Christopher V. Flett

In the economic climate we all share, you can either sit back and hope things turn around, or plant Winter Wheat. Winter Wheat is a wheat that you plant after your last big harvest. It has a long growing time, much of which happens as the soil is covered with snow. It isn’t rushed like spring planting and you can take your time putting the seeds in.

In business, there will be some target clients that will work with you when things brighten up a bit. Don’t wait for things to turn around to plant your seeds. Do it now. These long term clients (>12months to decide) are Winter Wheat clients. You don’t have them now and you likely won’t have them for the next 12 months. If you plant the seed with them now, knowing that it is going to take a long time to incubate, then you can reap the rewards when the ‘thaw’ comes. Remember that it is all about mindset. The problems most businesses are facing are directly related to ‘not doing the work’ required to sustain a healthy profit model. You need to be constantly planing and harvesting your markets. If you take off a season, it will take you a season to catch up.

For the last six or so months, I have been writing for a blog I’m involved in called, SheTeam. It is made up of professionals that I have the privilage of working with in various arenas. I’m going to be writing for that blog 1-2x a week but going to keep this blog to offer a more blunt commentary on business experiences as I see them.

SheTeam is focussed on providing solutions to the female entrepreneur. This blog will share more of the day to day situations that arise from actively participating in over 6 companies, touring, writing, doing interviews, and closing deals. I’ll also be putting up some of the test tools for you to try before they go up on the Ghost CEO website.

Cheers,

Chris.

As of late, I’ve been reminded of a lesson taught to me many years ago by a mentor. He was an avid golfer and as I was learning the game, my frustration would get in the way of my seeing the big picture. I would swing at the ball, miss, get really mad, swing again in frustration, only to watch my ball sail into the water hazzard. He pulled me aside one round and said, “Chris, don’t get caught up on each shot. Focus on the overall game. Some shots will be beautiful and others will have you begging for a mulligan. Approach each shot as if it were the first shot of the game. Winning or losing in golf (and business) is made up of learning your pace, your vision, and playing each shot where it lies. If you criticize yourself about the last shot, you won’t be ready for the next shot.

Although it took many rounds for this lesson to sink in, I now approach golf very differently. I still get myself in as many ‘challenging spots’ as I always have, but now I approach it without judgement and am curious if I’ll be able to get the ball back on a better path.

In business, you are going to find yourself in the ‘rough’ from time to time. You might be like me in that I’m quick to criticize my actions, but instead of going there, I’d encourage you to be ‘curious’ about how you can fix the situation to make it better. In business, like in golf, the more times you get into trouble, the more times you get to practice getting out. When you wake up each morning, look at where you ball (business/career) lies and rather than judging it, be curious on how to get it on a better course.

Remember, Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer or our generation, but he doesn’t win EVERY tournament.