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A Study in Success: Lisa McComb of Legal XtraNet Inc.

September 7, 2010

Filed under: Big Fish Business Boot Camp, Big Fish eStory, Women Leadership, success — Tags: , , , , , , — Lorin Beller Blake @ 12:57 pm

“I look back on my Big Fish application last December and I’m not the same person — nor is my company (yeah)!”

- Lisa McComb, President and Chief Operating Officer of Legal XtraNet Inc. (LXI).

One of the favorite parts of my work is the chance to watch the success of Big Fish Nation members, and to see their stories grow and change through the course of the program.  This week I have the honor of sharing Lisa Mc Comb’s story with you.

Lisa is one of our Star Fish members, a new Big Fish program this year that has morphed into the Big Fish Boot Camp for next year.   She is President and COO of Legal XtraNet Inc., a multi-million dollar firm providing a powerful  eDiscovery solution for corporate legal departments including customized discovery software and partnerships with professional litigation support teams.

Legal Xtranet Inc.

Lisa joined Star Fish because she “liked the idea of Big Fish — working on you and your business. I have an MBA. I have gone through Business Development courses with the leaders in my company.  It was all academia based and I was ready for more.”

So how has the Star Fish program worked for Lisa? Let’s hear it in her own words:

“I have beaten my head against the wall for several years trying to get my team to do what I want them to do using the methods I learned in graduate school and other courses. Big Fish provides a new perspective for me which was immediately noticed by my employees — a different energy.

I look back on my Big Fish application last December and I’m not the same person nor is my company (yeah)!  Big Fish provided me with the tools and motivation to set goals and actually reach them along with BOLD actions — thinking big.”

Bottom Line Impact for LXI?

  • We are on target to increase our sales by 50% this year.
  • Profits are up 45% from December 2009.
  • We have added two new clients to our portfolio.
  • We are hiring employees.

Lisa explains, “This year, I focused specifically on goals that were going to impact both my bottom line and developing my team and me to be better leaders.

I wanted to create a more sustainable company that functioned well without me so much of the time.  I also wanted to establish a marketing plan that exponentially grew our company.

We have done that, we have created a very clear marketing strategy that works for us.  Our marketing strategy has directly impacted our bottom-line positively and I expect next year we will have another amazing growth year.”

So what about the Star Fish program made such a difference for Lisa (and therefore her company)?  She says,

  1. Setting measurable goals and learning a process to obtain them
  2. Having support from great women
  3. Gaining “quiet” in my mind.   I’m trying to say “don’t worry about stuff you can’t
    change” … and it’s actually working!  I don’t wake up at 3:00 a.m. and worry
    about “stuff” now.   Big  fish has helped me change the energy in myself, my employees, business partner/husband, etc.  I think that helped me get “quiet.”

To learn more about Lisa’s company, visit the Legal Xtranet Inc. website at http://www.legalxtranet.com, and feel free to email Lisa (click here) to connect directly.

Lisa, thank you for being an inspiring example for women entrepreneurs!

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If you really want to get something accomplished, Read This Post!

August 31, 2010

Filed under: Order, Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , — Lorin Beller Blake @ 9:29 pm

I am a big believer in organization giving me an energy boost to accomplish big clean bold work just as Mary Pankiewicz, Owner of Clutter Free & Organized says in her blog!

And on the opposite end, I also believe that a mess sucks up our energy. Just as unfinished tasks that we set out to do and do not get accomplished and are hanging over our head suck up our energy.

Yet when we accomplish a big bold task, we get jazzed and do more!  So what cycle are you on today?

My desk this morning

I just invested in a new MAC Book Pro, 15inch!  I am a PC user and switching over, and spent a chunk of time since getting my MAC on organizing my ‘Big Mother To Do list!’ (no trademark needed! :) ) I feel so empowered.  The stuff is getting done, and checked off and prioritized better than ever!  I feel in charge, details are being held better.

I always have a process that is what are my top 3 things I am tackling today list…. And that list is pulled from the ‘Big Mother To Do list’ that is always running.

