Trust God and believe in good things to come

The readings this week have been inspiring.  As I approach the opportunity, quite late in my career, of starting a new business, I am uplifted by the story that Jeffery R Holland shared in "Good Things to Come".  I anticipate that my full time job will no longer be available, and I am at a crossroads.  I could seek similar alternate employment, or I can set up a business doing something that I am good at...outplacement services.  I am excited and fearful all at the same time!  Elder Holland's words are resonating with me right now: "Trust God and believe in good things to come".  The time for preparation is almost passed, and the time for action is upon me.

I didn't see unemployment coming when I started my online program at BYU-I, but almost everything I have learned is relevant to the situation I find myself in.  I was recently called as Stake Employment Specialist, a small sign that maybe the Lord knew before I did.

Taylor Richards talked about persevering and focusing on what we set our minds to we can "do amazing things" if we choose to.  I firmly believe in situational strengths, in other words, strengths that are only seen when the situation demand them - this is where we see what we are made of and this is where we see how well we are able to rely on the Lord to help us.

To quote from a recent movie "It will be alright in the end, and if it isn't alright, then it's not yet the end" (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, 2011)

7 Habits

Stephen R Covey was an amazing man.  It has been a few years since I reviewed the 7 habits, and I must confess that I have forgotten too much about them.  

The brief overview this week was very valuable, and it was particularly interesting to  review them with a view to entrepreneurship.  I have never really followed an entrepreneurial path, and now that I am actually considering starting a new business, I have looked at these habits with fresh eyes.  Previously, the habit that I have leveraged in the workplace is "Seek first to understand, then to be understood".  This habit has helped me with building a team and being a good leader and being a good listener.

All of the habits add value, and the combination of all of them can create immense value in what we do.  However,  the one that I felt really drawn to in my current circumstances is "Think win/win".  The main idea is "The most effective way to work with other people is to structure a win/win relationship focused on results, not methods."  When I consider my options for a new business, I have considered what I could do and how I could be successful, but I cannot achieve success without giving equal thought and consideration to potential clients.  My success is entirely dependent on helping others to be successful.  If I lose sight of that, I will not be successful.

I wanted to capture the 5 dimensions of this habit:

1. Character
2. Relationships
3. Agreements
4. Systems
5. Processes

It is easy to just think of the first 2, but building strong agreements, and having a base of solid systems and processes will also be critical in my path.

Where do Entrepreneurs get their ideas from?

There is a fascinating article in the Harvard Business Review titled "How Entrepreneurs Craft" by Amar Bhide, one piece of data that I found interesting was about how entrepreneurs get their ideas (see chart below).  71% modified an idea that they got from their previous employment.  This is exactly the path I am looking at now.  I have been employed for over 30 years, and now contemplating going my own way - and in so doing, I would choose to leverage a skill that I have developed over the past 16 years.  I have had the "opportunity" to work for companies that have been downsizing, and in that process I have built that skill to a high level.  Now, in the current oil and gas environment, I get to use those skills again.  It is highly likely that my role may not survive the next round of cuts....and that is when i will get to leverage the following:



This is all very logical.  But what I find most fascinating is how exciting this is.  I had never imagined that I would actually look forward to doing something like this.  This course and it's content are so timely for me as I explore these options.

Looking at the Acton Foundation article "So you Want to be an Entrepreneur", it focuses on the 3 areas that are critical to starting a new business:

1.  Industry knowledge
2. Operations skills

3. The ability to raise money

I can do all of this....although I must confess to being nervous about raising money!  I need to study more about that!

A Hero's Journey

I was intrigued by the talk by Jeff Sandefer.  He shared that he had felt insecurities as a young man deciding on his career path.

Jeff talked about finding his entrepreneurial "calling".  As I learned about his journey and reflected on our recent case studies (Erica Mills and Magdalena Yesil) I have given more thought to my "exit strategy" from my existing career and role as an HR Business Partner.    I work for an Oil and Gas Company in Calgary, and the oil price is significantly low at the moment, this impacts me and many of my friends and colleagues.  Couple this challenging issue with a couple of events in our company that have impacted our business.  Consequently I feel insecure in my current role.  As time goes on, and as I learn from the people we have heard from, I am building courage to take the next steps.

I have significant experience at "downsizing", or employee layoff's.  I have worked for 4 companies in the past 35 years, and all of these companies have been through significant downsizing episodes, I have been closely involved in these for 17 years, and I'm good at it.  Now is the time.  Calgary is experiencing a difficult time as an Oil and Gas City, and while the issues won't last forever, they will last long enough that outplacement services have become a critical part of business for the many impacted companies.  This is my calling.  I have been prepared for this, and I can add value to the key objectives for many companies.