First, congratulations to George Madiou for the courage and persistence to continually seek new resources to add value to network marketers for 200 issues of articles.
Your efforts have added value to many in the network marketing sector and the people network marketers touch in their business. I would be remiss not to mention the value of this enterprise for those who, like myself, are regular contributors. I can say unequivocally I have grown and learned from my exposure to the Network Marketing Magazine and its faithful followers. It reminds me of the opening statement that leadership guru and University of Southern California Professor Warren Bennis made to his classes at the start of every semester. He would thank them for what he would learn from them. That is my sentiment to all readers as I start this monthly article.
This month’s theme is aptly titled The Challenge of Change Change and is a challenge for everyone in any organization.
We all crave clarity and familiarity in what we do and don’t like the unclear or unfamiliar. If you think this isn’t you, try this experiment. Ask yourself what you do first when you enter a dark room? My bet is you reach or feel for the light switch. This is true when entering a dark room of your child or your dark office to avoid stepping on a lego or knocking over that cup of coffee.
Our world became topsy turvy uncertain on March 13, 2020, as COVID-19 shut down the world. This was more than a dark room on-off switch event. It was more of an unstable dimmer switch malfunctioning frequently and unpredictably event. Face-to-face appointments, team meetings, annual meetings, and seminars were canceled, product availability to ship tightened, and connections became digital.
Zoom has had a transformational change of its own.
Zoom, when a verb used to mean go fast, became a noun for a digital way to connect, and some may now consider it an obscenity! In the last two years, we have seen the massive change that has affected our lives and the network marketing business.
This change is still occurring. In a recent webinar, Mark Miller, the author of the bestseller Smart Leadership, noted we are entering a new business age. Pope Francis writing in Let Us Dream, noted we are not in an era of change; we are in the change of an era.
There have been many varied reactions to demands to return to the office in May 2021, leading to unprecedented resignations. This reported “Great Resignation” has consistently set national records since then. It should also be noted that this has also been a time of record numbers of C.E.O.s and School Superintendents retiring. Gallup also reports the lowest levels of worker engagement in 12 years and that 52% of office workers would leave their jobs.
All network marketers are leaders as they build their business and possibly support a sales team and must consider the challenge of change. Five truths need to be taken into consideration when looking at the challenge of change in your life and your business.
1> Change is a constant in life. The frequency or gravity of changes will vary but are experienced by everyone daily. We certainly live in a time of accelerated change.
2> Change will affect our lives, and we will not be the same. There is no going back to the good old days. Pope Francis writing in Let Us Dream discussed the truth that with changes like Covid,” The basic rule of a crisis is that you don’t come out the same. If you come through it, you are better or worse. You are never the same.”
3> Change will have an impact based on your choices. The impact will depend on our responses or reactions. Mark Miller writes in Smart Leadership that the number one superpower of leaders is choice. We don’t have control over things that happen many times. We have the choice to respond. These choices may not always be our preferred choices, yet there are choices.
4> Your response to change depends on how you view yourself, your world, your chances of success, and your mindset. In Her groundbreaking, best-selling book Mindset, The New Psychology of Sucess, Carol Dweck shared extensive research to understand the power of mindset. Her research showed that a person’s beliefs about themselves, their world, and opportunities to grow, their mindset had more to do with their success than their intelligence or natural skills.
“It is continual hard work, yet a change of mindset will change how you view and do everything”
5> Change management or response depends on your choice of three mindsets. It is continual hard work, yet a change of mindset will change how you view and do everything
“Everything Worthwhile is Uphill”
John Maxwell
Dweck described people as predominantly having one of two different mindsets that influenced their thinking behaviors and success.
Dweck described one group of people who had a Fixed Mindset who believed that all their skills, knowledge, opportunity, and resources were set and unchangeable. She described this person as risk aversive, fearful of change, and holding onto or even hoarding their opportunities and success.
A second group she described as having a Growth Mindset believes in self, understood errors as learning events and saw endless possibilities to grow with effort and perseverance. This person believes hard work and achievement as a journey.
There recently has been discussed by Maxwell Leadership C.E.O. Mark Cole at the 2021 International Maxwell Conference, the third group of people with an expanded growth mindset, a possibility mindset. This group looks “up, down, and around “to see beyond the standard thinking boxes, possibilities, opportunities, and learnings.