Just this past week a Big Fish (someone that is a part of our various programs for Women Business Owners www.bigfishnation.com) said to me, ‘just once I would like to feel like the list is complete.’ My response to her was, ‘that is on your deathbed!  My hope is we all feel that sense of completion then and at the end of every day.  Because at the end of every day, we can only accomplish so much so we have a choice to feel either behind of complete for the day.’

If you are feeling overwhelmed and as though you are not getting enough accomplished I highly recommend that you do the Big Fish 3 Step!

  1. Identify 3 things tonight that you WILL get accomplished tomorrow.  In other words, before you leave work today, identify the 3 things that you are committing to complete tomorrow.  Be realistic!
  2. At the beginning of the day focus on JUST THOSE 3 things!  Get them complete before you open mail, check your voice mail, facebook, twitter, etc.
  3. REPEAT for today and again tomorrow!

You see, when you set out to do something that does not get accomplished you feel deflated, defeated and lower your confidence.  So it is time to change that cycle.  GO BOLD AND BE BOLD!

My desk after a much needed clean up today, which is more empowering?

Mary P. aren’t you proud?  Mary is a Big Fish in one of the Big Fish programs.  She is a very successful professional organizer taking her business to new heights!  See more about her business at http://www.clutterfree.biz/.

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The Story of a Big Fish: Dr. Tererai Trent

August 23, 2010

Filed under: Big Fish Business Boot Camp, Big Fish eStory, goals — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — Lorin Beller Blake @ 11:52 pm

This year at Big Fish, we launched our Star Fish program. We set out with a vision and the program grew in a way that was not really expected. We had one participant, whose story I would like to share (with her permission).

First, let me tell you how we met… I always DVR Oprah shows. Last year, I got very behind in watching the shows. The DVR machine ran out of space, so I had to watch them in order to keep recording! So in January 2010 this year, I was watching October 2009 shows!!

This one particular show was about women achieving their goals…. The show featured a woman named Tererai Trent who was born and raised in rural Africa where sexism and poverty have kept women and girls in a disadvantaged position. As Tererai explains, “I always wanted to go to school and was denied the opportunity due to poverty which has created gender inequity in most of rural Africa.”

Her story was extraordinary in that she was a young girl from Africa, married off to a man, she had 5 children with him but she also had goals and dreams. She wrote them down on a piece of paper (one of our Big Fish basic tools!). She put that paper in a plastic bag in a can and buried it under a rock. Tererai wanted to get an education in the United Ststates for herself and her kids. Her long, beautiful story very short, she did just that, she not only got just a basic education, last year in December 2009, she received her Doctorate degree and became Dr. Tererai Trent. Give yourself a treat and watch her short Oprah Video: http://www.oprah.com/world/Tererai-Trent-Returns-to-Zimbabwe-to-Share-Her-Story-Video

I was so moved by her story; tears running down my face, as I wrote down her name so that I could call her. Yes, I called her (Big Fish basic tool = Bold Action)! I picked up the phone the next night and called her. She was gracious enough to take my call. I invited her to be a participant in our first ever, Star Fish program that was starting the next week! We got her a plane ticket to Austin where the first retreat was being held.

She was a light for our group, bringing so much gratitude, wisdom, humbleness, and desire to grow even more.
What has happened thus far in the program, is all the participants from the program rolled up their sleeves not only to accomplish their own goals but to be vulnerable and share their struggles, their visions, their goals and successes. And most of all, share themselves. All of them, realizing just 6 months into the program (with another 6 months to go) that they are truly more alike than different no matter if they are from a wealthy family here in the United States or a humble community in Tanzania, Africa. (And this year Dr. Trent just launched her own company: http://tinogona-consulting.com/ !! We are all so excited for her! She is an awesome speaker, trainer and evaluation expert. )

A true sisterhood has been formed. The women cry together, celebrate together, accomplish together and support each other in ways that continue to amaze me. They share their money, they share their homes, they share their families, they share their wisdom, they share their knowledge, they share their experiences and the sharing does not stop. What I realize is that when women come together to accomplish their visions every vision includes supporting others in big ways. That is a Star Fish.

