Stories From the Next World: Swimming Against the Tide
February 15, 2010
I must be doing it all wrong. Everyone else is doing it one way and I am doing it the total opposite. I must be a total failure. That’s what I told myself for many years in the area of marketing my business.
Recently I had a conversation with a colleague who is great at marketing, in fact he has a background in corporate sales. He and I have similar training in NLP and Hypnosis and some years ago he went out on his own and created his own business. He’s doing fine but he’s not really thriving. His struggle is to get repeated clients.
But if you ask me (and no one did!), that’s not the real issue. The real issue is that in all he’s doing he is missing a certain level of fulfillment. We all get into the ‘people business’ because we want to help people. Then we are given the dreaded mandate that we need to market ourselves. Eeek! Every creative caring person hates this part.
We didn’t get into business to be in business, we just happened to pick something which required it.
The irony is that even though he is the one with the marketing background and knows all the right ways to do things, I am in fact the one that is thriving. Better than that though is that I am very fulfilled in what I do. The money that keeps me afloat is wonderful but more vital than that is the happiness that I have.
I have nearly total fulfillment in my work. That is the biggest value that my business provides me. I love my clients, love what I do and am working with amazing people from all over the world. How the hell did that happen? Me who didn’t have a clue about marketing myself and never wanted to do it either.
I have been swimming against the tide.
When the experts told me to:
- Have a clear marketing and business plan - I couldn’t.
- Create an exact target market of who I am selling my services to - Uh no, couldn’t do that either. Isn’t it the whole world?
- Get out and network myself with schmaltzy print materials and business cards – Nope, hated that. I went to Starbucks instead.
- Create a one line description of what I do that would totally grab people’s attention in under 10 seconds – Call me old-fashioned but I stuck with regular old human conversation.
- Package my work in a formulaic way that I could sell to businesses – I’d rather have Chinese water torture than do this.
- yada
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Anyway you get the idea. I did it all wrong. I did absolutely everything backwards from what the experts said I should do and much to my surprise - it worked!
Who are these experts anyway? Hmm, good question! Well they are might be people who have tried to find a kind of generic formula so that everyone can win the game. Not a bad idea by any means, many people do succeed this way.
But are they happy? The big question is – can we make money and have personal fulfillment too? The answer is – we must. This is just one of the values of the future - a “we can have it all” paradigm.
In the series that I am writing called, Stories From the Next World, I will be talking about the values of the next world – those values, traits and characteristics of greatness and bravery, that if we embody them now, we will be ahead of our time.
So trait number one is this – swim, swim, swim against the tide little fishes. If the experts tell you to X, Y, Z but you feel in your gut to Q, S and LL then you must. You need to have the courage to swim against the current of the world that says that there is a right way and a wrong way to do things.
Swimming upstream is definitely hazardous. You have to be able to tolerate feeling alone, thinking you’re a failure, have people point out what you’re certainly doing wrong and feeling utterly confused.
But for me I just did it from instinct because I could never tolerate having business ‘success’ at the expense of my personal freedom or fulfillment. No go Joe! At the end of the day, I want to be happy AND peaceful.
The world of the future will not be a world of either or – either I am rich or I am happy. The value of the next world is that it has to be both!
Stay tuned for more in the series of Stories From the Next World and please tune in to my weekly Radio 42 Show where I’ll be sharing more of these stories and secrets of the Universe as well. You wouldn’t want to miss those!
Yours in swimming against the tide that was going in the wrong direction anyway,
Annie
Creative Retreat Process: A Structure For Success
January 11, 2010
Wow, believe it or not creativity has a structure that you can access and follow to take yourself to new creative heights. That is what I’m discovering on my Creative Retreat Process. *If you’re just tuning in and you want to read previous posts from the retreat they are listed under “Creative Retreat.”
Back at the beginning of the retreat (25 days ago) when I didn’t know what the heck I was doing. I asked myself the singular question – Why can’t I get my bigger projects off the ground? What gets in the way?
I felt like I needed to crack the code of what was in the way and more importantly to find out what would allow me to access my creative inspiration whenever, wherever and however I wanted to. In other words, I didn’t want to sit there waiting for the fabled muse to arrive. I wanted to be able to access her whenever I needed to. 
