BreakPoint Solutions as a the name for our leadership development and consultancy firm was a very deliberate and purposeful decision. Not that the naming of any company or venture is ever random. But as it was launched, there was a realization that there was an opportunity to capture the essence of what we were going to be about, who we wanted to be, and what we hoped to achieve. The definition is intended to convey the power of coaching, leadership, self-awareness, and strategic intent that encompasses our work here at BreakPoint:
"an intentional stopping point or place to pause, an opportunity to derive new knowledge, establish commitment to a new direction in one's career or life...allowing one to evaluate a current path, effort and results, inspect one's environment, and reset for future success."
The reality of COVID-19 has put us all into a definitive - if involuntary - pause and, at the very least, a short-term enforced resetting of priorities. There has been a vast amount of speculation as to what the future holds or what it should hold while we ride out a storm with no definitive end date. We keep speculating as to when life will return to "normal" - end of April, mid-May, end of June... never? We have reasonable belief that a vaccine is still at least a year out and that it is reasonable to expect another wave, or more, of COVID-19 will haunt us into the fall and perhaps beyond. Vigilance and reinforcement of new health and social norms will be asked and required of us.
So beyond managing and/or leading through this, how can we, as leaders and individuals, effectively and constructively use this pause. One of the requirements of leaders in particular is to not just get caught up in the crisis of the moment. We are singularly called to think strategically, keep our "eyes up", and chart a course across the stormy waters to the murky future. As leaders, we also have to act to calm the waters for those who we purport to lead - not add gas to the proverbial fire. Easier said than done I know. I also realize that for some businesses, the long-term is currently being measured in just months, weeks, or even days - all as we keep an eye on the cash reserves and bills that still keep coming in.
As an executive coach, entrepreneur, and small business owner, I have always tried to practice what I preach. Not to simply throw tools, templates and resources at my clients without actually putting those same tools to use in developing and guiding my business and personal development.
So what has this pause meant to me? How am I remaining strategic and even visionary while riding the waves of this storm-tossed sea? How am using this BreakPoint?
I've gone back to revisit at least two tools. At the first and simplest level I've gone back to review my own leadership and personality assessments. This includes emotional intelligence, Total Strengths Deployment Inventory (TSDI), and Myers-Briggs. Why am I doing this? I recognize that I am - and we all are - operating under new, sustained, and significant stresses in all aspects of life (personal and professional), and likely not operating from the best place. So the review of these results helps make the unconscious conscious, arms me with a better ability (with some conscious effort) to slow down and reset, and ultimately be in a better place to continue to be relatively sane, productive and present for others.
The other core tool for me is my own personal business plan. While I have always approached the concept of this plan - and strategic planning in general - as a dynamically supportive process and document, it is abundantly clear that the assumptions that informed this plan at its annual update in August last year have been radically upended. The growth curve that has characterized my entrepreneurial venture since 2012 is going to be flattened. That is reality.
I still, however, have choice in terms of how I respond to that reality. For some, the current crisis might reinforce the futility of planning at all. What's the point? We are merely railing against the wind and creating the delusion of control. I don't believe that. I'm not content to believe I am merely subject to the winds of predetermined fate. I don't believe any of us can truly function without a sense of our core self and a desired future state we wish to achieve. But then I have always remained idealistic despite a number of significant bumps in both my personal and professional lives.
This is where the value of my personal business plan comes into play. This is more than just a plan for the business of BreakPoint Solutions or my own individual coaching/consulting practice. It encompasses concepts of Mission, Vision, Values, short- through long-term objectives, strategies and tactics. It also encompasses the entirety of planning for the whole of me - personal, family, and professional.
The need to review the plan has been reinforced by the new environmental reality. That reality and my review has reinforced the essential soundness of my Mission and Vision. I am confident that I am pursuing the right things for the right reasons.
Strategies, tactics and targets for this year are definitely going to be changing - and this also provides opportunity to ensure I am living in accordance to my stated Values. So while things like family vacations in Florida have been cancelled and Ironman competition in August hangs in the balance, what has been reinforced is the need to spend quality time with my loved ones. Balance and fun remain essential. We just need to do it differently right now.
From a business and professional standpoint, my Values and the rest of my plan call me to continue to focus on being of service to my clients. Coaching has never been more relevant to those being challenged by these circumstances or having to work virtually. Connection versus isolation. This pause has also afforded me the opportunity to invest in a range of offerings that have been in my idea bucket for months, if not years. I've pulled the trigger on getting some of these products trademarked and copyrighted. I'm still building the legacy for years to come, despite short-term challenges.
Long story short, this pause, while quite unwelcome, can form the basis for resetting, getting further clarity on what is important and what is necessary, and thus set the foundation for greater strength coming out of the storm when it passes.
So use this BreakPoint to your best advantage. Slow down to go fast. Establish and confirm your priorities. Build hope for yourself, your team, and your family. We can use this enforced pause to advantage. We can build stronger foundations. We can continue to live our Mission fully and achieve our long-term Vision. It's About Leadership and It's About Leadership of Self.
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Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC
President & Founder - BreakPoint Solutions
gregh@breakpoint.solutions
www.breakpoint.solutions
780-250-2543