We are filling our 2011 Star Fish program now! For more information call Lorin at 858.794.7299 or lorin@bigfishnation.com

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Turn Up the Volume!

August 17, 2010

Filed under: goals, success, vision — Tags: , , , , , , , — Lorin Beller Blake @ 8:29 am

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Summer can be a tough time to make progress on our goals.

 

Summer vacations mean we are often travelling, schedules are inconsistent, and our attention is more naturally focused on things other than goals.   Don’t get me wrong – it is definitely important (critical!) to take these breaks… but we still must remember  to return to our goals.   

We have a little more than one quarter of the year remaining, so we really need to energetically pick up speed so we can reach the goals we set for 2010.  Or to put it another way, if your goals were a sound system, let’s get back up to surround sound, then turn up the volume for WILD success!   

Here are some tips to help you “dial it up” to ACHIEVE  your goals: 

  • Change your exercise routine:  If you are in a rut with your exercise, or not exercising at all, your energy may be low.  Try changing it up a little to bring up your energy levels and give you more excitement toward achieving your goals.  The body/mind connection is important.
  •  Take a realistic inventory of your goals and adjust (or not) accordingly:  Do you have enough time left in the year to achieve each goal?  Are each of your goals still important toward making your vision a reality?  If so, fantastic – keep moving forward!  If not, consider revising goals to make them achievable this year and in line with your current vision.   Just make sure your revised goals keep you stretching to accomplish what will make you proud and successful! 
  • Post your written goals where you can see them each day:      If you stop noticing your goals after a while, move them to a different spot whWhen we keep our goals visible, it is easier to remember what we are working towards.ere they will catch your attention again. 
  • Read your vision story every Monday morning:  Our vision story is meant to be a motivating tool, not just something we write then put away.  Many Big Fish (myself included!) report getting energized by reading their vision story because it reminds them of the exciting big picture of their future.   When our vision is fresh in our minds, each goal feels more meaningful and reachable. 
  • Tell someone else your goals:  Accountability is an amazing motivator – just ask any Big Fish!   Sharing our goals with someone else makes it a lot harder to ignore those “stretch” goals, and helps hold our “feet to the fire.”   It also gives us someone else to celebrate with when we reach each goal! 
  • Sign up for a Big Fish program:  If you are struggling to set and reach your goals each year, you might need the extra learning, support, accountability, and energy you can get from the Big Fish programs.  Plan to attend the annual goal-setting teleclass in December, and read about the available Big Fish programs to see which one might fit you best for next year.    We are here to help!

Are you ready to turn up the volume??? 

Let us know in a comment below! 

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Finding Less “Solo” in “Solopreneur”

August 10, 2010

Filed under: Power of Intention, Uncategorized, interdependence, success — Tags: , , , , — Starla J King @ 8:49 am

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(post by guest-blogger Starla J. King, Big Fish 2009-10)

I usually love being a solopreneur.    

Except for those times when the solo feels more like alone and less like independent, strong, on my own, and free.

I’m in one of those times right now.   After longing  for more alone time to focus on the work of my heart/soul, I finally have it… and I feel… well… alone. 

Quick background:  I co-created, co-own, and co-manage a small-scale landscaping business with my business/life partner.  This year, she and I also worked side by side (literally!) for 5 months, fulltime.  Now that it’s summer season, a slow time for landscaping, I have switched my focus to my solopreneur work and business, and my partner is back to consulting in the corporate world. 

This is what I wanted… really really wanted… so why am I not bursting-at-the-seams energized??

Part of it is that I physically spend most of my day alone. (The cats, in this case, don’t count.  Their respect for my entrepreneurial vision is lacking, to say the least. )   As a writer (and borderline introvert), I often need to have alone time, but at some point the solitude becomes a risk of diminishing returns. 

Part of it is that the vision for my new business, OutWrite Living, is still being formed so it’s mostly my vision – not a shared vision yet.

