From Employment to Business: Lesson 4

Lesson 4: Your culture determines your structure
As we start I want to express my sincere appreciation for keeping up with the lessons.

If you have just joined us, it’s great to have you on board and we invite you to read our earlier posts.

For Lesson 1 we said:Your networks change

For Lesson 2 we said:The plan is almost always a mirage

For Lesson 3 we said: Let the Spirit lead the dance

We have 4 more lessons to go and we hope that it will be an invaluable support in your journey from employment to business.

One of the most profound takeaways I had from the Franklin Covey course was demonstrated by a question of what 4 people (most immediate family, friend from your social circle, co-workers, a community/church member) would say if they were to eulogize me).

That question changed the way I looked at myself and those around me for good. Am certain that all those people would each day something different; but if I live a balanced life putting relationships first, having a consistent and dependable value system, one would probably conclude my life as a cultured one.

Setting the right culture is an investment of time, relationships, money.

My Take
So it is for a business person. The structure of your business takes after the culture you have as an owner. Corruption and lack of integrity from the owner of the company sets the same precedence for the employees. Value for customers is not a trickle up effect. It can’t be expected of all others but not of the owner.

Wisdom says that a wise man digs deep for a foundation and  sets it upon a rock. When the storms come, the structure withstands the opposition.

In contrast, foolish man depends on the fluid sand to hold the foundation of the structure he is putting up. Similar storms hit the house and the entire structure crumbles.

As you think of starting a business, you must decide on the ground to build on. Is it a foundation and culture of respect, smart working, risk taking, trust, planning, learning, wisdom, applied knowledge, street smartness, understanding, relationships and everything that will lead to good repute?

If you take shortcuts in business, they will soon catch up. Get the foundation right and you won’t have to put in extra work and resources to reinforce the business.

No one should lie to you that setting the right culture, the right foundation for your business is a day’s work. It’s an investment of time, relationships, money but it pays off in the long run.

Once again I thank you for taking the time to learn from my experience.

Look out for lesson number 5 right here. If you are busy and  appreciate a reminder, please subscribe to the blog and you will get the lesson straight in your mailbox.

Thank you for taking the time to engage with me.

From Employment to Business: Lesson 3

Lesson 3: Your Spirit has to lead the dance

The greatest opportunity that arrived on my doorstep the day I stopped going to my employer was a one way ticket for a journey of personal fulfillment. Prayer was no longer restricted to a few minutes before I left for work, I  could pray at my home office desk crammed into a corner of my bedroom, I could take a break after writing for some long while to just read the Bible, I could listen to my favourite preaching at 2pm stretched on my bed – guiltlessly!!

It was in one of the many sessions of spiritual and mental renewal that I came across these words: “You are a Spirit being with a Soul living in a Body“

• Spirit is the God like nature breathed into man at creation
• Soul is the mind, will and emotion
• Body is the interface that is needed for a spirit being to operate on earth

I quit my job for five years before I actually quit. I would wake up in the morning telling myself I couldn’t do it anymore and as soon as I landed in the office all the demands,  budgets, meetings, customers, reports and emails did a good job of glossing over my frustration. At 5 pm, the hustle of public transportation took precedence and once at home the smile on my child’s face was enough to forget the office and the only time I picked up the frustration was the next morning. For 5 years.

Major decisions in life and business never have a perfect time. What they have is the right time and the trademark of the rightness of time is PEACE.

My take:

There is never a perfect time to make that life changing decision and there is never a perfect time to give in to that entrepreneurial bug. However, there is a right time. A time that is neither too late not too early.

How do you know that time? There is a signature of peace. Have you ever watched a professional break into a combination safe. They listen for the click with a stethoscope and there is silence because if they miss that click sound, they will mess up the safe and security system.

 It’s the same thing about the right time. The three core elements of being are in a constant supremacy battle and they shout each other down without getting hoarse. It takes the whole of you to be silent for you to hear your Spirit, Soul and Body agree on anything. At the point of agreement and peace, it is your Spirit that is in control.

In my five years of quitting, I was so attuned to my body and soul with questions like: what will my family eat? What will people think of me? What if I go broke in month 6? What if my business doesn’t pick up as I want it to? What if my husband doesn’t support me? How will I afford a medical cover? Etc, etc

Months on, people have asked me whether I regret moving out of work. Others have asked me if I wish I had done it earlier. To both, I respond with a sure NO. For me, the time was right. I needed to embark on a personal journey that would clear my sight, clear my mind, clear the noise and clutter – enough for me to hear the music and agree with it.

Emotions of stress, sadness, happiness are part of our daily life and they change. Today you are moody tomorrow you are not. You don’t want to be on an emotional see saw when making life changing decisions.

Hunger and thirst for food and drink can be managed. ‘Nice to haves’, cravings and things to keep up with the Joneses are all calling to us to satisfy our body desires. Would we let the dress or suit we are wearing set the tempo for the salsa dance?

The Spirit is what rhymes with the author and finisher of our lives. The ONE who has put a mandate on us. A mandate which, because we have free will, we can choose whether or not to carry out. Your Spirit attuned to your Creator will never lead you in the wrong path. That’s why even in the decision to leave your job for entrepreneurship, or to make decisions for your business, you must have your Spirit attuned aright.

Once again I thank you for taking the time to learn from my experience.

Look out for lesson number 4 right here. If you are busy and  appreciate a reminder, please subscribe to the blog and you will get the lesson straight in your mailbox.

Thank you for taking the time to engage with me.