Judy Cirullo

THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO VIRTUAL SPEAKING EVENTS

May 27, 2021 by Judy Cirullo

HOW TO DRIVE INNOVATION WITH YOUR TEAM EVEN WITH LIMITED TIME

In a work world gone virtual, what stage could be better than a virtual speaking event to pursue innovation with your team?

For team leaders, it’s simply a matter of finding the right fit event…One that moves your team and your business closer to your end goals most efficiently.

WHO IS THIS GUIDE FOR

Healthcare leaders and clinical practice owners who feel like they have no time in their days but to fulfill patient care duties will find this guide particularly helpful.

Using the information provided, you can stop trying to learn and disseminate the systems, processes, and pathways to move your team forward on your own.

Because teaching new systems without having the successful experience of adopting them yourself beforehand can be a truly difficult task. One that leaves you feeling like you’re leading blindly and that what you’re attempting to accomplish might not even be possible.

When you created the vision for your business, it’s not likely your intention was to execute your company mission on your own.

Part of your vision included finding the right people to deliver on that mission. People who complement your skills and fill gaps in your skillset that come naturally to them.

Instead of attempting to innovate or create working systems on your own, you can choose to call in outside experts who can fill those gaps in your knowledge. Doing so can drastically cut down your time to execution on new processes. Plus, it can help you to feel more confident that your end goal is likely to be met.

And that expertise can now be delivered virtually…

Relax your grip on having to know it all in order for your team to be able to do it all. Invest much less time to adopt new processes. Meet your goals more quickly.

Virtual events help you reach team milestones faster by deferring the teaching to the right person with the right system to get you where you want to go. Read on for more insight into how to find the right event for you.

WHY THIS GUIDE EXISTS

Healthcare leaders feel impossibly stuck introducing new processes to their teams.

That’s why shortly after I began offering executive leadership and business coaching I knew virtual group training was important for me to deliver to my clients.

More than ever teams are time-crunched. They don’t have the time, money, or mental bandwidth to attend large in-person conferences and trainings.

And, there are still travel and gathering restrictions in place as of this writing preventing massive public gatherings.

But, that doesn’t mean teams aren’t still in need of learning new ways to tackle changes to their work environment, confront challenges to ineffective processes, or solve larger-scale industry-wide problems.

Some of my clinical leaders weighed in with me in our private coaching sessions on problems they’ve been facing. Top concerns sounded something like this…

“I just want to hire employees that fit into our culture. We can teach them the things they need to know for the most part.”

“Retention is the biggest problem I face, I feel like the applicants and the staff members dictate to me what I need to do to keep them around.”

“My team gets resistant when expectations and responsibilities of their roles shift or change.”

“I feel like if I confront them, they will quit.”

All things I’ve felt myself personally. That was before I created systems and processes to run my own PT practices differently.

It’s how I flipped the script to get strong teams supporting me, my core values, and the mission of my business effectively and efficiently.

Part of my framework for success included developing workshops. It’s one way I could use to get everyone on the team on the same page using a structured framework during a deep-dive session.

As the facilitator on-site, I get to introduce skill sets and behaviors required as well as observe and suggest improvements on assigned role-play exercises performed by participants.

What I discovered in this post-pandemic workplace, is that I could have the same effects virtually.

WHY MY EXPERIENCE CAN HELP YOU

I’m Judy Cirullo, a Physical Therapist and a former practice owner who decided to pursue executive leadership and business coaching in addition to my clinical career.

Why did I pursue coaching?

Because I owned four successful practices over a 40-year span, I personally experienced the challenges of retaining, developing, and mentoring staff. I knew I needed help getting myself out of the doing and into the leading of my own business.

So, while I was an active practice owner and practitioner, I decided to invest in my coaching certification so I could learn the skills to become a better leader and relieve the feelings of burnout plaguing me.

After choosing to invest in my personal development, I knew it was time to create a framework for my business. One I could use to develop staff into successful leaders and to create productive team members to help my business thrive.

The result?