Part of it is that I get lost in To Do list tasks, hoping to find satisfaction and validation in checking off “accomplishments”  while my collaborative thirst stays unquenched.

So… what to do? 

If I had a session with my Big Fish business coach (Nancy Duncan) scheduled for this week, I’d talk this through with her.  Coaches are wonderful for things like this!  But since we aren’t scheduled until next week, I’ve done some self-coaching instead.  The results?  It’s time for me to: 

  1. Write this blog post so I have to address the issue head on (thanks for the space, Lorin!).
  2. Change my DBR (Daily Business Ritual) to meet my new “connection” needs.  This week instead of having my second cup of coffee at home each day while mentally/emotionally preparing for the day, I will go to a nearby Starbucks (or Panera or Caribou Coffee, etc.).  Just being around other people (even if not interacting) usually helps jump-start my energy, so it’s time to be intentional about that.  Now if I can just avoid the baked goods…
  3. Expand my networking to include potential intellectual and visionary collaborators – not just potential clients or “do”ers.   I have always gotten energy from somewhat cerebral conversations, so I need to bring that back into my work life.  For example, I’ve recently been enthralled by Arnold Mindell’s writings around process-oriented psychology… and possible inclusion of some of those ideas in my new business vision /services.  It’s time to get connected to the “process work” world for possible collaborative insights and “brain work” with like-minded individuals.   And who knows, I might find a member of my Dream Team through this.  (See Lorin’s recent blog post for more about creating your Dream Team).
  4. Re-commit to monthly face-to-face and weekly phone meetings with a colleague / friend / co-conspirator.  (Rebecca, are you reading this??). 
  5. This week, make my daily intention the same for the entire week : Connected.  Surrounding myself with the expectation of being connected in everything I do will keep me open to attracting and seeing those opportunities.  It’s like one of my favorite Big Fish principles:  “Give energy to that which we want to grow.”  So as of this moment, I shift my attention away from Alone and toward Connection.  (See Lorin’s blog post about setting daily intentions.)

You see, this whole solopreneur thing (or any entrepreneur venture) isn’t about how much any one of us can do alone.  It’s about starting something on our own then sustaining and building it with a myriad of help, support, connection, collaboration.  

True, solos can be beautiful, AND so can duets, trios, quartets, and an entire choir.  Who will your business “sing” with?

(post by guest-blogger Starla J. King, Big Fish 2009-10)

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Related blog posts by Lorin Beller Blake:

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Leading the Family Business: Andrea Russo of Crisafulli Brothers

August 3, 2010

Filed under: Women Leadership, interdependence, success — Tags: , , , , , — Lorin Beller Blake @ 5:36 pm

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“I accept that I can’t be the best at everything, but I can have the best around me.”

- Andrea Russo, President of Crisafulli Brothers

Andrea Russo As founder and CEO of Big Fish Nation, I get to work with many brilliant women entrepreneurs, each of them leaders in their own unique ways.  Andrea Russo, President and Owner of Crisafulli Brothers Plumbing and Heating Contractors, Inc. (Albany, NY), is one of those amazing women. 

In a typically male-dominated business, Andrea was the first female on the company’s management team and continues to successfully lead this third-generation family business. 

A quick look at the Awards page of the company website confirms this success!  Notice also that the Awards page includes a thank you note to the community, and a photo of the Crisafulli Brothers “Extreme Team” that volunteered services during an Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.    Andrea’s business clearly is about more than just profit, it’s also about making a difference!

So how does she do it?  I asked her about her key leadership tactics and she shared the following:

  • I surround myself with GREAT people, not good people, great people…..  I accept that I can’t be the best at everything, but I can have the best around me – in front of, in back of, and beside me….  in each department necessary to run my organization.
  • I hire right, no matter how long it takes….  “fit” is everything.
  • I “walk the tracks” daily….  get a feel for staff and how they are doing, what there challenges are…  and to keep the climate positive
  • I do what I believe to be right for my employees, the company and the community!
  • Following the chain of command is important, but my door is always open.
  • I listen and communicate honestly and ask the same in return….  my management team knows I do not want “yes men” around me….  challenge me, disagree, make your point.
  • I believe in my people and they know this.
  • I am fair and reasonable and model this behavior.

