It’s easy to get cynical about the idea of creating your mission, vision, and values. A lot of companies put forward nice-sounding, sweeping statements that have no connection in reality to how they’re actually conducting business.
But, if done authentically, your mission, vision, and values can serve so many meaningful purposes to you, your business, and your team. This week’s podcast is devoted to a discussion on how to conceive and create them with Janna Lindquist, the Team Whisperer whose consultancy “transforms the workplace that drains you into the team that fuels you.” (How’s that for an awesome mission statement!)
Janna has some specific questions to ask yourself that will lead to the answers that are your unique mission, vision, and values. It’s a simple way of arriving at something that typically feels overwhelming to small business owners and solopreneurs. You CAN actually have a mission statement that reflects what you do, a vision statement that reflects what you’re trying to achieve, and values that guide your interactions out in the world.
It’s a new year—the perfect time to fill a blank page with words to do business by. Listen in!
About Janna Lundquist:
As founder and CEO of Janna Lundquist Consulting, Janna transforms frustrated, overwhelmed groups into cohesive, high-performing teams. People call her the Team Whisperer. Clients hire her for strategic planning, workshops, and executive coaching.
Eighteen years of experience in corporate, entrepreneurial, and nonprofit settings gives Janna a deep understanding of team dynamics, employee engagement, and leading through change. The values of trust, growth, focus, and prosperity guide her work.
Janna collaborates with a global JLC team, and clients throughout the U.S. and Canada, from her home base in Missoula, Montana. When she’s not reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Harry Potter with her two elementary-aged kids, she goes to live music shows and hangs out with her book club that doesn’t read books anymore.
Links and Resources:
Time Stamps:
[2:41] – Have touchstones that you can refer to when you’re being pulled in different directions
[5:49] – Put a pin in it, save some of your ideas for later if you’re low on bandwidth
[7:42] – Janna’s analogy of the dimmer switches to adjust during different seasons of our lives
[12:51] – How to start thinking about creating Mission Vision Values
[14:06] – Janna’s background
[14:55] – Mission answers why do you exist in the world?
[15:20] – Janna’s team’s mission statement
[18:31] – The magic question that defines your Vision
[20:40] – Flying the plane at the right altitude when you’re doing planning
[21:57] – Values are behavioral
[23:15] – Janna’s team’s four core values
[24:00] – Growth mindset is not about perfection
[27:43] – Shared values are the connective tissue with your team
[30:49] – The power is not in the perfection; the process is the product
[33:27] – If you have a team, set up a brainstorm for Mission Vision Values
[34:53] – How can solopreneurs create their Mission Vision Values and avoid blind spots
[41:07] – Discernment is essential for business and values can help with that
[43:40] – Amber’s annual What’s On Your Plate workshop is coming up in two days
Transcription
Amber Hawley 0:01
Business owners are increasingly being pulled in so many directions, feeling like they aren’t reaching their full potential in business and life despite their type A ways. With my background as a therapist, entrepreneur, and as a dotcom dropout with ADHD, I interview and coach high-achieving business owners like you who want to stop struggling for success by using psychological systems, strategies, and the occasional carefrontation. This is the easily distracted entrepreneur, your place to slay overwhelmed perfectionism and shiny object syndrome so that you can get done what matters most to you.
Amber Hawley 0:05
Happy New Year, y’all. I am so excited. It is the first episode of the new year. Glorious, I’m sure we all just had this glorious vacation that we’re all coming back from. I’m kind of throwing that out there. I’m hoping you had one, or you had a little bit of a break. And although some of you might have had just a lot of fun, and so maybe now you’re actually needing to rest. I wish that for you as well. But I’m very happy to be back. And I have a very special guest with me, who I think is going to help us start our year on the right foot. I have the wonderful Janna Lundquist with me, who is the founder and CEO of Janna Lundquist consulting. And welcome, Janna.
Janna Lundquist 0:54
Amber, thank you so much for having me. It’s a pleasure to be here with you.
Amber Hawley 0:58
Yes. So we are actually recording this in December because, you know, we’re smart, batching people.
