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4 Incredible Tips to Skyrocket your Business: Number 3 Will Surpise You by @Colleen_Batch

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by Dr. Colleen Batchelder

2020 is not easy. In many ways, this year is more like a horror movie with a comedic commentary intertwined at inopportune moments. But, this new normal is not going anywhere. Face it. 2020 has changed everything, including the way you work and think about your business.

Since March, you’ve been trying to balance working from home while entertaining kids that are fed up with virtual schooling. And there’s not enough ice cream in the world to make children sit through 6-hours of Zoom each day. Or, enough wine to help you sustain the chaos.

I get it. You work hard, play hard, and push yourself even harder and end up in the same place. You feel like you’re spinning on the hamster wheel without moving an inch. But, what if you could create a plan that actually worked? Would you consider pivoting your path or rewriting your planner?

Grab that cup of coffee or fill up that wine glass and take a breath. You got this. You just have to write these 4 business tips down and paste them to your forehead.

Just because you’ve always done it doesn’t mean you should continue

Repetition rarely procures a successful outcome. If anything, consistency keeps leaders stagnant and their ideas stuck in quicksand. If you want to be remembered as a dreamer, then you only have to do one thing: nothing.

Many exonerate dreamers as the pinnacle of romanticism. But, when you really look past their hems and haws, you see what they really are: scared. They’re afraid to go beyond their dreams and actually step out and do.

Don’t be a dreamer. Don’t get stuck at the starting line of the race and watch all the other runners zoom past you. If you want to be known as a runner, you have to move your feet. The same is true if you want to be seen as a business leader.

If you want to succeed in business, then you have to try. It doesn’t just happen. It takes work, long hours, and courage to update your GPS to reach your goal.

Believe in yourself more than your business plan

Yes. I know what you’re thinking. And no, Disney music is not playing in the background with inspirational mantras. But, belief is a powerful thing and it needs to be the foundation of your business before you raise the walls or the roof.

If you became a CEO to get accolades, then quit right now.

You might receive rewards and get on the Forbes 30 under 30. But, all the affirmation in the world won’t keep you going when you get that first inbox of hate mail.

Yep. You heard me. You’ll peer at the subject line and think it’s spam, but it’s your first hater who just dropped in to say hello. Celebrate this moment because you said something worth saying. Remember, you only receive hate mail when you believe more in your mission than you believe in your fan club.

Business is one of the loneliest jobs. You’ll feel like giving up daily. But, if you understand who you are, you won’t care what others say about you. When you believe in yourself, your decisions will stem from authenticity. You won’t live by a script. You’ll write your story and your business plan.

You are not an island. You are a city.

Isolation is nice for a silent retreat. But, if you want to skyrocket your business, you need to reach out to civilization and let them know you’re alive.

Repeat after me, the internet is your friend, not your foe.

I get it. It’s not easy putting yourself out there. But, if you want to reach more clients, then you have to be willing to network with more colleagues.

Now, you don’t need to become an extreme extrovert or change your entire personality. But, if you reach out to one person each day, you’ll grow your reach and expand your business.

Think of networking like a tomato plant. The plant starts out small, but as it grows, it becomes untamed. If you want to skyrocket your business, then you need to embrace the diversity of your network. Reach out to strangers. Flag down that stranger in the street. Or, if you want to start simpler, then join some Facebook groups within your niche.

Don’t be afraid. Suggest that Zoom game night and talk about your love for graphic novels and expense reports. You might just find a friend. Or at least someone who’s up for a road trip to Comic-Con.

Live in reality while aiming for the future.

All of us are discontent. As business leaders, we live to change the present to make the future better. But, possibilities don’t pay the bills.

All of us would love to have that penthouse office overlooking Central Park with an incredible team that aims to serve our every whim. But we’ll never get there unless we’re willing to put in the work that’s needed in the present.

You have to remember, you’re not working on future projects. You’re building your present life.

Sit down and create that business plan, but don’t allow the plan to overshadow your current opportunities.

So, if you’re looking to skyrocket your business, don’t be afraid of change, believe in yourself, network with others, and embrace your today while planning for your tomorrow. You have everything you need to reach your goals right now.

