Our August Ho‘ohana is Ho‘olaule‘a; a Celebration!

Preface: If you are new to Talking Story, Ho‘ohana „¢ is the monthly newsletter of Say Leadership Coaching, sent on the first of each month to our email subscribers. Talking Story is home to the Ho‘ohana „¢ online essay of each issue, and we explore more on the newsletter’s theme periodically through-out the rest of the month. The best way to sort out the Ho‘ohana „¢ posts from the others, is to click on the Talking Story category link named Monthly Ho‘ohana: they’ll appear from newest to oldest. 

Our Ho‘ohana theme this month is called Ho‘olaule‘a, the Hawaiian word for Celebration.

What are we celebrating?

A One–Two punch of goodness: This month is the One-Year Anniversary of Talking Story, and the Two-Year Anniversary of Say Leadership Coaching (SLC). I am thrilled with how far we’ve come, I’m excited about what’s ahead, and I invite you to celebrate with us!

With both SLC and Talking Story I jumped in feet first with a little forethought, and a lot of impulsiveness. I now realize how incredibly lucky I was, though I prefer to say ‘blessed’ instead, for blessed is so much more accurate. In these past two years such abundance has been created, and this month we’ll be taking a look back at some of the highlights that brought us this far. You, my Ho‘ohana Community, have played a huge part in getting both SLC and Talking Story to where they are today, and we want to take every opportunity we can this month to say mahalo; thank you.

At the same time we want to give you a gift: A month-long look at your opportunities for entrepreneurship. Before you say, “Thanks, but I’m not interested in starting my own business,” let me explain that you don’t necessarily have to. I’ll explain why we think our gift is still one for each and every one of you, fledgling entrepreneur or not.

In my case, starting my own business can best be described as the open door I walked through to finally find my ho‘ohana; the work I was passionate about doing with complete creative freedom.

In August of 2003 I had completed my first rough draft of the Managing with Aloha manuscript, and I knew then it was the book I was meant to write for the people I dreamed of coaching and mentoring. My book would soon be published to get the MWA work philosophy in a greater number of managers’ hands both in and outside of Hawaii. That was November of last year, and just yesterday, the Honolulu Star Bulletin again included Managing with Aloha on their list of the best-selling books in Hawaii. My warmest mahalo to all of you in the islands who have made this happen.

However every author is aware of this stark reality: not everyone likes to read no matter how good a book may be. Further, reading about a better management philosophy, is not the same as doing it, is it.  It would take the creation of my company to more completely and proactively bring the best vision of the MWA message to life. Say Leadership Coaching was created both for mentorship and as a laboratory, so that the MWA work philosophy would be continually responsive to the ever-changing business climate, and in its effectiveness as the managers’ most reliable resource.

The very idea of this happening would prove to be empowering and exhilarating. The execution of this idea has been transformational and liberating. It has created even more possibility than I had initially dreamed of.

What else do I know for sure?

1. Starting my own business was something I should have done much sooner than I did, and
2. I could have started sowing the seeds for SLC’s creation during the time I still worked in the corporate work world with my previous employer.

I know I definitely could have done both things simultaneously and harmoniously, and I know those efforts would have been mutually beneficial. Instead of starting completely from scratch, I would have had significant momentum in place the day I hung up my own SLC placard saying ‘Open for Business.’ At the same time, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind I would have delivered a much higher level of strategic thinking to my employer for the betterment of his business too.

Well, lesson learned. Today, we coach every employer who works with SLC to groom an ‘entrepreneurial mindset’ within the working agreements they create with their staff, considering every single person they employ one of their business partners. The job capacity they hold doesn’t matter; how they execute it does.

Creating your own company is not for everyone. However everyone in business who works as if they are actually in training to do so reaps more benefit from their existing jobs. Their intellectual, emotional, and physical capacities are respected and explored, and fertile ground is cultivated for growth in all three areas. Learning accelerates. New ideas sprout everywhere. Change is embraced for its potential, innovation is sought. Opportunities multiply. Everyone learns, everyone grows, everyone benefits.

Some people remain in these working environments of increased opportunity as very loyal business partners for the rest of their working lives. Others eventually do branch out on their own and become entrepreneurs. Both are successful.

For many years I was content to be a very good manager for other leaders. I never thought I could be a visionary leader, or a budding entrepreneur and business owner, because I didn’t have a novel, earth-shattering mega idea.

I was wrong.

You may be too. Or you may be that person with an entrepreneurial point-of-view who still thrives in corporate business. Do you know which person you are?

You’ll never know for sure, if you don’t ask yourself the questions that will help you to find out.

Our Ho‘olaule‘a gift to you this month is a chance to find out your answer sooner versus later. It’s an invitation to your journey of self-discovery. Why wait as long as I did to figure it out if you don’t have to?

And who knows. A year or two from now you could possibly be planning a Ho‘olaule‘a of your own.

There’s more…

I have the enormously good fortune to have An Accomplice this month with my Ho‘olaule‘a Ho‘ohana! Oooh this is going to be good! You will find out who he is tomorrow, for he deserves a headline all his own. We can’t have a truly special Ho‘olaule‘a without a little suspense and a big surprise!

The summer continues to sizzle! It’s going to be quite a busy month. Let’s Ho‘olaule‘a (Celebrate!) and Let’s Talk Story.

Mahalo nui; thank you so much for being here with us.
Rosa

Say Leadership Coaching
Managing with Aloha Online