Get Out of the Middle in 2016

Connie Podesta and Thom Singer

December is a great time to reassess your business plans and to invest in learning and motivational activities.  It is hard to improve if we keep doing the same things that have us caught in the middle.

I spent the weekend at an advanced seminar for people in the professional speaking business.  The "Kick Butt with Class" event was hosted by Connie Podesta and Ford Saeks, both of whom have stellar reputations in our industry.  They provided a good forum for learning, idea inspiration and networking that was fast paced and full of content that will change what I will do in the new year.

It is common for people to get caught up in doing their work and fail to invest time in reviewing their basic business assumptions and activities.  Many people become complacent when they reach a certain level of success.  They are capable of achieving more and being in the top tier of their profession, but their life gets limited when they become content with the high-end of mediocre.  They know they are doing good enough, and knowing they are above the average allows them to slow down on innovation and drive.

Not everyone has a need to get to the top, and for some the middle is the right place for them.  However, this is not the right fit for so many who are stuck.  They want to take their career to a higher level, but they have no idea how to reset the course.  Doing this alone is hard, and for me the key has always been to be associated with people who are making things happen at in their own lives.

Having peers critique your current business is scary.  While I was not grilled at the seminar I attended, some of my fellow participants experienced the "though love" about their marketing messages, websites, speech titles, etc...  Seeing them find "ah ha" moments made me examine everything I am doing to grow my business.  

The idea of being on the "hot seat" has become common for me, as my threeyear participation in an ongoing advanced technique mastermind group means that several times a year I allow a select group of other speakers to help me discover my strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities.  These colleagues know everything about my business, and they will not allow me to get comfortable in mediocre.  They challenge me to take actions such as set higher goals, change my website (coming next month) and to re-tool my product offering.  Over time we have become a very supportive group of friends (we did not really know each other when we began).

Are you feeling caught in the middle?  What will you do to in 2016?

Have A Great Day

thom singer