Ultimately, I became an absentee owner while continuing to develop and grow all of my team members.

Healthcare leaders, CEOs, entrepreneurs, and business owners seek me out today to help them do the same.

I help them adopt my framework that transitions them from being stuck in the overwhelm of doing into developing other team members to do for them.

My framework allows them to lead, grow, and scale their business instead.

FOLLOW ALONG SO YOU CAN

Understand the new reality of virtual living
Uncover the nuances of learning in a virtual environment
Discover the benefits of attending virtual learning events
Learn how speakers can assist your teams in the virtual space
Decide which type of virtual speaking event suits your needs right now
Review my virtual offerings and how to book my speaking services

But first, you get to decide the best way to get exactly what you need from this guide.

You can either jump to the topics that matter to you most or take in the entire guide in order. Click an icon below to read up on a specific subject, or consume the guide from start to finish.

REALITY OF THE NEW VIRTUAL WAY OF BEING

If your team was considered non-essential in 2020, a whole new way of working came upon you fast and furious.

The 2020 pandemic created a mass exodus for many teams that were not on the front lines into virtual work from home status. Which, in turn, overran and stalled essential technologies like Zoom and Slack that work-from-home professionals relied on for close to a decade.

All essential tech channels have learned from the experience and consequently “beefed up” their ability to handle the millions of new users at the same time (during traditional work hours).

Team members adapted to the new technologies and juggled the responsibility of being productive in their home environments. Many times performing a balancing act since teaching or caretaking of their previously in-school or daycare-aged children fell onto their plates.

Even with restrictions lifting and children returning to school, over 55% of non-frontline workers are anticipated to work remotely at least two or more days a week.

LEARNING IN A VIRTUAL WORLD

With uncertainty and restrictions still in place on travel, massive public gatherings, and the ability to do said things without proof of vaccination or negative test results, learning has a brand “new” format.

When I say new, that’s only in relation to industries now embracing it.

Across the board, a diverse group of professionals is turning to a strategy to disseminate highly beneficial and necessary industry-specific training that internet marketers have used extremely effectively for the last decade…

Virtual speaking events. Otherwise known as virtual conferences.

Traditionally in the IM space, they’re called online summits and are available to attend for “free”.

Of course, with stacked venues of expert guests over 3 to 5-day spans, upgrading to a paid “ticket” to receive all the recordings became highly attractive to attendees.

Knowing this strategy, taking the online summit model and shifting it to a virtual speaking event became a more manageable task. For industries that previously had critical learning, in-person, paid events it became a necessity.

And a virtual speaking event replaces a live conference is something professionals are very willing to pay for. Especially since they’re coming in at a reduced cost to the in-person events.

Never has virtual training been more important than it is now in the healthcare industry.

Healthcare teams are operating at a considerable lack…

They have a lack of time to converse as a group in order to collaborate. Which causes a lack of ability to get creative and innovate processes that aren’t working. Which ultimately results in a lack of time to meet the needs of their clinical practices at the necessary pace.

VIRTUAL SPEAKING EVENT BENEFITS

Not only do virtual conferences afford the essential large-scale teaching of information to continue…They also often provide a more affordable, less logistically nightmarish way to collectively gather the highest-regarded speakers to further develop teams anywhere in the world with an internet signal.

Some benefits for those who shift their in-person events into a virtual speaking event include:

Less expense as conference rooms, speaker travel and food expenses, and event logistics staff fees are greatly reduced or completely eliminated
Use of two automation tools to replace reliance on a venue that you hope is competently staffed and capable of accommodating event and audience needs
Increased earning potential by opening the conference to a worldwide venue which allows participation by attendees who previously couldn’t attend
Ability to book desired speakers who may have previously declined due to travel or time commitment restraints of the live event

Benefits for attendees of a virtual speaking event include:

Lower costs including admission price, time away from their practices or offices, and travel expenses
Expanding their network of like professionals further than the people sitting in the seats right next to them at the conference sessions through the use of live chat
Ease of access to all sessions from the event with recordings, since in real-time, they would have to choose between two concurrent sessions of interest
Ability to learn in a familiar, comfortable, home-office environment with fewer environmental distractions

HOW SPEAKERS CAN ASSIST YOUR TEAMS VIRTUALLY

Not every industry has the time, budget, or desire for a full-out international conference.

