7 growth tips from a former CXO of a multi-billion dollar company to accelerate growth in YOUR life

I recently had the pleasure and privilege of having lunch with a special friend; someone who has mentored and inspired me over the years in more ways than I can count. 

It had been some time since I had a chance to connect in-person with this mentor of mine, and as such, we had a lot to catch up on.

Little did I know I would have a front row seat for almost 2.5 hours to what was one of the most resonant informal coaching sessions I have ever received from an accomplished leader. 

Thus, I felt compelled to share this golden insight from someone who has spent decades growing businesses, relationships, networks and themselves. 

So, here are 7 (of many) growth tips and insights (personal & professional) that I received from this truly legendary individual:

1. Avoid being a, "mile wide and an inch deep."

    Overcommitting your time and focus have never been more prevalent in this hyper competitive marketplace that we all live in today. Knowing what your top 3 most valuable offerings are, what opportunities you enjoy immersing in most, and how you can be most impactful are all of paramount importance in being a person/professional who combats talent & focus dilution.

2. Want to find peace and focus at the same time? Remove your ego. 

    Hubris, status seeking, "FOMO" are all shows of ego. Asking yourself or others. "Why wasn't I invited to that meeting?"... or event, or outing or looped in on that email thread... or whatever. We must trust that we are exactly where we need to be at that given time in order to execute on what it is that we are dedicating our lives to accomplishing. Egocentrism creates weakness and weakness diminishes your ability to make sound decisions while causing you unnecessary dissonance. So, expunge ego. 

3. Adjust timeline, not expectations. 

    As humans, we tend to sometimes miscalculate how short or long things will take. If you know you have picked the right life path/profession, but aren't seeing the results in the timeline you have imagined or planned for, don't sacrifice the desired outcomes (expectations) but rather, look more closely at the timeline you've set for yourself for accomplishing that particular endeavor. Believe in yourself. 

4. Keenly focus on the art of balancing selfless acts and "selfish" acts. 

    This one really resonated with me. Another way to say the above tip is, "serve yourself first, so you can best serve others." If all we did was dedicate our lives to supporting everyone around us, but taking little or no time to supporting yourself (mindfulness, fitness, hobbies), then you've set yourself on a path to burnout, turmoil, heartbreak and more. Not to sound so dramatic, but as someone who has hyper-focused on the lifestyle of serving those around himself, I know firsthand what it's like to be overcommitted and full of anxiety because I was more focused on those around me than myself. Some couple of years ago I ended up slipping into a state of depression, disengagement and dejection as a result of having far more selfless acts than selfish ones. 

And as Greg Mckeown penned in his NYT Bestseller "Essentialism" - “Remember that if you don't prioritize your life someone else will.”

5. Here is a potential formula on becoming indispensable.

    Indispensability = Time (experience) + Value (perceived & actual) + Scarcity 

6. Ready. Aim. Fire. (not Aim. Ready. Fire.)

    My mentor often said this (along with scores of other influential people..) "If you are failing to plan, you are planning to fail." Preparation, diligence, iteration, visualization and repetition are all crucial to setting ourselves up for success. If we haphazardly plan or don't plan at all, we are either going to output something that is far below our quality standards or miss the mark entirely. Become passionate about planning in order to power up your path to prominence. 

7. Steering clear of the, "I see you everywhere" trap 

    True to ethos of the 5th growth tip above in this list, employing tactics of being a scarce quantity is a crucial, but very nuanced act that we have to focus on as both aspiring and already current leaders of community and commerce. If we are, "everywhere doing everything and anything" then the perception of our offerings, our time and our schedules may seem trivial to those who we want to connect with most. Being choosier about the events you attend, the meetings you reply "yes" to, and the opportunities that you pursue will allow you to capture some of that rarified air of being known as "thee" go-to <fill-in-the blank> coach / consultant / community organizer, etc. 

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Would LOVE and be grateful for any and all questions, comments and feedback regarding the above. Comment below or send an email to powerofozmosis@gmail.com

As always,

Keep SERVING to Keep SOARING! 🦅 ⚡

With Gratitude, 

Johnny OZmosis Osberg