I started with a very simple process – a daily practice of writing, jotting down notes and a few other mysterious techniques that I invented on the spot.
I had one simple rule – that I would use everything that came up for creative fodder – bring on the inner critic, bring on the obstacles and challenges. I actually wanted to see, feel and experience what they were so that I could learn to deal with them and create a method that myself and others could follow.
So I am delighted to report that IT IS WORKING – my theory, my hypothesis and my method are all working on me and today I brought on board a creative partner and we are going to begin to share the journey together.
What surprise to find my theory working already. If you remember I’m on retreat for 42 days, so I’m half way there. Half way there and I’m already clearly experiencing the benefits and maybe soon you’ll hear from my partner in fun as well.
Most of all I want to encourage all of you to access the life-giving power of creative retreat in your life. Even if it is only 1/2 hour a day – we really need this energy to revitalize and rejuvenate us to keep going on bigger projects in our life.
Buon viaggio as they say in Italian. I am enjoying the creative journey and look forward to the moment when I will be holding the results in my hand.
Yours in the life that creative energy brings forth,
Annie
Tackling Technology: Tips From A Former Technophobe
October 28, 2009
From Annie:
This week I wrote an article for my local paper in which I shared the story of my business success using blogging and social media. Wow, I would never have predicted that I would be a person to to overcome my fears of technology and go so far. But thanks to Bea Fields and her wonderful blogging course, I am more than happy to share this story.
From Bea Fields:
Less than 10 months ago, Annie Hart dug her heels in and told her friend Jeff Simpkins …”No way will I ever want to blog…I can’t do that.”
She then caved into peer pressure from Jeff (Jeff is a super salesman!) and signed up for the Become a Blogging Maniac program.
Not only has she become a a blogging maniac, she is now actually speaking to and teaching others in her local community about blogging and the use of technology as tools to reach a wider audience. And, she is being sought out by others for her storytelling expertise and is in the early stages of writing a book…wow…what a transformation!
So, Annie is now being sought out by the media for her story on being a former technophobe who is now a techno-wonder kid! Here you go…an article in the Chestnut Hill Local in Philadelphia, PA by the title of Tackling Technology: Tips from A Former Technophobe by Annie Hart. Congrats Annie!
If Annie can do this, so can you!
From Annie: My success was so surprising and unexpected and I feel committed to helping others overcome their fears of technology as well. I plan to write several more articles for my local paper and even launch an initiative to help my community work together for our collective business success. I hope my story inspires you to know what’s possible in your business. Feel free to contact me.
Lead the Way With Story: Creating Trust & Credibility
October 25, 2009
Storytelling, definition by Annie Hart
An effective and congruent communication that embodies your commitment, your beliefs, your values and your vision.
This is part of a series on the use of storytelling in leadership. Leaders need to inspire and motivate others. They need to help people get along, collaborate and go where they haven’t been before. Nothing does this more effectively than the power of story.
Although the word story means many things to me, for the purposes of leadership, I’m going to give it the above definition, so that it will show you exactly how you create connection through story. To illustrate this effectively, I need to tell you a story.
Several years ago I was giving a presentation to a small family business that was not my typical client. One of the owners was a private client of mine who really benefited from my work and she wanted me to do some consulting for them. But I was pretty sure that the rest of the company wouldn’t see me as a natural fit and might not want to hire me.
So what did I do? The first step to building a connection is to get inside someone else’s story to find out how they think, believe and act. To do this I asked myself the question, What goes on inside of their world? This is how you discover the daily problems, frustrations and mindsets of whomever you want to communicate with.
The key to this is to do it from the mindset of sharing and the intention to build connection. When you begin by relating to our common human problems, then we start on the same page.
In business the number one priority is often the famous ‘bottom line’. But the key to a sustainable business is actually not the bottom line at all. People are the most important commodity of any successful venture.
As a leader, relationships should be of prime importance. If not then everything else will go downhill. The bottom line of is not and can never be number one,. Taking care of people comes first.
So by the time I went to give my presentation, I had already put myself in the mindset of the people that I was speaking to. I walked into a group of people that looked harried, distracted and uninterested, but I was prepared for this. So I started by telling them their own story.