This is especially true for healthcare. Patient, bureaucratic, and front-line worker care is all leaders have time to contend with…Even if costs and logistics are contained.

That’s why it’s important to understand what’s actually available to help you develop your teams from speakers under your consideration.

Ultimately, a speaker can teach, train, model, facilitate, or elaborate on an important topic for you and your team. And event types on the virtual docket are as diverse as the goals you have for your virtual speaker.

TYPES OF SPEAKING EVENTS

Not every training requires a massive gathering of people to be effective.

In fact, some of the goals you have for developing your team and your business might benefit more from a more “intimate” gathering.

Here are the most common virtual events in play for leadership and team development:

Live multi-day conferences and industry-specific events, national or international in nature
Limited capacity live interactive webinars for professional groups
Workshops specific to a system, process, or topic of interest for an organization
Virtual lunch and learn training for local or regional offices
Hybrid events where attendees stay at home and speakers are all gathered onsite (kind of like 2020 live sporting events)

MY SPEAKER OFFERINGS

As a speaker who specializes in growing and retaining strong teams, leaders, especially those in healthcare, seek out my guidance.

Before the pandemic, onsite workshops, facilitation, and speaking at conferences were my focus.

Yet with mandated travel and social-distancing restrictions, serving professional groups in that manner was no longer an option. That’s why I certified as a virtual speaker.

Nowadays, I speak either virtually or in person, depending on which venue works best for your team or industry.

Some of the buzzworthy topics organizations seek me out to discuss include how to:

Prepare your mindset for engaging in a crucial conversation
Model transparency and vulnerability with and for your team
Create a business succession plan that serves you as an owner and leader
Evolve your leadership into a coach-leader model using the three levels of conversation

Find out more about my speaker services on Speaker Match or the National Association of Speakers.

VIRTUAL SPEAKING EVENTS ALLOW INNOVATION FOR EVERYONE

Audiences large or small can all reap the benefits of virtual learning from qualified speakers.

Leaders from all industries are delegating vital teaching, training, facilitation, and education to virtual speakers.

I hope this guide offered you insight into how you can better serve and develop your team virtually.

Should the need arise to innovate your team systems, processes, or mindset I’m here for you. To discuss how I can help in a virtual, live, or onsite capacity, please email me at judy@growstrongteams.com

FLIP THE SCRIPT TO EXPRESS GRATITUDE ON THE JOB

May 6, 2021 by Judy Cirullo

You’re not alone if you’re struggling to express gratitude on the job. That’s the “bad” news.

Here’s the “good” news though. You have a job, you’re getting paid, and you sidestepped a major financial crisis even though the company you work for struggled during the pandemic.

But still, it’s hard to be grateful when everything in your life in the last year or so feels completely out of your control. So, you unintentionally lash out at your team leader or the business owner who kept you on payroll.

What if you could flip the script and express on-the-job gratitude instead?

APPRECIATION IS A CHOICE

Choosing appreciation means having an awareness of the sacrifices made by the company to keep your role intact.

Even if it meant operating at breakeven, or potentially at a loss to do so. Which ultimately equates to the owner taking a pay cut.

This alone speaks volumes as to the value you hold as a key player to help execute the company mission.

AWARENESS IS YOUR TICKET TO GRATITUDE AT WORK

The first step to on-the-job gratitude is awareness…

Awareness of what’s going on around you and how you react when things are uncertain or unsettling.

It also includes awareness of your own thoughts, especially the dialogue you allow to run unchecked in your head.

Because, as a human, you are hard-wired towards a negative bias. Always on the lookout for potential threats, problems, and doomsday scenarios.

