What’s YOUR Why?

By: Jon Dwoskin

IT ALL STARTS WITH MINDSET –

 Sometimes it is so easy to focus on the “what” of our business, or the “how,” but at the end of the day, the “why” is all that matters. Our passion in our business, the reason we do what we do, should inform every decision and should make us who we are – in the office and out of it.

Jessica Parks, an entrepreneur and owner of Ampersand As Apostrophe—a designer handbag company, knows all about this personal connection with business. After isolating herself from family and friends to get the business started, she realized things needed a change – starting with her. “It’s a learning experience. In all honesty, you’re growing a business but you’re growing as a person, as yourself too,” she said.

Do you as a business leader instill in yourself and your people the right mindset – a growth mindset? Not just growth as in numbers and clientele, but growth as a person? Those who think like CEOs in the business world have a growth-mindset. This is where the best growth happens, which translates into fiscal growth. Ms. Parks says, “I learned so much about myself. I started my company when I was 26. So I was young, but I’ve learned so much about myself through, during this company in realizing how I want to live my life and what I do value.”

For the CEO-minded person: what you value should be what your company values. Both should be a reflection of the other.

LEARNING FROM MISTAKES –

Most of this growth will occur from mistakes that you make. It’s been said, “mistakes are only mistakes when they aren’t learned from.” Sometimes these are the hardest to admit, but the greatest source of learning and growth. To think like a CEO, you must recognize and call out your mistakes in order to use them as a learning opportunity.

But this begins by being honest with our company, and ourselves, because mistakes not only show and reveal some flaw in our company, they can also reveal flaws within ourselves as well. Recognizing this is the first step toward becoming the best leader possible.

There is no better analogy for this type of thinking than sports. Sure, within every game there are mistakes that need to be corrected for a particular team in order for them to be clicking on all cylinders. However, there isn’t a coach around that won’t tell you there is more to be learned through losses than there ever is through victory. Why? Because when we lose, when those mistakes are made, it reveals not only a flaw in game planning, but it will also speak volumes about the character of the team.

It’s much the same with your team. Their successes and mistakes will be a reflection on you. Your business is already a reflection on you. So what is it saying? If you want to be successful and grow your business, make sure that you, as a person, are growing along with it. The sky is the limit when you realize that it’s no longer business and personal held opposite and disconnected from each other – because, business is always personal.

In summary, Jessica teaches all CEO-minded people how to Think Like a CEO in the following ways:

• Jessica teaches us that YOU must see your growth in business and your growth personally as one in the same
• Jessica also points out that our passion in our business, the reason we do what we do, should inform every decision
• Jessica teaches us that mistakes are only mistakes when they aren’t learned from.

In order to think like a CEO we must focus our attention on our growth—both professionally and personally. This growth, in both areas must be interconnected. Get better every day and enjoy the ride.

To hear more about how to learn from your mistakes and creating a business that is an extension of who you are as a person, listen to my interview with Jessica Park here.

Think BIG!

Jon