Entrepreneurial Success...EMBRACE CHANGE!

Taken from the article Strategy Uncovered:  Pivoting on a Dime by Gary Whitehill,  "...if you're dreaming of entrepreneurial success, start by learning to change course as new opportunities arise.  Remember, business is fluid.  Nothing is written in stone.  Don't be afraid of change.  Embrace it!"

Change is how i ended up where i am today and i have to tell you, once i learned to embrace the changes that i initially did not sign up for, i found myself craving more.

After eight years of working for a global company as a recruiter and trainer, i found myself wanting to spread my wings a little further, perhaps over new territory.  I applied and was accepted to coordinate a one year pilot program in a different city, feeling optimistic that the contract would be renewed but when the twelve month period approached it's end, i was advised that the funding for the pilot would not be extended.

Two weeks after that contract finished I was approached to work with an educational organization, once again on contract.

I was still feeling the shock of the end of what was a new beginning just a year prior, but certainly was not in a position to even consider thinking about saying anything other than yes, whether it was a contract or a permanent position.  Not even taking the time to ask questions, i listened to what the position details were and agreed to take the job.  I started immediately working as a community liaison with employers throughout the entire region to develop partnerships for youth programs.  The duties extended to include my developing and facilitating training to administration staff on the topic of "How to Develop Community Partnerships", then to delivering work readiness workshops for youth, co-developing an electronic employer database for the region, developing a resource document for this electronic program and facilitating the training to all educators who would be using this.  Now, having interviewed, assessed and administered customer service and WHMIS training to thousands of individuals in the past, I had never spoken to large groups prior to this nor actually developed workshop training so here's where my next opportunity to embrace change came along.  There was a little fear that i had not performed some of these tasks before but i never once felt as if i couldn't do them so I plugged away, learned from a few mistakes and always appeared to be shining in the end...at least in the eyes of others.

Having joined several committees in this region I had the opportunity to
develop many professional relationships, which led to more changes
about to appear in my life.

It was just a year later again, while still working for this organization on contract that I was approached by another similar organization in a different city to ask if i would also come and work for them on a part time contract.  Always having been the type of person that loved to be really busy, I spoke with my current contract holder who told me to "go for it".  My course was changing while new opportunities were arising and I didn't even realize it.

From there, I continued to work for both of these organizations when yet another approached me to come and work for them, also on a part time contract.  I accepted that part time contract and learned to be very organized in order to be anything other than successful.  As the years went on, when one contract would come to an end, another would quickly appear and when i opened my own business i once again embraced the change of learning where to search for requests for proposals and how to write them in order to secure more contracts.  I wanted to ensure that i remained really busy:)

Now, remember that i didn't sign up for all of these changes throughout my career.  I signed up for one change and yes, although i knew that it was a contract, i was also optimistic that it would continue, remember?  These were course changes in my career that i didn't plan on but they were opportunities.  There were times that i was asked to perform tasks or duties that were new to me but i embraced these times to learn and try new things and I have always come through successfully.

Why?  Because it never crossed my mind that i might not succeed.  And now I am at a place in my professional life where I crave new opportunities and challenges, am able to troubleshoot any problem put forth and have a wealth of respect for and from other professionals throughout several regions.

The circumstances that have been presented to me during the past thirteen years have led me to where i am today, and although these may not have been by choice originally, they have allowed me to appreciate the result of embracing change as well as many opportunities to feel exhilarated, refreshed and inspired to take on new challenges, continue to grow and move forward.  Be flexible to change and smile at your success:)

Heather