It’s a throwback to that reptilian brain thinking that kept humans alive early in our evolution…And it no longer serves us today. Instead, it causes undue stress, heightened anxiety, and often locks people into long-term depressive states.

MINDFULNESS IS A PRACTICE

It’s not easy to be mindful all the time…At least until you decide to create a habit of being mindful.

Mindfulness requires intention as well as attention, plus the already mentioned awareness of how you’re showing up.

When you catch your dialogue running towards resentment, scarcity, or what you don’t have (which in most cases is a lack of feeling safe or in control of circumstances), that’s when it’s time to shift.

Not after looking for company for your misery (recruiting other team members to complain to about it).

Not after mentally chalking one up to being “right” about something happening that you didn’t want to happen.

And, especially not after being reactionary towards your team leader, officer, or owner of the company where you work.

REACTING VERSUS RESPONDING

If you focus on being aware of the reaction you’re having when things aren’t working out as you would like them to, that’s when you get to practice being more mindful in responding.

One simple way to shift is to say “W.A.I.T.” out loud (or to yourself if you’ll “hear” it over the other negative thoughts racing in your brain).

Acknowledge the recurring negative thought as separate from you. Remind yourself that this is a thought, it’s not real. What is real is your ability to think.

Then, proceed to acknowledge that you are the thinker of your thoughts.

For the final step, aloud (or mentally) say, “I chose to move my attention to…” and choose something to replace the reactionary or negative thought.

In this case, an ideal shift would be to move your attention to gratitude to have a job that’s been preserved and is waiting for you every day.

FLIPPING THE SCRIPT TO GRATITUDE TAKES A LITTLE TIME

It’s not about being perfect. It’s more about acknowledging that you’re human too.

You can create a work culture of gratitude and joy, enabling others on your team to feel safe to share their fears, concerns, and feelings.

Effectively, you can flip the script not just for yourself, but for everyone else by modeling transparency and vulnerability.

All it takes is a little patience, practice, and persistence. But perhaps most importantly, it takes you making the commitment to choose gratitude.And, if you or your team needs some guidance on modeling gratitude, feel free to drop me an email so I can share more tips and resources with you.

ONE LEADERSHIP SKILL CEOS NEED TO DEVELOP MOST THAT’S NOT WHAT THEIR DIRECTORS THINK IT IS

April 8, 2021 by Judy Cirullo

As a CEO, business owner, or entrepreneur, there’s always something you can improve in your skills arsenal. Yet, the one leadership skill you realize you need to develop most is not what your director thinks it is.

Which causes a bit of a conflict between what you want to pursue for professional growth and what “your bosses” say you need to get better at doing.

The One Leadership Skill Conflict

You definitely have in-depth knowledge of your company, industry, and good ideas about how to accomplish long-term goals. That’s likely what won you your leadership role in the first place.

Yet the skill your director thinks you need a boost with most is mentoring or developing others.

But, in truth, you know you’re really looking for a way to be a better communicator. Someone who can effortlessly and effectively manage conflict.

Why the Discrepancy?

Think of the gap between what your directors say you need and what it is you know you need as a conflict of interest, in a way.

Directors are in play to ensure your company’s strategies are followed and objectives are met. They analyze and monitor employee progress towards achieving goals and meeting or surpassing set targets.

You, on the other hand, are in the business of managing your greatest company asset.

People. Teams. Front-line workers.

Balancing Company And Team Member Needs

Of course, your job is to make sure the right people are in the right seats to get the job done.

However, you have to balance that job with that of taking care of humans.

Humans who naturally disagree. Who have conflicts with other team members. Or have a problem with their growing list of assigned duties.

And, they avoid talking about. But it most definitely affects their performance.

So, it’s your job to help resolve the conflicts they have. Be they internal limiting beliefs, or external stressors or triggers.

What One Leadership Skill Do You Focus On?

In my professional opinion as an executive leadership coach, the choice on where to focus is a simple one.

Conflict resolution, especially in today’s climate, is essential to lead and grow strong teams. And, it’s one that takes precedence over mentoring others.