Then in true Andrea fashion, she adds “keep in mind, I have a list of things I could do a whole lot better too!”   

Even though we each have our own leadership methods, we can always learn from other leaders like Andrea!  Which of her points made the most impression on you?  How can you add that into your own leadership toolkit? 

Use this inspiration from Andrea and take some time this week to write down the unique ways you lead, and to ask other leaders around you for their “secrets.”  

Thank you Andrea!
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Click here for Crisafulli Brothers website.
Click here for  WNYT’s Women in Business article featuring Andrea.

Crisafulli Brothers

Crisafulli Brothers

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Live Each Day From Your Vision

July 13, 2010

Filed under: Mid-year Goals, success, vision — Tags: , , , , , , — Lorin Beller Blake @ 7:22 am

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Like others of you, I enjoyed and appreciated last week’s blog post on goals, written by our regular guest-blogger Starla J. King.  We all need those reminders (or as Beth said in her comment, “a kick in the rear”) to review and reset our goals!

It is also absolutely necessary to be clear about our vision and that it too is up to date.  Without a clear vision, our goals can quickly become overwhelming out-of- control To Do lists.

From Entrepreneur to Big Fish by Lorin Beller BlakeThe second principle of my 7 Principles to Wild Success is Live each day from your vision.  

We often think of a vision as something that is only useful for the future, not for today, but a vision is actually about this moment!   It is about today and how we choose to live today! Today turns into tomorrow.  Tomorrow is our future.  

Therefore, it is critical that we live today in a way that will enable us to make tomorrow’s vision a reality.

When was the last time you read your vision story?   Do you have a vision story?  If you need help creating your vision (it’s not too late!) read my earlier blog post about creating a clear vision. 

Another great way to get (and stay) clear on your vision is to create a collage of your vision.  This is a fun way to get an emotional and practical read on what you are drawn to, what you want (aka, your vision!) . 

Go through magazines and cut out pictures representing:

  • things you want to do (travel, projects, accomplishments, adventures, etc)
  • things you want to have
  • the number of clients you want, or number of products you want to sell
  • the number of employees you want
  • where you want to be living
  • etc.

photo by Tory Johnson

Then put these pictures together on a poster board and hang it where you can see it every day.

If you already have a vision collage, take some time this week to update it – add some more photos and remove any that no longer speak to you or carry excitement for you. 

As you review your goals, (see last weeks blog post),  keep looking at your vision collage.  Does each goal actually get you closer to your vision?  If so, fantastic!  If not, consider changing or removing that goal.  Working towards goals that do not further your vision is wasted effort!

Each day, then, we need to ask ourselves, “Is what I am doing today, this moment, moving me toward my vision?” 

Let us know what you do to help you live each day from your vision!

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Review and Reset: Real-life Goals Work

July 6, 2010

Filed under: Mid-year Goals, goals, success — Tags: , , , , , — Starla J King @ 8:53 am

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[blog post by Starla J. King, Big Fish 2009-10]

Ah, summertime! 

Long days of sunshine luring us to the water, summer vacations giving us an excuse to play hard and relax even harder, and all sorts of external activities encouraging us to step away from work for a while.

Ice cream, anyone? :)

While it might seem counter-intuitive to talk about goals during this time of typical work breaks, it’s actually one of the best times to review and reset our goals.  Our minds are open, our energy is in a positive place, and our dreams are more accessible.  It’s a perfect set-up!