I introduced myself briefly and then told them that I would be right back, and I walked out of the room. I returned minutes later, rushing in with a briefcase spilling papers and frantically talking on a cell phone.
I began my presentation all over again, but this time I was speaking at breakneck speed. “Hi I’m Annie Hart and I’m here to….” But imagine this with words flying at 500 miles an hour!
When I looked up they were speechless. Maybe dumbfounded is a better word. I paused and looked at them carefully. I asked, “What was that like for you?’
“That’s exactly like our daily lives!” they said. They couldn’t believe that I got them. I said, “How did it feel to experience me that way?” They unanimously said, “It was awful, very stressful and anxiety producing.” Exactly. Exactly like their daily lives.
This dramatic enactment of their everyday way of being, opened up a discussion of trust and openness, whereas just moments before they had considered me a complete stranger. So how did they accept me so quickly?
I used the power of story, THEIR STORY, to speak their language.
The key to rapport and building connection is to think about others. Ask yourself, what do they need? What are they going through? What are their daily lives like?
It’s not how can I get them to do what I want? It’s how can I understand who they are? This is one of the key skills a leader can have.
Each of you in your own way is a leader. Start today to think how you can get inside the story of others, so that people will want to follow you where ever you go.
And if you’re wondering if I got hired? The answer is yes, and continued to tell stories and build rapport for an entire year. Storytelling is a key to building trust and credibility through creating connection.
You Can Have Fun Tweeting on Twitter
October 10, 2009
You Can Have Fun Tweeting On Twitter!
Several times in the last few days a friend has contacted me and asked, “How are you using Twitter? You seem to be having so much fun.”
The answer is – I am having fun. Who knew this would be the case only 6 months ago when I began my foray into the world of social networking.
Last spring I took a marketing course for independent professionals. In the room with me were 25 cool folks who knew so much more than me in just about every area. I was intimidated. I have alot of expertise in certain areas, but marketing isn’t one of them. So I was feeling pretty overwhelmed.
I heard them all talking about the latest tools of technology I remember thinking, “That just not for me.”
But when the conversation got around to Twitter I just couldn’t hold back anymore and I burst out saying, “That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. I will never ever be using Twitter.” I would be eating those words less than six months later.
I began using it because the people that I had made friends with in the course were using it with great success. Since they were all credible people, I got curious and decided to try it for myself.
I began slowly at first, not really having any idea what I was doing. I decided to just foray on my own instead of asking anyone how to do. I wanted to brave the wilds of Twitter by myself and discover how it could work for me.
It took me awhile to figure out what the heck I was doing but strangely I developed a good following within only a few months and they were really interesting and relevant people. How cool!
I didn’t let any porn stars follow me or any of the over-the-top-super-mega- marketers that aren’t providing anything useful. I decided that I wanted to build a network of people that I would be happy to know. That was a good decision on my part. I have enjoyed connecting with quite a few people in the Twitterverse.
I posted all my blog posts and even my Radio Show on Twitter and got a lot of traffic and many nice comments. People even wanted to talk to me and I got interviewed as a Story Expert from someone I met on Twitter!I was starting to have fun now.
My favorite moment came when I met two really special Storytellers from Barcelona – Eva and Carlos. We were kindred spirits for sure. Eva is a storyteller and fellow NLP trainer and Carlos is a filmmaker.
They are working on one of the first books for storytelling in Spain and we plan to see about collaborating. The funniest part of it is that when I built my blog I decided that I wanted to be available to work in Europe and I forgot that I had even put this out there but Eva noticed it and commented on that.
So here is my personal strategy, never before revealed, for having fun and making friends on Twitter:
- seek out and follow relevant people that you’d enjoy
- if someone follows you that looks interesting, check out their website and info and then send them a nice DM (direct message) and say hello
- be friendly and think of what you can do for others, rather than trying to push yourself or anything on them.
I like to treat people in the Twitterverse like real friends and community, not like potential sales targets. I think this has contributed most to my fun, enjoyment and fulfilling connections on Twitter.
This week I got the nicest message from Carlos. It said, “a special tweet to Anniesheart (my twitter name) for her sweetness and insight.” That took the Twitter cake!
If you should want to find my friends Carlos and Eva on Twitter, they’re at @imastranger (Carlos) and @ evasnijders (Eva). Tell them I sent you.