I’m not saying that both of these skills aren’t important.

What I am saying is that if you have team members in constant conflict, expressed or suppressed, you won’t have much of a team left to mentor or develop if it’s not resolved.

Being a strong resolver of conflicts allows you to build deep trust with your team. It allows your people to feel safe to come to you when something isn’t working knowing that ultimately your goal is to support them to resolve that conflict.

Final Thoughts On Conflict Resolution

Who do you think will fare better?

A leader who knows there’s conflict in and among their team and does nothing?

Or, one who does all they can to acknowledge and resolve conflict before it has a chance to permeate the rest of the team and affect the company’s performance?

For directors reading, understand this. Company goals are met by harmonious teams. And, it’s easier to mentor and develop future leaders when your team turnover rate is low.

And, as for you leaders, drop me an email at judy@growstrongteams.com if you need some insight on addressing conflicts within your team. I’m here for you.

INTRODUCE A NEW COMPENSATION PLAN TO YOUR TEAM WITHOUT PUSHBACK

March 10, 2021 by Judy Cirullo

It’s time to roll out a new compensation plan to your team. And money is a highly charged topic of conversation around the water cooler. So, if you don’t frame that conversation thoughtfully, expect some pushback.

WHY THE CONTEXT OF CHANGE MATTERS

Change isn’t easy for most people. As humans, our behavior is dictated by our subconscious habits for 95% of all our conscious activities.

Unless you have a compelling reason beneath the goal you seek, otherwise known as a compelling why, significant changes in your behavior won’t happen.

While the “whats” that you want may be clear, without the “whys” behind them, change is more like a “nice idea” than a real likelihood. “Whys” are fueled by the positive feelings they evoke while “whats” are just another item on the never-ending to-do list.

How does that all translate to rolling out a new compensation plan?

COMPANY AND TEAM MEMBERS REQUIRE ALIGNMENT

If you can get your company why and your team members whys aligned across most of the spectrum, your work ecosystem fosters and demonstrates connection.

And, this connection exists because of trust and vulnerability.

Once a team connects vulnerably and trusts each other, each member feels included. This naturally leads to feelings of safety. When people feel safe and secure in their workplace, they will exchange feedback between peers and with their leaders openly.

In this type of workplace, where a team’s core values match the company values, crucial conversations get to be easier, even when they are about hot-button topics like money.

TRANSPARENCY ABOUT THE NEW COMPENSATION PLAN IS KEY

Be open and supportive of honest feedback when it comes time to introduce the topic of a change to compensation.

Framing benefits makes a big difference.

How will the team, the company, and the clients you serve benefit from this new compensation plan? Without this type of context, it’s easy for some to fill in the blanks with “worst-case scenario” thinking.

And, if others on the team feel uneasy with change, they can easily fall victim to the same. Because humans are wired with a negative bias, it’s important to help reframe the negativity if you want the transition to go smoothly.

BE PROACTIVE TO DISPEL REACTIVITY

New compensation structures should be brought up with your team for discussion long before you make the decision to implement the change.

You may have already decided to alter how people are compensated, and that’s perfectly fine. Just finding out the objections they might have well in advance of the new plan rollout can make it easier to find solutions to lower or dispel their resistance.

To get buy-in and for your team to feel like they are part of the process, communicate your plans early and often.

NEW COMPENSATION PLAN MEETINGS

When and how often to have meetings about your new compensation plan is important to consider. Ideally, a two-month lead time is best.

Provided you hold weekly team meetings, discussing one aspect of the new compensation plan at a time before the rollout works very well.

Be sure to open the discussion up to things like new tools you’ll use for time or performance tracking, key performance indicators, and any other technical information.

Even more important, open the meeting for two-way feedback. This allows you time to address questions about how the new compensation plan impacts your team and what changes they can expect as a result of adopting it.

Finally, having one-to-one meetings with each team member regularly before, during, and after the roll-out will make the transition easier. Doing so provides you with real-time feedback on whether the shift is successful and what you can do to improve upon it.