I have my Big Fish Goals Wheel in front of me — created in Dec 2009 during Lorin’s Big Fish Annual Goals-setting Teleclass, expanded a bit in January (2010), revised slightly this spring.  Let’s take a look together at some of my goals:

Personal:
Intention: Mystically connected
- Yoga at least 1 time per week
- Morning Pages [2 pages stream of consciousness longhand writing ] 5 days per week
- Monthly “Artist Date” [anything that fills my creative storehouse] alone

Career:
Intention: Simply amazing
- Set up OutWrite Living (see OutWrite Living biz goals)
- Complete Book 1 concept, outline, and proposal
- Establish myself as expert blogger-for-hire / blogging coach (see OutWrite Living biz goals)
- Set up t-shirt line and begin selling at least 3 designs

Fun & Recreation:
Intention: Main Ingredient
- Daily playtime

A quick review of my Personal goals, and I realize that I haven’t done yoga even one time ALL year.  So I need to look at that – am I the issue here, or does the goal just not fit?  In this case, it’s the goal – I’ve done other body and spiritual work that has met that need wonderfully, so I am erasing that goal because I no longer need it.  (note, always use PENCIL… goals set in stone can actually get in the way of our success!)

Morning pages 5 days per week?  Check!  Celebrate my success there!  With ice-cream, of course.

Monthly Artist Date?  I’ve neglected that, and definitely still need that goal.  No revisions there, no self-reprimand — just renewed focus.

My Career goals are on track, which actually surprises me.  I’ve felt as though I haven’t made a lot of progress towards the career goals, but I see in reality, I’m right where I planned to be at this time of year.  More celebration (and more ice-cream! and a new goal to work out even harder! :) ):
- New business (OutWrite Living) is being formed
- The book concept is becoming more clear as the  new business takes shape
- I have several blog-writing jobs and am coaching people re: successful blog-writing
- Our t-shirts are ready (just need to get them online for sale)

Fun & Recreation?  I’ve had playtime in most of my days, but definitely not all, so I’ll keep that goal as it is and will refresh my determination to make play a MAIN INGREDIENT of my life – a non-negotiable. 

As you can see, this is not a difficult exercise… it’s actually fun (ooh, I just met one of my goals for today!). 

Hopefully you already have your goals written down and refer to them often, but if you don’t, you can create them now.  You still have an entire ½ of this year to make things happen! 

What are some of your key goals??  Share them here to give them even more strength, to get support from other readers, and to get excited about them all over again!

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Need more help with setting and reviewing goals?  See previous blog posts for additional tips and inspiration:
- Resolution Revolution
- Clipping into 2010
- Spring-cleaning your goals

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Best Practices for Building & Leading Tribes

June 22, 2010

Filed under: Thought Leader, Uncategorized, Women Leadership, success, vision — Tags: , , , , , , , , — Lorin Beller Blake @ 7:48 am

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Seth Godin, TribesIn a recent blog post, I shared some important ideas about tribes based on Seth Godin’s must-read book, “Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us.” 

This week, I will add some practical tactics so you can get started right away with building and leading your own tribes.  I will use one of my tribes, Big Fish Nation, as an example. 

Last week, I had a wonderful teleconference with one of the Big Fish “sub-tribes,” the Mastery group, as we discussed our favorite parts of Godin’s book (hard to narrow down!), then shared our own tribe-building best practices.  This is what I love about spending time with my tribe members…  I always learn and get motivated just by being in the same space with them (virtually or face-to-face)! 

It is important that we share information and inspiration across tribes, so here are some of my (our!) tribe’s  learnings from last week’s teleconference:      

BEST PRACTICES* for Leading & Building Tribes:

  • Create and Communicate a Clear Vision:  If you don’t know where you’re going, your tribe won’t either.  Create your vision of, as Godin says, “something that could happen but hasn’t (yet),” and communicate it regularly to your tribe.  Then have faith in the vision.   Believe it. Plan for it. Lead to it!
  • Set the Beat:  Lead by example…  be organized, meet your deadlines, speak and act with integrity, be accountable, turn work around quickly and professionally, show your enjoyment, etc. Show your tribe how to reach the vision! 
  • Lean In:  Commit to the vision and “lean into it” with passion, confidence and fearlessness.  We don’t always need to plunge forward (although sometimes that’s how we get started!), and a steady forward-leaning attitude keeps us moving ahead and thinking ahead. 
  • Lean Back:  Each tribe also needs followers.  Sometimes the most effective thing a tribe leader can do is to lean back and allow someone else to lead.  Each tribe member has different strengths and all are needed to make the vision a reality.  Just remember to follow eagerly and continue “leaning in”!
  • Just Do It:  Godin says, “The largest enemy of change and leadership isn’t a ‘no.’  It’s a ‘not yet.’”  If you sense that NOW could be the time for you and/or your tribe to act, then JUST DO IT.   Don’t miss your opportunity. 

