Don't leave your career to chance. Skill up with inspiring tips, tactics, and affirmations and become the creative, wise CEO of your life. One mail a week. Always free.
Why Inconvenient Questions Are Your Secret Weapon for Success 🚀
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​ Hey Reader - Recently my friend Billie was taking a walk down memory lane, reliving war stories from her jump into retail ownership. She laughed, "'I don't know what I don't know' was an understatement!" Have you had a similar year? Billie had built quite a reputation in her friends' circle for flower designs. So, owning a flower shop seemed like a natural match. There were two bonuses: She could leverage the store brand's goodwill, and she negotiated a hand-off period, where the owner would teach her the daily ins and outs. But gotchas started surfacing soon after the sale closed. First, the building tenants were stung by special assessment fees after a pipe burst. Then the roof went out. Last, the staffing hiccups were endless. Two years in, she sold the store. However, instead of forgetting about all the lessons learned, she uses them at her new job as the Events Manager at a busy Community Center. Her role allows her to capitalize on the design work she enjoys without the drudgery of balancing books. Which Soft Skills Will Set You Up for Success?In the November series, Pass the Masterclass, we're discussing how soft skills can help you change common mistakes into empowering wisdom. Like Billie's story, has this year felt like one battle after another? Don't abandon your dream yet. You may just need to ask inconvenient questions, then fine-tune. Looking back, Billie wanted answers that aligned with the picture in her mind's eye. I've made similar mistakes—how about you? But here's the good news: With soft skills, you can transform those missteps into lasting insights. For example, if you had had a crystal ball, what essential people competencies might have turned that sticky situation around? Contingency planning? Calibrating your choices to a changing environment? Or maybe a partner with a different set of expertise or a mentor who could help you manage blind spots? Create Your Inconvenient Questions ArsenalA straight, no chaser mindset can seem intimidating. But rather than undermining your self-confidence, see this thought exercise as your secret weapon to get equipped (and you won't be equipped if you only have half the facts). So, if a goal has gone sideways, or if you're hunting for a new job or opening a business, here are three questions + an AI prompt to consider asking: Let this be the year where you kept a high-minded approach but left over-idealized thinking in your rear-view mirror. Transform your results by passing the masterclass for asking inconvenient questions. All the best, Michelle Mains ​ Keep the Soul Boss inspiration going!
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Soul Boss Soft Skills
Don't leave your career to chance. Skill up with inspiring tips, tactics, and affirmations and become the creative, wise CEO of your life. One mail a week. Always free.
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