Janna Lundquist 1:07
Are we, though? Are we?
Amber Hawley 1:08
Are we? I’m, yes, we are working on it. We are getting better and better at that. But I was so excited that you agreed to come on the podcast, because I told you before we started recording that this is something I’ve been thinking about for a long time. Because I remember you, I mean, I met you a few years ago at BizChix Live. And I remember that you worked with one of my good friends, and she just raved about working with you and how much it helped her. And so you’re always that person in the back of my mind that I was like, one day, you know, I’m going to work with her too. And then as I was doing podcast episodes, and kind of prepping for this year, I thought I want Janna to come on and talk about, now you do lots of things.
Amber Hawley 1:54
But what stuck in my mind was how you utilize using your mission, vision, and values in your business. And I think it’s one of those things that, you know, for a lot of us, when we maybe first started our business, maybe were just really excited, especially us quickstarts. And we just kind of jumped into the thing and started creating and started offering services. And we were you know, spending all of our energy on our websites and our offers and this and that. But we never actually took the time to identify like, why am I doing this? What’s driving me what’s driving my business, and actually write it down. Like I think that’s the key part, right, is like getting it written down or getting it digital, so that you have something to go back to and refer to.
Janna Lundquist 2:41
Yes, I think having some of these key pieces or key tools that you develop and capture when your mind is focused on them, and then you’re able to return to them when your mind is all over the place, is incredibly helpful. We have so many opportunities and challenges and possibilities for the future, that it can be really overwhelming, particularly for quickstarts, which I am one of as well. Right, we just see options everywhere. And yet that’s not typically how a successful business is built, by whichever squirrel or flashing light is inspiring us on a particular day or in a particular month. So it’s really about finding tools that will work for you in the short run and be real sort of I don’t know, touchstones that you can go back to over time when you’re feeling pulled in a number of different directions.
Amber Hawley 3:41
Yeah, and I, I don’t know, it’s just one of those things that again, when I first started like 10 years ago, and then I started, you know, adding businesses and creating new things. It was I was in this place of like, extreme extreme squirrel chasing, like shiny objects. And I had no shame about it. I mean, I still don’t have shame about my shiny objects. But it was like shiny objects, do all the things, FOMO, all of it right. And it was fun and exciting and exhausting. And it burnt me out. And it’s not sustainable. And so I think in the last few years, especially like more and more, like you’re saying there’s this, this feeling for me of like, I want to be more intentional. I want to be more effective. And I needed something outside of how I was feeling in the moment because, you know, we are very adept at justifying anything, right?
Janna Lundquist 4:36
Absolutely. Yes, yes.
Amber Hawley 4:38
So it’s like I need something to help give me that guidance and direction about, you know, what’s important for me, either this business or the work that I’m doing right now.
Janna Lundquist 4:51
Totally. And I actually think that the right now piece is is really important because I think about you as being this multifaceted, Renaissance woman. I have all sorts of interests and things that I’m into as well, right? Hopefully, we have this opportunity for a long and varied career and life in front of us. Right. But that doesn’t mean we have to do everything today. And so often times, like, the very simplest filter, quote, unquote, that I use with clients is we’ll do three flip charts on a wall or on a zoom screen. One is yes, one is no, and one is not yet. Right. Because there are a lot of potential projects or clients we could serve or new businesses that we could start. But that doesn’t mean that we have to do it today. And we can capture those ideas and save that for someday, maybe in the future, when our life and business is really ready to support it.
Amber Hawley 5:49
Oh, I love that. So there’s there’s two things. One, that kind of sounds like, although it’s sounds even better, I have this thing where I say put a pin in it. Because that’s my like, I feel like when we tell people like, you can’t do that, not that that’s what we’re doing. We’re not telling people or we’re telling ourselves, I can’t do this, then we push back and we want to do it more. And then you know, there’s all this stuff that comes up, right. And so I say, let’s just put a pin in it, because then we don’t have to create resistance, we don’t have to get in that power struggle with ourselves, we could just put it over here. But we save it over here so that it’s not cluttering our mind of what we’re dealing with now.