So my secret ingredient to happiness and success in the Twitterverse is to be yourself, reach out to others and have fun. See you on Twitter, @anniesheart.
You Don’t Have To Do It Alone
October 6, 2009
FREE TELESEMINAR:
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When you are self-employed, it is very easy to get isolated and try to do everything yourself. Being part of a Mastermind group is one way to get support for succeeding in your business. There is synergy of energy, commitment, and excitement that participants bring to a Mastermind Group. The beauty of Mastermind Groups is that participants raise the bar by challenging each other to create and implement goals, brainstorm ideas, and support each other with total honesty, respect and compassion. Mastermind participants act as catalysts for growth, devil’s advocates and supportive colleagues.
The topic for this week’s teleseminar is “You Don’t Have to Do It Alone: Mastermind Groups and Other Forms of Support” with Annie Hart, Amy Franko and David Jehlen. These members of my Mastermind group will join me to talk about how we support each other to be more successful. In addition, we will talk about other ways that you can get support.
Annie Hart, Amy Franko and David Jehlen are all Certified Book Yourself Solid Coaches. Annie Hart, NLP Trainer, Ericksonian Hypnotherapist and Storyteller Extraordinaire helps individuals and businesses to create positive and lasting change through story.
Amy Franko, owner, small business coach, and principal learning designer of Amy Franko Consulting, works with solo service professional women (for whom she uses the term “entrepreneuse”) to break through to new levels of success through effective marketing and selling – in ways that complement their strengths and allow them to be who they are.
David Jehlen, owner of Dream Life Strategies, says that his purpose is to help holistic entrepreneurs, those passionate about serving people, the entire being, body, mind and spirit to enrich this world.
To register, go to http://getbookedsolidnow.com/teleseminar_registration.
This teleclass is free.
Want To Be Effective? Harness the Power of The Team
October 5, 2009
We live in the societal model of the “Lone Hero” but in our ancient memory we come from the law of the tribe, meaning that we have togetherness in our bones. But unfortunately we’ve forgotten this and very often we suffer from a kind of societal aloneness disease.
This particularly shows up in the life of solo business owners. If you work for yourself or by yourself, it’s guaranteed that you suffer from this aloneness disease.
Here are it’s symptoms:
- you often wonder what you’re doing wrong or why you aren’t as successful as you’d want to be
- you have dreams and goals that you never seem to realize
- you wonder why it’s so hard
- you find yourself going into a slump and blame yourself
Here’s what I’ve been fortunate to learn from wonderful mentors over the years – that one of the secrets to success in any venture of life, is to harness the power of the team. When you can tap the power of teamwork, then you can go much further than you ever would alone.
As I watched and studied successful people, I realized that this was one of their secrets to success. So many years ago I started garnering allies and buddies and formed wonderful partnerships that have really kept me going, especially in hard times.
One of my current collaborations is with my business coaching group. We call ourselves the “DreamBuilders” and we support each other every single Friday by showing up on a call and sharing our breakthroughs and breakdowns. We continue to support each other, offer feedback, give ideas and encouragement, so that no matter how hard it gets, we know that we’re not alone.
If you ask me this is the key factor to success in life. I have regular coaching buddies every week, plus my team, all of whom keep my spirits up, and support me when I fall down in a hole and can’t get up! Because of these allies and and partners, I’ve been able to do things which would otherwise feel impossible.
This week for the first time, my wonderful DreamBuilders Team is going to do a public Teleseminar, hosted by Ted Behr, one of our team members. We are going to be sharing some stories and the secrets of success. This model has definitely worked for us and I know it can work for you too.
No matter what endeavor you want to achieve, harnessing the power of a supportive team, can be key to your success. If you want to know more about the how to create a team or what to do once you have one, please feel free to email me.
Tune into our Teleseminar, Wednesday October 7th at 12pm, for 1 hour. To register go to: http://getbookedsolidnow.com/teleseminar_registration.
Annie’s Business Bursting Success Story, Get Blogging & Tweeting Folks
August 5, 2009
I published a story earlier this week about my top 5 tips for success in blogging. But I thought that I should back up a bit and tell you the full story. Because I, a former technophobe, would have been the least likely person to succeed in this area.
