NAVIGATING CIRCUMSTANCE AS AN ENTREPRENEUR TO BECOME A BETTER LEADER
APRIL 4, 2019
Being an entrepreneur automatically qualifies as the decision maker in your business. As the decision maker you are forced to encounter and navigate through the daily challenges associated with operating a business. But when it comes to problem solving, how conscious are you of the process?
FIND THE ROOT CAUSE.
In order to navigate your way through the conflicts and understand how to respond, you have to identify the root cause of the problem. The root cause is the core issue that sets in motion the pattern of behavior that ultimately results with your reaction to a situation.
Start by asking yourself… Do you know how to identify your root causes? Do you force yourself to ignore your personal annoyances and pet peeves to keep an open mind? Do you leave your emotions and baggage at the door and make the best decision every time?
For most entrepreneurs, the answer is no.
We all have past experiences that make us who we are and influence how we feel and how we react, making it extremely difficult to check those feels at the door while tacking an issue.
In order to best manage your personal stress and happiness, you must understand where your behavior patterns are coming from. You need to know your story.
Understanding your story
John Drury of Drury Keen Insights developed the chart below illustrating how our thoughts and experiences impact our emotions and behaviors.
All humans are born with a clean slate of our own genetic makeup that Drury refers to as our “hardware.” From the time we are born until around age 20, we adopt the fears, beliefs, and values of whomever raised us.
Between the ages of 20 and 50, we begin to test those fears, beliefs and values. As we encounter emotional wounds, we sometimes have self-sabotaging conversations with ourselves. These become our unconscious commitments, and we begin to see the world through that lens. These layers make up our “software.”
By age 50, we’ve had enough experience to confidently identify our own set of thoughts, beliefs and fears. Our brains are wired more evenly: 50% hardware and 50% software. We understand our unconscious commitments that drive our emotions and behaviors. We have identified the root causes of our behavior, recognized the pattern, and realize how to better respond in situations.
How does this model apply to entrepreneurs?
Entrepreneurs encounter a wide variety of audiences on a daily basis; dealing with employees, customers, vendors, spouses, a landlord, or maybe even a difficult business owner. Sometimes taxing situations with these audiences elicit a strong reaction of anger, resentment, or stress rooted in ancient history or past childhood issues.
If you can recognize the reason behind your emotions, you will handle difficult situations with a better perspective.
Think about it…
Exhibit A: A business owner that values punctuality becomes offended and upset when a client is habitually late to meetings. Because of past experiences, the business owner associates being on time with respect, validation and love. The client, growing up with a different set of values and beliefs, unconsciously views tardiness as a way of seeking attention. As a child, being late was the only way the client was able to get his parents’ attention, both positive and negative, so it became ingrained in who he is today. Once the business owner gains insight to the root cause of his own emotions, he will recognize that the client is not intentionally showing disrespect and will not feel so upset and offended. And if made aware of how his actions affect the business owner, the client may or may not try to be on time in the future and preserve his working relationship with the business owner.
Exhibit B: A business owner is frugal with his money because he grew up on a farm and his family never had a steady income to rely on. Now supporting a family of his own, the business owner is always saving for a crisis, and reluctant to spend money on his business. His business partner, who grew up in a family that maxed out credit cards and had a lot of debt, is frustrated that every purchase for the business is a time-consuming justification. He thinks the business owner is difficult, cheap and stubborn. Once these partners understand the root causes of their behaviors as well as each other’s, they can react to each other in more productive and constructive ways.
Moving forward in your story and your business
Your experiences and influences have shaped you into who you are today. You are the leader of your business and it’s your responsibility to manage your reactions. The sooner you can understand the model, the better you will able to process through your challenging situations and react in the best way possible.
