Any spiritual teacher will pull this fast one on you: give completely different answers to the exact same question.
Yet, rarely do we see the same thing in business. Usually there is a formula given. Follow the formula and it all comes out happy. Nope.
Except when it does work.
Totally confusing and wild. What is going on? Why do formulas work sometimes and not others? Why do they work for a little while, and then stop? And then seem to work again?
It’s fairly simple. Sorta.
Slapping My Forehead Repeatedly
About 18 months ago I was talking to Les McKeown, best-selling author of Predictable Success and The Synergist and multi-decade small business consultant, and repeatedly slapping my forehead.
He was explaining something I had already read in Predictable Success, but for some reason I hadn’t quite realized that he had written that part of the book for me. Or he might as well have.
“Yes, Mark. All companies like yours hit the same bump you’re describing at the exact point where you are.”
The spiritual journey and the business journey go hand-in-hand. So let me describe the two things that affect whether an answer is going to work for you or not.
Thing One: Understanding Stages of Development
Les has a wonderful model of the developmental stages an organization goes through. Charlie Gilkey also has a wonderful model. Guess what? Heart of Business does, too (PDF). All three models have similarities, because we’re describing a similar reality.
Both spiritually and in business you need vastly different things at different stages of development. It can not only be misleading but downright dangerous to apply one developmental stage’s prescription when you’re in a different stage.
What Les pointed out to me was that precisely what had gotten Heart of Business as far as it had, creative flexibility, was keeping it back from growing at the next stage. We needed a lot more structure operationally.
Similarly, I remember one of my Sufi teachers telling me early on that, “This path starts wide, and then it narrows and squeezes you.” He was making a great point, even though it was a little oversimplified. Later I found there was what I would describe as a “narrowing” which wasn’t unlike the need for more operational structure in Heart of Business.
There isn’t always a lot of precision to the stage of development you are in (who can tell the exact moment a toddler changes to a little boy?), and yet having a rough idea of where you are can save you a lot of heartache, and keep you from listening to bad advice.
Thing Two: Topography You Are Traveling Over
In addition to the stages of development, there’s the ground you’re walking on. It’s normal for a 6 month old baby to crawl across a floor, and not so normal for a man in his forties. Yet put me… er… that man on a steep slope full of boulders, and yes, suddenly crawling makes sense.
I had the launch of Heart of Business scheduled for… September 12, 2001. Yes, the day after the World Trade Center was attacked. That was heart-wrenching on so many levels, and it affected in huge ways the launch of the business. Topography.
Spiritually it also created topography, because I made the mistake of launching anyway, being driven by fears of survival. After that mistake, a “friend” refused to speak to me, and I had a number of challenging and enriching conversations with folks. And it was a time for looking deeply at my own motivations and fears.
Formulas Still Work
Your business situation isn’t as unique as you might think it is, which is good news, because that means someone else’s experience can help you out, and that you probably don’t need a completely custom answer to get you going.
When questioning whether you are going to follow someone’s advice on what to do, just make sure you take into account both the stage of development you’re in and the topography you’re traveling through to see if what they’re telling you makes sense.
So… I’m curious. What stage of development are you in? What topography is affecting your business and spirituality right now? Let’s talk about it in the comments below.
p.s. Maryland and Ohio
One of the things I love most about my spiritual path is that it turns common understandings on their heads. So, for instance, the teaching about sovereignty and strength is really about surrender and vulnerability.
It’s my intention to give you the tools to move through the stages of development as well as the resilience to handle the changes in topography as you travel in your business. Surrendering into strength, and having a solid way to evaluate your needs based on your stage of development will do that for you.
Which is why I’m teaching a live workshop “Every Act of Business Can Be An Act of Love.” Come get your nitty-gritty business heart on in a beautiful way.
In fact, I’m doing it twice: once in Maryland and once in Ohio.
Click here for info and to register: Silver Spring, Maryland July 14
Click here for info and to register: Dublin (North Columbus), Ohio, July 23
And ask any questions you may have. If you have friends, community, colleagues in either of those places, please spread the word!
p.p.s. How to Say What You Do (In One Compelling Sentence.)
The course is running! People are already identify the heart of their One Compelling Sentence and the next lesson, released Thursday, gets them getting into the first element of what you actually say.
The course is self-paced- we had someone new jump in just yesterday. Read and register here:
How to Say What You Do In One Compelling Sentence
8 Responses
Wonderful, thank you! Your PDF of developmental stages is so thorough, and a refreshing reminder of the natural flow of stages as I allow for organic growth of my company (and myself). I am in the concentration stage. It is at once exciting and sometimes overwhelming as the “world truly is my oyster” and narrowing my vision to focus on specfics requires trust and presence.
I see I had been attempting to carry my company, instead of allowing us to grow side by side. I also turn this inward to see where else in life might I be doing this, and how will releasing this allow expansion.
Thank you for the opportunity to gently stretch!
Joy- so glad the PDF was so helpful! You are so welcome… stretch stretch!
hmmmm… that’s a great question for me… what stage of development is my business in? i don’t think it’s actually emerged yet… as in, still in the womb… and i don’t necessarily have a due date either.
oh this is good to think about. perhaps i need an official launch date??? the process has been an organic..one thing leading to the next… first cozying up to the idea that i want a “business” at all, as an artist… then plugging away, learning all these new learnings, blogging, making, thinking about copy… writing copy….
what a great question for Remembrance! “dear business seedling of mine – how would you like to enter this world? what would feel really good? shall we slip in through the backdoor like we usually do, or perhaps something a bit more intentional…? a grander entry?”
again… thank you Mark. I appreciate where your questions take me!
Jessica- An official launch date… I’m sure you’ll send a birth announcement to us all. 🙂
This post was so for me! Radness Mark! This is the third visit to your blog, and you never disappoint.
Cheers!
Ashley
Glad to hear it, Ashley! 🙂
I like your take on the first stage of your PDF — Creation. I really struggle with the balance between creating exciting products to attract new buyers and actually driving some money into the business. I think a lot of small businesses fail in the creation portion of their business.
Mark, really enjoyed this article about formulas and how you linked it together with spirituality. The PDF you shared was great. As a start up business it’s difficult to maintain that momentum and really generate the market penetration you need to get at your target customers. I think you find a formula and then customize it your needs as a business. Thanks again for the post.