I hated marketing. I never did any of it, not one thing. Ok year’s ago I made a few brochures and I had a business card. Big deal. But I never wanted to market myself. I never wanted to run a business. I just wanted to help people. If you’re in a service field like mine, you can probably relate.
If someone had told me back at the beginning, what I would need to do to make a living at this, I would have probably given up right then. I had no idea it would be so hard. But strangely I was able to make a living at it and for that I was thankful. I made a living but I was not going beyond that and last year as I looked into my future, I had to face the scary facts. If I didn’t do something, something drastic, then my business was not going to be sustainable in the future. And I didn’t want that. I love my business.
I knew I had to do something, but I had no idea what. As you will learn about me, the first thing I always do is pray! Not in that silly way of begging some big daddy in the sky to rescue me, but of aligning myself with the bigger powers of the universe. I consider myself an equal partner. So my prayer was this, “Please help me find the way. I’m willing to do whatever it takes.” That was my committment and I knew that I had to mean it for the prayer to work.
So what did doing what it takes mean for me? It meant facing my fears of marketing and technology head on. The LAST thing that I ever wanted to do was to use the internet to market my business. Hours spent on the computer sounded like a fate worse then death. I am a people person and a nature girl. No technology for me! Or at least as little as possible.
But what ended up happening is that I took a HUGE leap of faith. I took a course in marketing for service professionals, led by the handsome and savvy Michael Port of Book Yourself Solid. Michael is really expert in this area.
During the course, I kept telling my wonderful new colleagues that I was not tech savvy like they were and don’t even talk to me about dumb things like Twitter! I did not even want to hear it. I specifically remember a conversation with my new buddy Jeff Simpkins, in which I told him I didn’t think I could do any of this stuff. And he gave me the single best recommendation that I’ve ever had. He told me to take a course by Bea Fields called “Become A Blogging Maniac.” I loved the name.
I liked Jeff and trusted him and the course was only $97 so how could I lose. Even though I still totally doubted myself and my abilities, I decided to go for it. I wasn’t even sure if I had the desire,but I was sure that I didn’t want to fail. I knew that I could fail at this very easily if I wasn’t careful. Technology was not my forte.
I took my NLP background and carefully thought through all the challenges that could stop me. And I figured out how to navigate around them and keep going. This is how I set myself up for success. I carved out a mental path in advance that would allow me to sidestep the obstacles and keep on towards my goal, no matter what. And I did it!
I am so proud to say that I not only finished course, but I produced a beautiful amazing website/blog that I truly love. And most amazing of all is I have had more business success in the past 3 months than I’ve had in all my years of working. Me, a former technophobe, now a shining success in the blogging world. Wow.
If I can do it, so can you. And by the way Twitter has been one of the single most attention generating media for my site. I’ve had notice from people all over the world. And as you’ll see from my results below, this Twitter and blogging thing is neither irrelvant, nor stupid. They and other social media tools, ARE the way of the future. We can pretend they aren’t there, but then we will be the ones left behind.
If you want to succeed in your business and stand out in the crowd like I have, then feel free to follow me. Take Bea’s course. She is an expert in this area. It wasn’t easy but it is possible. Here are my tangible results:
- I had several new clients just in the first 2 months
- I was featured as one of only 40 Story Experts in an ebook online.
- A business man from Japan used several of my stories to create business success with his team.
- I’ve been on the radio twice…..
And that was only in the first three months. So this is just the beginning. My advice to you is to get out and start blogging, get Tweeting and get yourself up to speed. This is all possible. That way, you’ll be on the wave of tomorrow, rather than the back seat of yesterday.
And if you want to know more about Bea Fields or her course: www.becomeabloggingmaniac.com. Or my collegue Jeff Simpkins who is using blogging for bankers at: http://www.bloggingforbankers.com/
Good luck! And let me know how you’re doing in the wonderful wide world of the bloggersphere.
Blogging, 5 Top Strategies For Success
August 3, 2009
Advice From A Former Technophobe 
Just so you know only a few short months ago back in March, I was a virtual technophobe. Yes I had a computer but that was about it. As I looked into the future, I saw that if I didn’t do something soon that my business, which I love, was not going to be sustainable into the future! Yikes!
