I read a great business book around Christmas time, 52 Key Business Growth Concepts, written by Bob Scott. After I finished it, I came up with a cool project which has now become a year long dream development plan. From this book I will read one dream growth goal a week, and apply it to my top photography dream.
This week I put my hand in the hat and pulled out Business Idea #16 -
The Business is a Reflection of You
The idea is: any business is a reflection of the person in charge and I believe the same is true for your big dream. So, if the owner/leader/dreamer is strong, healthy, organized, confident, and/or committed to the dream – then you will see evidence of it in how the dream is being executed. Alternatively, if the owner/leader/dreamer is weak, un-healthy, disorganized, insecure and/or non-committal to a dream – then you will see evidence of this in how the dream is being executed.
Want to see if it’s for real?
Think about the best place you have ever worked. Think about why you liked the company. Can you connect that experience to the leadership of the business? Now think about the WORST place you have ever worked. Think about why you hated it. Can you connect that experience to the leadership of the business?
Look at the current state of your dream space, take an objective look around and become aware of what you see. You do have a place specifically set aside for working on your dream . . . right?
I walked into my 10 x 10 office, and tried to take an honest look at my top photographer space.
Here is what I see, and if this idea is true, this is also the impressions of what others see as a reflection of me and my dreams -
- Lots of folders and papers and stuff without a place – brings up impressions of being disorganized, not clear, not secure, like “Can’t she put things where they go? I bet she looses stuff all the time”
- Shared space, commingled dreams (photography and consulting practice) which brings up impressions of importance, strength, but lots going on, like “Wow, she’s in high demand how does she handle it all?”
- Creative, positive space – brings up impressions of accomplishments, happiness and excitement, like “It’s important to her that her life is exciting and fulfilling.”
- Lots of things (pens, post its, files, photo jackets, empty frames, tea mugs, water bottles) which bring up impressions of incompleteness, distraction, clutter, like “It doesn’t matter – I’ll deal with it later.”
So what will I do?
I will spend the week organizing my office the way I want it to reflect my dream goals. I want the impression of me to show a dreamer who is organized, clear, down to earth, creative, reliable, interested and productive. I also have to figure out how to make a workable space for my photography, and at least have a place specifically organized for the storage of frames, mattes and photos. Right now, they are being propped up, put in drawers and in the hall closet.
Want an interesting wake up call?
Ask yourself, “Is how I am managing my big dream truly a reflection of me?”
For the best results, be honest with yourself. Take a good hard, long look at your dream space. Is it a reflection of your dream? Or is it disorganized, unfocused and filled with items which have nothing to do with your dream? If you were a stranger, what would you think of the person who occupies your dream space?
Would you believe they are working seriously on their dream?
If not, what will you do about your dream space, because remember – your dream space is a reflection of you . . .
Until next photo,
Remy’s dream is creating opportunities for photography showings and public displays of her work and to ultimately be recognized nationally as a photographer … then the world. Remy’s post day is Friday
Remy’s dream is creating opportunities for photography showings and public displays of her work and to ultimately be recognized nationally as a respected photographer . . . then the world. Remy is CEO of Cornerstone Creative, a business consulting practice in Northern California. Remy’s post day is Wednesday. +Remy Gervais
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Remy,
Very poignant. I will take stock today, but just reading it made me think about things that I think refelect me positively and some that made me cringe….just what a good blog should do!
AWESOME – as I look around here at work I think I’m ok but know lurking around some stand up files is something that needs to be addressed…
Until next blog
This is a great post and it had me immediately thinking about all my work spaces and living spaces.
I loved working for Continental Savings in the 80s because of my boss there. I really admired and revered her. She taught me so much about banking and real estate and the legal side of it – information I still know today.
And you are right. The symphony job was awful because of the person running it and his attitude about everything which trickled down through the group.
Interesting post – a great one.
Great post Remy… I have been thinking a lot about how to “brand” myself, as an author and for my other business endeavors, this year… Starting with my work space is a great idea!
Currently I’m on the road a lot and often work from a laptop – first step will be organizing my computer bag and computer files (which are not well-organized right now).
Step two is getting my home office finished – it’s painted, but needs pictures hanging on the walls and better light. Currently, I spend much of my time working in the kitchen (which has great natural light). My filing system needs an overhaul.