ONE-TO-ONE MEETING CRITICAL TALKING POINTS

Your job is to make sure each team member understands your new compensation strategy. Include whether your strategy is based on pay grades, performance, industry alignment, or bonus structures.

Make sure each of your team members knows when pay adjustments can be expected.

The clear direction you give to your team members on how compensation decisions are made builds trust. In other words, when base salaries, raises, and promotions are given, explain the criteria so they can drive their performance accordingly.

Remember to keep your discussion both simple and personal.

Explain the facts in the easiest way possible, but be sure to address how the team member can benefit. This allows you to identify opportunities they have, to praise their performance, and to reinforce their strengths and achievements.

HOW TO KNOW THAT YOU GOT THIS CRUCIAL CONVERSATION RIGHT…

If you frame your new compensation plan rollout properly, here are just a few improvements you might notice:

Team members can set realistic expectations about what they can do to improve their compensation as well as the pace at which they can expect their compensation to grow
A jump in motivation for individuals to meet or exceed stated goals and objectives
Feeling included in the new compensation rollout process as well as safe to provide feedback about the plan itself
A better understanding of company strategies, priorities, and goals
Leadership appreciation of the achievements, successes, and dedication of individuals on your team

YOUR PLAN DELIVERED WITH CONFIDENCE

A new compensation plan rollout doesn’t automatically have to be met with resistance.

Observe these guidelines to ground the highly-charged energy that too often surrounds compensation conversations.

Share the company context or “the why” for the change
Be honest about the need for this change and how it affects each team member
Welcome varying viewpoints and encourage honest feedback
Meet early and often to educate the team and set expectations

For more tips on how to frame a crucial conversation in your business or practice, email me directly at judy@growstrongteams.com or connect with me on LinkedIn.

HOW TO USE THE EMOTIONAL CYCLE OF CHANGE TO END SHINY OBJECT SYNDROME AND SHUT DOWN OVERWHELM

August 5, 2020 by Judy Cirullo

Even at your best as a leader, at times you struggle with overwhelm. Instead of grabbing the next shiny object to help solve a problem that’s plagued you, tap into the power of the emotional cycle of change.

SHINY OBJECT SYNDROME IS A SELF-PERPETUATED CYCLE

Change can be as easy or as difficult as you make it.

Yes, you are responsible for your experience as you move from one state of being to another.

And truthfully, the cycle of shiny object syndrome (SOS) is one of the most difficult patterns to escape.

Always looking for the next solution because the one you are in active pursuit of hasn’t worked yet is a symptom of something much deeper than lack of stick-to-it-ive-ness.

It’s actually about the valley of despair.

THE EMOTIONAL CYCLE OF CHANGE

Don Kelley and Daryl Conner defined the human cycle of change in relation to emotions over time. They first published their work in the 1979 Annual Handbook For Group Facilitators.

Essentially, there are five stages of change people go through to reach success. They are:

Uninformed Optimism
Informed Pessimism
Valley of Despair
Informed Optimism
Completion (also known as Success, Fulfillment, or Breakthrough)

And each stage corresponds to a specified time during the change cycle.

EMOTIONAL CHANGE CYCLE AND THE INVERTED BELL CURVE

Even if math isn’t a natural talent for you, certainly you’ve heard of the bell curve. It starts at the intersection of the X-axis (horizontal) and the Y-axis (vertical) of a standard two-dimensional graph.

The line goes up vertically and to the right horizontally then back down and to the right to form the shape of a bell. It’s the standard most schools use to assign student grades depending on what area of the curve they fall into.

The emotional change cycle is shaped the same way, just upside down.

So, the “change” starting point is high on the Y-axis, which is defined as feelings at time zero, with time being the X-axis.

POINTS ON THE CURVE

That first point on the change cycle is called uninformed optimism. In the beginning, everything seems possible to you. You have high conviction that you’ll make it to the change goal you set.

You’ve done your research. You’re inspired to act. Nothing is going to stand in your way.