I took training in marketing for small businesses but I still didn’t know where to start. They were all good ideas but it seemed overwhelming and unmanageable. But luckily in the course I met my wonderful colleague Jeff Simpkins who told me about Bea Field’s, “Become A Blogging Maniac” course. I trusted Jeff enough to give it a try and Bea’s blogging course totally opened up my life and my business in ways that I never could have imagined.
I am completely in love with my website/blog! I’ve already gotten several new clients and notice from all over the world. And I was just featured as a Story Expert on someone else’s site. It took me 10 years to get the courage to create a website, but in this course, I did it in a few months! This would have all been impossible just months ago.
So how was I able to create this success in blogging? I used my background in NLP, which is called the structure of mastery, to set myself up for success. I knew that I could potentially fail at this because technology was so hard for me. So I thought it out in advance and I am so glad that I did. It really worked. So I thought that I would pass on my secrets for success, so that you can be a happy blogger too. I’m a fan of Bea Field’s and a blogger for life!
- Organize Yourself – create time in your life and in your calendar for blogging. Put yourself fully into it to succeed. You can get bogged down very quickly. Definitely make time during the week to work on your blog. Put it into your schedule if you must. When people ask me how much time I put into my blog I say “24 hours a day, seven days a week, for the first few months!” Now I’m not suggesting that you do as I do. I was so determined to succeed that I had to just blast through all my resistance and go full guns. But the point is to be committed to success and to make time for it.
- Think Ahead – think about what your strengths and weaknesses are. If you know in advance that some things will be tough for you, then take it slow in those areas and get help where you need it. This is one of my biggest strategies for success, to always get help where I need it. You can’t possibly learn everything at once, nor can you do well at everything immediately. Learning comes in phases. Pick things you can do and start to do right away and then let your skills and knowledge build over time.
- Set Your Mind for Success – honestly this is the most important part of all. Are you seeing, feeling and intending success? Or are you saying to yourself, “Oh this is too hard, I can’t do this?” etc. etc. I had to catch a hold of my old stories about myself the ‘former technophobe’ and remind myself of all the things I’ve succeeded at. So be aware of your inner stories and change them to be what you really want which is to do well at your business via blogging.
- Create a Buddy System – this is my #1 secret for success in my business life. I have a buddy for everything. This is most important for the difficult things. I suggest start with even one buddy. I’ve set a few of my friends up in advance of the course for this. Find a buddy and talk once a week on the phone if you can. Your buddy doesn’t need technical expertise or advice. They just need to be listened to and to be encouraged to keep going on matter what. Let them talk about their ups and downs but overall support their vision. I have many buddies I work with and a small group whom I talk to every week. We literally don’t let each other fail! If you wonder where to find a buddy, find someone in the course or look for someone else you know that might want to succeed as well. If you need ideas of how to work with each other, just ask me. I have a whole system for working with buddies.
- Last but not least – Have Fun! Believe it or not, after taking Bea’s course, I was so excited about this technology, that I actually went out and taught a small course to some of my local business owners. They thought blogging was irrelevant and most of them hate being on the computer! So I knew I had to hold their hands and get them over the hump. I said to them up front. Technology can feel completely overwhelming at times, so our goal is to always have FUN! They thought I was crazy but I didn’t care. Every time I would see them look bogged down, I would make them laugh or say, “Remember our motto” and make them shout, “Have fun!” So make fun your motto. Yes it’s hard. Some days I wanted to head out to a cave and never come back to my computer. So I would go away for awhile, have a nice cup of tea and then come back and try again. I tried to laugh or at least smile into my computer. Honestly this is not just a nice idea, but a real-life strategy for success.
If you’re interested in Bea’s course, check her out at www.becomeabloggingmaniac.com
Good luck fellow bloggers and let me know if I can help you in any way with blogging your way to business success.
Top Business Skills For Our Future, Part 2
May 25, 2009
This is the second in my three-part survey of leaders from around the world who answered this question: “Everyone is concerned about how to survive in these tough times, but YOU are someone that lives bigger than just these times. When you peer into the future, what is the number one skill you see that we need for the future?”
