotionally reactive state. Her initial assumptions were never tempered by real information, and she misinterpreted what was actually happening. Worsening the situation, her remaining team did not feel comfortable sharing their assessment of the issue. 

Emotions are critical, and sharing them in the right time with the right people is critical to a healthy mental state, but if they are unceasing and consistently in the red, it is time to vent elsewhere – and to someone who is not afraid to call you out. 

Allowing your brand to breathe

Your brand is a living thing. 

Yes, it is foundational. It should be consistent. It needs to be expressed. 

But it is also a reflection of you, your team, and your future. Hopefully, over time, you’ve learned a few things. You’ve evolved as you matured. Your brand should reflect your growth. It may be time for an actual refresh. Or it may require a simple realignment to your brand foundation or a slight tweak that brings a fresh perspective and expression. 

Time to experiment

When you find yourself in a business funk, and none of the normal actions help, it is time to play. 

What small actions can be taken to break up the mundane and infuse a little lightness, laughter or zest into the week? It can be as small as a team lunch somewhere new and cheerful or as big as a revamp of your social media campaign to infuse humor with a behind-the-scenes focus on your team members – and everything in between or beyond. 

The point is to climb out of the box. 

We talk a lot about intentions (and they are foundational), but it is our actions and habits that make us who we are. 

What can you do today to create a business-altering change? Hire a coach, watch an inspirational series on YouTube, or walk a different route. Rip up your old, boring goal sheet and write a new one with higher, specific, more creative aims. 

These small, seemingly inconsequential actions often grab a hold of us and help to move us in new ways.  

Let’s Talk!