These are just a few of the ways we can build and lead our own tribes.  

What are some of your Best Practices?

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*A special thank you to Big Fish tribe members Gail Benmosche, Peg Calvario, Amy Cotter, Amy Hart, Starla King, Sonya Mittleman, Andrea Russo,  and PJ Sparks for these Best Practices!

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Making Intention-Setting A Daily Habit

June 15, 2010

Filed under: #BigFishIntention, Power of Intention, Women Leadership — Tags: , , , , , , — Lorin Beller Blake @ 6:53 am

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It’s mid-year 2010. 

Do you know where your intention is??

Intention is the tone we set and keep as we carry out everything we do (business, personal, or something inbetween), or simply what we want (or intend) to accomplish or complete.

Although it’s not difficult to set an intention, it is sometimes challenging to remember on our own to set an intention every day. 

So in March of this year, we launched the Big Fish Twitter Party – a virtual shared “intention journal” for us to each post our DAILY intention.

It’s time to re-energize that party, so this blog post is your invitation (or re-invitation) to join this intention-setting movement.   Note:  Everyone is welcome, this is not exclusive to Big Fish Nation members!

Here is how it works:  You just tweet your intention for the day, and at the end of your intention, be sure to add the hashtag  #BigFishIntention.  (See recent blog post  for more details).

Why do this??

  1. FOCUS:  Setting our intentions DAILY requires us to clarify our priorities and our focus each day, and writing them down makes them even more powerful.  Twitter is the perfect tool for this, keeping our intentions short and to-the-point. 
  2. ACCOUNTABILITY:  Sharing our intentions adds accountability to each day.  A quick Twitter search on “#BigFishIntention” shows each person’s tweeted intention for the day, so others can see and support your intention.  Accountability is a strong business tool, so let’s add it to our intentions!
  3. CONNECTION:  The more we tap into our network of resources (see recent blog post), the richer our businesses can grow – literally and figuratively!  When others tweet their intentions, we get insight into what is valuable to them and their business.  This is important information for making powerful connections, and we find new people to follow on Twitter. 
  4. INSPIRATION:  We all need inspiration to keep moving forward.  Sharing our daily intentions gives each of us new ideas for motivation and inspiration, and even new approaches for handling practical issues.
  5. EXPERIENCE:  Each of us who tweets an intention with the #BigFishNation hashtag is a member of the (unofficial) Daily Intention Tribe.  As I said in last week’s blog post, tribal membership and leadership need to become part of everyone’s business toolkit, and this is a perfect “practice tribe” for you.  Do you want to lead? Lead by example then encourage others to also post their intentions. 

If you’re not using Twitter, you can still participate in any of the following ways:

  1. Join Twitter:  It’s free — just sign up at http://www.twitter.com), and you can immediately tweet today’s intention.
  2. Start your own Intention Tribe on Facebook:  Post a status update telling people your intention for the day and asking “What is yours?”  You can do this *any* day!
  3. Start your own Intention Tribe via email:  Ask people in your valued network to email their intention to each other daily.  Most of us have overflowing email IN boxes, however, so I recommend keeping this email tribe to just a few members.  Even just one other person can make a big difference in accountability!
  4. Create your own solution:  What other ways can you think of to effectively and efficiently share daily intentions?  Let us know in a comment here!

I have a challenge for each of us today:  to set today’s intention to begin or renew the practice of setting and sharing our daily intention.  I hope to see you online!

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