From Doug Lipman, Edmond, OK
The number one skill I see needed for the future of our society is the ability to create new social structures based on mutually beneficial relationships. Why? Our existing social structures are largely based on profit. This can’t be sustained indefinitely, since profit demands an exponential increase (e.g.,8% per year, which amounts to doubling every 10 years), whereas actual value increases more slowly and some resources are fixed or even declining (e.g., fossil fuels). In effect, we’re working a “pyramid scheme” on the world. Such schemes always self-destruct in time.
What new structures do we need? We can’t predict what new societal structures will arise as the existing ones crumble. But relationships based on trust and respect will survive. In time, they can even evolve into new institutions.
So what does it take to create new social structures? First, we need the ability to understand and express our own point of view. Second, we need the ability to deeply listen to others, so that we understand differing points of view. Third, we need the ability to create expanded perspectives that include both parties’ points of view. Finally, we need the ability to create solutions, bridges, and adaptations that work for everyone within that perspective. For example, suppose you need support in your work as an artist. First, you need to be able to explain exactly what your true needs are (e.g., other artists to bounce ideas off, audiences to communicate with, modest physical resources of food, etc.). Further, let’s suppose you are trying to build a mutually supportive relationship with someone who sees her needs as including the inspiration that your artworks might potentially provide.
Second, you need to listen well to understand the exact needs of this person – and what she is happy to provide in return, such as money (that’s an easy one, at least at the start) or sharing your work with her friends (this takes more creativity on your part, if you expect to fully benefit from it).
Third, you need to find a perspective that includes both of your needs. For example, how does that person’s need for inspiration relate to her energy for sharing inspiring artwork? How might all that relate to your exact needs for audiences? Finally you have the option to create a mechanism for enabling your mutual benefit. For example, you might create a blog or other website that she can bring her friends to and which you contribute examples of your art.
As this simple example shows, the ability to create new social structures demands several sub-abilities, including imagination, empathy, inventiveness and creativity. No one person needs to have all the sub-abilities. But we all need to create and join communities in which individuals with the component abilities and energies can give part of what they have to offer and get part of what they need.
People have been using these abilities since the beginning of time. Now, in a time of transition, these are the abilities that can most protect us from the crumbling of exploitative structures and can also hasten the emergence of mutually beneficial ones.
“The Storytelling Coach”
www.storydynamics.com
From Nina East, Chapel Hill, NC
You have to be able to show that you care – which means you actually have to care in the first place (not just have the appearance of caring) and be able to communicate this in genuine ways. Ultimately it all comes down to relationship. People who build meaningful relationships are the ones who will thrive in the future.
Founder, Personal Growth Princess
www.PersonalGrowthPrincess.com
From Matthew Lynch, Chestnut Hill, PA
There is so much change happening so quickly that people must remain adaptable. Stubborness will mean certain disaster. Those people that find themselves in the unemployment line must learn new skills if they want to begin working again. Also, the financial services industry has seen many large buy-outs and mergers. People have to be willing to do away with their old daily routines, and adapt to the changes that will inevitably come with the marriage of two companies. The most successful people adapt and overcome.
Assistant Manager, TD Bank North
www.tdbank.com
From Sue Painter, Knoxville, TN
When I peer into the future, the number one skill I see that we need for the future is collaboration with others. The new model of doing business is a collaborative model. After many years of competitiveness and on-upmanship, we’ve found the downsides of that model for business. The businesses that will thrive most in the next decade are those that are transpararent and know how to work with their customers and even with their competitors in strongly collaborative partnership. On the personal side, collaboration is a winning behavior, too. It leads to much more openness and thus more possibilities in our lives with family, friends and community.
President and Founder, The Confident Marketer
www.confidentmarketer.com
From Amy Edleman, Chestnut Hill, PA
Glad to offer my opinion. The skills that I believe business owners need to have is the ability to change and adapt. Whether it’s new technology, new products that a younger generation is interested in or responding to current events and applying them to business.
We began to take steps to become a Green certified bakery several months ago. Customers are more aware of environmental issues and support our efforts by recycling and even bringing their own bags. Our steps to reduce waste, water and energy have positively affected our bottom line.
Owner, Night Kitchen Bakery
www.NightKitchenBakery.com, http://greeninchestnuthill.blogspot.com
Read on to Part 3 for more number one skills
Connect With Annie Hart
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