Meditate On It

What Do You Do When You Get Stuck?

We’ve all been there. Working on a project and we just can’t seem to get to completion. Or at least not to a completion we are satisfied with. The project could be something short term, an assignment for a client, writing the next blog, or it could be something big,  perhaps a life decision.

  • Some of us power through, get to an acceptable answer and move on.
  • Some of us pause, ruminate, perhaps even beat ourselves up for not getting to the “right” answer, or even stop completely.

Whichever is your default modus operandi, I invite you to consider this one: meditate on it.  

Meditation can be…

  • Sitting quietly in the traditional form of meditation, perhaps for a day or a week or even more, depending on the scope of the challenge.
  • Scheduling what one of my clients refers to as, “library time”.  Scheduling time with yourself to write, to think, to plan.
  • Or, it could be reading something that inspires you.
  • Or going for a run.

Whatever it is for you, next time you get stuck, consider meditating on it…

Why Vistage Works

Elisa K. Spain

Which Kind of Leadership?

  1. Some situations require a general to inspire us to “take the hill”.
  2. Some situations require someone from the group to lead, an informal leader.
  3. Some situations simply require wisdom; the wisdom of Socrates, to simply ask the right question.

So easy to default to Option 1 and assume all situations require this. After all, so much of what we have learned about leadership comes from command and control training. Historically we idealized and idolized military leaders. While much can be learned from these great leaders of history, the world today is more nuanced.

And with that nuance, comes the opportunity to choose Option 2 and/or Option 3. Each move progressively toward the true meaning of empowerment, depending on the situation.

Our challenge is to read the situation and decide.

 

Why Vistage Works

Elisa K. Spain

Q4 2017 Confidence Index: CEO Optimism Surges to Decade Peak

The Q4 Vistage CEO Confidence Index was nearly equal to the second and third quarters of 2017, suggesting that optimism among small business CEOs has stabilized.

Q4 2017 Vistage CEO Confidence Index highlights include:

  • 66% of CEOs of CEOs said the economy had recently improved, a significant increase from last quarter’s52%.
  • 45% of CEOs expect the economy to post additional gains during the year ahead, up 13 points from 32% last quarter.
  • 71% of CEOs plan to expand their workforce in the year ahead.
  • 83% of CEOs expect increased revenues in the year ahead.
  • 67% of CEOs expect increased profits in the year ahead.
  • 54% of CEOs expect to increase investment expenditures in the next year.

Chicago Area Survey Highlights:

  • 37% of CEOs expect the economy to improve in the year ahead (vs. 45% nationally)
  • 46% of CEOs expect to increase investments in the year ahead (vs. 54% nationally)
  • 83% of CEOs expect to increase revenue in the year ahead (vs. 83% nationally)
  • 70% of CEOs plan to expand their workforce in the next year (vs. 71% nationally)
  • 59% of CEOs thought the national economy had improved in the past year (vs. 66% nationally)
  • 62% of CEOs expect rising profits in the year ahead (vs. 67% nationally)

Why Vistage Works

Elisa K. Spain