 

 

Tolerance is not inclusion. Here are 3 tips to help you create a workplace that is inclusive for LGBTQIA + employees by @Colleen_Batch

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by Dr. Colleen Batchelder

Imagine, if you will, a neighborhood brimming with people. The community is vibrant with vivid landscapes and joyful smiles, but each resident remains cloistered in their home. They wave to one another through the glass panes and enjoy the morning breeze from their own front yard. But they never leave their welcome mat. They refuse to venture outside of their box. Now, this picture might look familiar because the majority of us are still living within this reality of social distancing during Covid-19. But, what if this type of behavior became the norm for the next fifty years?

Many within the LGBTQIA+ community have been a victim of social distancing and segregation within the workplace for eons. However, it didn’t always come in the form of outright bias. Often, it was masked under the guise of tolerance. When the movement towards tolerance became popular, it seemed like a quick-fix solution for corporations. However, it didn’t necessarily create a culture of inclusion. If anything, it birthed organizational discrimination based on assumption.

Brynn Tannehill, a board member of the Trans United Fund, describes her own journey with tolerance and explains, “You aren’t a threat to them, but you are alien, you are other. People smile and nod, but they don’t see. Living in a tolerant but not accepting workplace means walking on eggshells, talking around your history, and being surrounded by people who keep conversations and relationships strictly professional.” For Tannehill and countless individuals, tolerance failed to provide inclusion for LGBTQIA+ individuals because it solely deferred to the lens of heteronormativity. This deferment not only stripped certain people groups of protection. It also removed their ability to protest. Jump forward a few years, and justice for all is still waiting to come to fruition.

According to a recent report from USA Today, “About half of LGBTQ people in the U.S. – 52% – live in states where they could be fired, nixed for a promotion, refused training or harassed at their jobs, all because of their gender identity and sexual orientation.” It’s 2020, and less than half of all states have any form of legal protection for 11 million people who identify as LGBTQIA+. These statistics should lead everyone to repulsion, but more than that, they should compel business leaders to action. Tolerance isn’t working. However, inclusion could create a lasting solution. So, how do business leaders go from tolerance to inclusion? Here are four tips to get you started on the right path:

Inclusion Means Leaving the Welcome Mat and Getting on the Dance Floor

Verna Myers said it best, “Diversity is being invited to the party; Inclusion is being asked to dance.” There is a strict difference between these two ideas. Dancing requires trust. It’s a conversation between two people that weaves back-and-forth. Inclusion, as a dance, requires leaders to take the lead and follow. If business leaders want to create a culture of inclusion, then they have to change the music and make it danceable. When they shift in their interaction and enter into a conversation with their LGBTQIA+ employees, they present them with the opportunity to respond and react. This means that companies need to make the first move and ask for input. This requires a willingness to listen and a readiness to change. It requires business leaders to get on the dance floor and to learn a new rhythm.

Inclusion Means Flagging Discriminatory Comments; Not Just Flying the Pride Flag Annually

Repeat this with me and post it on every mirror that you have in your home: inclusion is not branding. LGBTQIA+ discrimination cannot be changed through artsy merchandise or a rainbow logo during June. Inclusion is more than showing up for a march. It requires business leaders to operate from a place of respect, representation, and reconstruction. One of the easiest ways to develop these aspects of inclusion is to form committees that are diversified. This presents LGBTQIA+ employees with the opportunity to educate and lead the conversations of inclusion. When business leaders provide space for people to be educated, they not only create a more inclusive work environment. They also present a united front of support for their LGBTQIA+ employees.

Inclusion Means that Pronouns are Learned and Gender Identity is Respected

One of the most basic ways that companies can create an inclusive environment is to learn an employee’s pronoun. This requires business leaders to take on the stance of a student; not a teacher. When companies take the time to interact and understand gender identity, they operate from the position of inclusion; not assumption. In order to prevent gender biases, companies must implement this standard within mandated policies and hold all levels of employees accountable.

Intention is imperative for change. However, when intention only manifests as idealism, it leaves vast amounts of people at risk for discrimination. Inclusion has to go beyond idealism and mission statements. It must be greater than branding and tokenism. If business leaders desire to create a culture of inclusivity, then they have to be willing to take the risk, learn the language, and enter into collaboration with their LGBTQIA+ employees. After all, inclusion, much like a vehicle, has to be run––it has to leave the garage once in a while and venture onto the roadway.