Consider, for example; Jeff Bezos built the garage business of delivering books to continue expanding to different services and markets as the founder of Amazon. Bezos’ report about starting Amazon, a move few supported, shows a possibility mindset; “I didn’t think I’d regret trying and failing. And I suspected I would always be haunted by a decision to not try at all.” In 2021 the value of Mr. Bezos was up 200%.
On the other end, consider Kodiak. The biggest photography company in the world held the future of pictures as a patent, digital photography. Leadership chose not to explore its possibilities and to hold on to their vast photo print business. Other competitors did explore the possibilities once the Kodaks patents ran out. Kodak’s fixed mindset devastated the company and its headquarters in Rochester, New York. Their competitors demonstrated growth to a possibility mindset.
“Now is the time “tends to” your vision, mindset, and choices to grow success in your business and life.”
As mentioned earlier, this is a great time to demonstrate how mindset affects the challenge of change every spring for many of us.
It is the challenge of “tending to” the garden plot, those bushes, the spotty lawn, the dandelions right outside the kitchen window or on the patio or front door. Every spring, I hear, “Hon, we should “Tend To the yard, garden, plants, etc.” We (my wife) look at the yard and garden that has been through a brutal winter here in the midwest. She has a vision, a preferred picture, of what we (she) would like it to look like. Her complete vision mirrors Warren Bennis’s belief that the role of a leader is “to translate a vision into reality” The completion of this challenge of the change of seasons requires several tasks “To Tend To” the vision.
1> Building a robust and well-communicated vision with a strong foundation with new soil and mulch where needed.
2> Weeding and removing dead plants and bushes.
3> Rearranging and adding flowers, bushes, and plants change the vision’s look. Watering and fertilizing using nutrients for the whole project and especially paying attention to new additions
4> Re-evaluating, trimming, and redesigning arrangements give all the plants and bushes the best chances to grow and thrive.
5> Repeating the process as needed with an eye to new possibilities with disciplined vigilance.
Look at your network marketing business and your sales team, if applicable. The example above guides how to face the challenge of change and grow your business.
“Ask yourself, are you “Tending To “your business and your team?”
1>Do you have a clear, committed vision, a preferred picture for your business success? If you lead a team, does everyone know your vision and their part in the success?
2> Are you actively letting go, weeding, or removing impediments to your and your team’s success?
3> Are you rearranging time, priorities, and people to best meet your vision of success?
4> Are you nurturing yourself and growing in your self-leadership and mindset. Are you taking care of yourself to be the best you can be? Are you taking the time and effort to nurture others, like the new plants/bushes in the garden?
5> Are you revisiting the vision and reflecting on how to add or redirect efforts for success?
Leadership as a network marketer is hard work.
Every network marketer has a very challenging person they must lead first. That person is the one you see in the mirror. The real challenge of change is not that series of events called change. The real challenge of change for any network marketers is to lead themselves to grow, thrive, and sustain success. This means, like the gardener, to “tend to “your vision, mindset, and your choices. Leadership Expert John Maxwell often says that ” everything worthwhile is uphill. “Tending To” your network marketing vision, mindset, and choices will “grow” a vision of success.
Dr. Hackett is a redirected high school teacher, counselor and administrator, university administrator, and professor teaching doctoral-level leadership classes.
John is currently C.E.O. of Making Connections, a leadership consulting company.
He is an accomplished and experienced DISC consultant coach, trainer, writer, and leader certified by the Maxwell Leadership and the Direct Selling World Alliance.
John has trained, coached, and consulted with school districts, universities, social service agencies, churches, direct sales organizations, police departments, and law firms.
He is a growing, learning entrepreneur in speaking, coaching, and training, passionate about equipping leaders to develop other leaders to serve.
John is a monthly contributor to the Network Marketing Magazine and has written over 140 weekly leadership articles on LinkedIn @drjohnhackett.
He has been married for 45 years to Becki, a 43-year entrepreneur, and has three daughters and two grandsons.
John is also a long-distance bicyclist, an open water swimmer, and an aqua bike triathlon competitor
815 690 7444
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