I absolutely commit to making this the year that I truly present myself as professionally as I can in all aspects of my work – which includes my branding (Website, business cards), and like you said, the space I work in.
Whew! Have I got my work cut out for me this year! ;) That’s OK tho’, it’s all fun and will help me to grow and become all that I want to be… Worth the effort. :)
Thanks for keeping us on track with some great business ideas Remy!
Hugs,
Lisa
You are welcome…take a few bites at a time! As you redecorate and need prints, let me know….I have no idea of your taste in art or photos, but if I have done anything you like, I’d be happy to print a few images for you to frame. here are some and I have lots more, just lemme know! Rem
http://remyg.smugmug.com/
“Take a good hard, long look at your work space. Is it all a reflection of your business? ”
Mine is not all business — even though it’s at my employer’s office. I’m not the kind of person who can be happy in an all-business environment — I need to bring a little bit of home with me (and my home is entirely informal.) My stuff’s not well organized, and neither am I. I’m a bottom-up, detail oriented person (which goes hand-in-hand with finding it difficult to organize things) who has technical skills for that reason, but never forgets the people and taking care of the emotional health of the team.
One of the 2 best jobs I’ve had was working for a manager who wasnt terribly organized. She happened to see me come in and ask for an application, and talked to me even though she didn’t have an opening for the position I wanted. She and I got on, and she offered me a job on the spot (doing something else I was also qualified, with the idea I would move into the other position — and I eventually did.) It was a people-oriented service job, and she was a very intuitive sort of person. She hired people she intuitively believed in, and then trusted and encouraged them to do good work. That kept us happy and motivated to do well. For customers, who were there to enjoy themselves, the place had a free-spirited, casual feel, and that worked pretty well.
The other best job is my current job. Some of the philosophy is similar in that they are picky about hiring good people (although this boss is more analytical in deciding whether people are good), and then trust and encourage them. And I have to say that I am working with the best bunch of people I’ve ever worked with in my life. Every one is cooperative, helpful, and mostly cheerful, and as a group we are very productive.
Now I know a certain amount of neatness is a good thing when you have customers to impress, and of course we all have room for improvement. But I also think that if you’ve found the right work for yourself, then your own style will suit the work.
Remy, another great post. Thanks for sharing with us your thoughts. I look forward to hearing more about this tour through 52 Key Business Growth Concepts.
Shallie Bey
Smarter Small Business Blog
Remy, I love the honesty in your assessment. It made me think about what my desk and the message it communicates. Paper waster comes to mind…hmmmmm…
And I’m guessing that it also communicates positive messages too – but I can certainly identify with the paper eater, for sure…Thanks for the comment. R
This hits the spot! I let my clutter pile up until I finally do a cleanout. Sometimes that is weeks, other times longer. Each time I clean, I feel better for being more organized, but then I let the clutter creep back. I’ve realized a lot of it is avoiding making decisions about what to do with something.
Bruce, its great that you realize that! I notice that in myself as well…I call it “open issues” which really means “sitting there in a pile on my desk waiting for my delayed decision.”
Gotta get better at that this year. Thanks for the note! Rem
GREAT POST! Definitely got me to thinking about my spaces. Not just my business but also my home. As for the business being a reflection of me concept I think I am going to have to look beyond the visual and into my communication skills and confidence. BOTH REQUIRE SOME MAINTENANCE.
Wendy, you take this idea one step further…actions, emotions, strengths, challenges – they all show up in the biz and our lives / relationships. I made a commitment to clear communication with people – and I’m finding that I’m getting clarity back from them…and things are seemingly a bit more efficient. Its too early to tell but I like how it feels, very proactive. Let me know how your experiment goes. Rem
“Lots of things (pens, post its, files, photo jackets, empty frames, tea mugs, water bottles) which bring up impressions of incompleteness, distraction, clutter, like “It doesn’t matter – I’ll deal with it later.” ”
This doesn’t sound like “it doesn’t matter” to me. It sounds like someone who has lots of ideas about what to do in the future, and doesn’t wait until everything else is done to get them started. It speaks of someone who’s very busy and lets less important things wait to get finished when urgent/important productive work takes priority. Maybe it says “too many irons in the fire”, but I think it says some positive things as well.
I always feel better after everything is cleaned up. We just cleaned the girls rooms, early spring cleaning, to get ready for new furniture. How do people have so much crap??