Then, as you progress a little to the right, or spend some time working on the change, your feelings drop down a bit.

Some of the steps you’re taking aren’t as easy as you first thought. You lose a little momentum because the challenges are now making themselves known to you. This point on the curve is informed pessimism.

Keep traveling to the right, spending more time working towards your goal, and feelings fall substantially. At this point, you’re at the bottom of the inverted bell curve. This is called the valley of despair.

If you’re really struggling, this point will land on the X-axis, meaning you have nothing but pessimistic thoughts as you consider working through to the end to achieve the change you’re seeking.

Everything is difficult, an extreme challenge. You may feel anxious, depressed – as if it’s just not worth it to continue.

And this is the point where SOS kicks in for you if you’re caught in the gravitational pull of its cycle. More on that in a second…

Should you make it out of the valley of despair with a little more time spent, when you start to see results, you’ll climb up the Y-axis again to learned optimism.

This is when you see the light at the end of the tunnel as you close in on your final point on the curve, completion.

THAT UNMAGIC MOMENT ISN’T WHAT YOU THINK

In the valley of despair, you have two choices. Persist or quit.

At this point, your inner critic is busily chastising you for making the decision to pursue this solution. You beat yourself up, decide you don’t know how to make it through and walk away.

When you quit, as any dedicated leader does, you brush yourself off and pursue another solution.

Once you find one you’re excited enough to take action on, you leap into the abyss again. Repeating the same cycle down from uninformed optimism, to learned pessimism, to the valley of despair.

Quit again, and, as you can see, the cycle repeats on autoloop.

Full-on SOS is not so much about a lack of attention or capability. It’s more about giving up too soon, generally right before the big breakthrough moment that will get you climbing back up the curve to learned optimism.

It’s not an argument of “too hard.” It’s an argument of “too soon.”

CUTTING THE CORD ON THE SOS CYCLE

Clearly you can see how the “quitters never prosper” comes into play here. How this endless loop of giving up before the breakthrough keeps you stuck in overwhelm and extreme frustration.

So, how do you end the cycle and leave SOS in your rearview mirror for good?

These three tips will help…

First, be aware of how the emotional cycle of change affects every goal, solution, or transformation you go in pursuit of.

With awareness, once you hit the deep dark night of the valley of despair, you can recognize it is the temporary scenario you find yourself in. Keep taking the small steps forward and you will emerge over time.

This leads to the second critical point for you to understand.

While you may have a timeline in your head about how soon you should expect to receive results, remember, that’s a judgment you’re making based on your filters and previous experiences.

If this is a solution that’s new to you, leave your “shoulds” out of it and respect the pace it takes. Just understand if you quit because it’s “too hard” to go looking for another option, you’ll be back into despair soon enough.

Finally, to keep the valley of despair from getting so low on the feelings scale that quitting feels like the only choice to keep you sane, find someone to help you shortcut your change.

In other words, find a mentor or coach who can support you and hold you accountable at the times when change feels the hardest. Someone who is intimately familiar with the challenges you’re facing and has an effective solution to deliver the outcome you’re after.

YOU MADE IT TO COMPLETION…NOW WHAT?

While you undoubtedly feel a sense of accomplishment, if you don’t stay aware, you may fall back into the SOS habit.

Because once you complete a goal, another layer of the change you seek that’s related to the goal you just reach will likely show itself.

Let it come. Go for further elevation or improvement.

Just don’t let it lull you into the belief that you’re fine where you are once you hit the valley of despair again in pursuit of the “next level” you’re after.

TO GET OUT, GO THROUGH THE EMOTIONAL CYCLE OF CHANGE

To stop SOS in its tracks, the only way out is awareness and forging ahead when it feels so much easier to just pivot.

Pivoting only makes sense if you reach a dead-end on the way to your destination. It’s not the choice that will end overwhelm if you continue to choose pivots over progress.

If you find yourself at a point of too many pivots with too little progress and too much stress, schedule a free strategy session with me to get some clarity on how to stay the course