Janna Lundquist 6:25
Exactly. It’s externalized, it’s captured in a safe place, you know it’s available to you, right? No one is locking it away, or saying you can’t do it. But also it doesn’t have to be done like this morning, or this week, or even this year, it’ll be there when the time comes for it.
Amber Hawley 6:41
And that’s the key part too, is that capturing it allows us to mentally let it go. Because that’s the problem, right? With all the doing all the things is we’re holding this stuff, I always say like in the back of our heads, like mentally holding on to it. And it exhausts us, and we don’t realize it, we just, I think we discount that so much. The other thing I love is it makes, I never thought of that like with ideas because it makes me think about organizing your house, which I’m a huge fan of organization, and like streamlining things. But it’s that same thing of like keep, donate, you know, trash, or whatever. It’s kind of like that idea of like even evaluating the noes, I think is really important. But I hadn’t really consciously thought of that before. But it’s like that sometimes you learn in business, especially when you’re beginning is like, what you don’t want to do or what doesn’t work for you. And we just kind of move past that. But I think visually capturing it is another one of those like filters, right?
Janna Lundquist 7:42
Yes, it’s absolutely one of those filters. And the last thing I’ll say about sort of this, especially this long term career, you know, that we hope we all have in front of us or entrepreneurial journey, or whatever you want to call it, is I’ve heard the concept of a dimmer switch. And that’s been really helpful to me, I kind of imagine like being in a, I don’t know, like a recording studio or something, which is not a place that I hang out. You know, you have all these dials in front of you. And each one pertains to a different area of your life. Right? Like right now I have young kids, my kids are eight and six. And so parenting is is high, you know, in terms of the needs that my kids have, for me. Volunteer work is a little lower right now, even though historically, that’s been a really big part of what I do.
Janna Lundquist 8:23
My business is high these days. And just this idea that through each phase or mini phase of our lives, we can adjust the dimmer switches. It doesn’t mean that you’re giving up volunteer work or you’re like leaving your children out on the curb. Right? But you’re more just going like what really needs my attention. And how can I make these these different dials work with each other so that my life feels happy and successful and fulfilling. And a little crazy, right? But more satisfying, rather than than frustrating.
Amber Hawley 8:55
Absolutely. And I I just love when people have great analogies, because I think that’s those images, like stick in our heads. I mean, it’s like expanding upon the four burner theory, but I like that it’s broken out into those smaller pieces. Because you’re right, we all go through these seasons in our life and sometimes, you know, as I’m working with entrepreneurs, I’ll hear them especially I think about what right after somebody had a baby. And I’m like, it’s, it’s okay, this is a totally unique season, especially, you know, you know how we lie to new parents, right? Like, it’s like, oh, the first few months and then it’s like no, the first year is hard. And then when you’re getting to the first year you’re like the first two then it’s the first five are really the hard, which is the truth. That’s the reality.
Janna Lundquist 9:38
So I was gonna say your kids are older than mine. So when does the lie stop being a lie. When does it get easier?
Amber Hawley 9:44
I feel it’s five because I still work with so many people like perinatal clients that I’m like, I feel like it’s five and then it shifts but then you know as my kids are currently I have to think currently 12, 9, and 7. And so what I haven’t hit is that stage where the emotional exhaustion, or they say bigger kids bigger problems, like the things that they’re going to be dealing with are different, right. And the key here is, some of us are really good at dealing with the emotional stuff, but not the like, the logistical stuff of like young kids and vice versa. So remembering that right, but I love the idea of looking at it as seasons.
Amber Hawley 10:25
Because, like you said, I used to volunteer a lot as well. And right now that kind of feels like hard, because it’s not there. But I was like this right now, I don’t have the bandwidth for that. And that’s one of those things I put a pin in. So there are ways like, I’m more, I’m more, I’m more likely to like, like donate, or you know, give money or donate stuff. Or every once in a while, I’ll selectively choose something because I want to attend it. And then I’ll volunteer for that day. But I don’t make a long term commitment because of the season I’m in right now. Right?
Janna Lundquist 11:00
Totally, that sounds so smart. And I, I hear you there.
Amber Hawley 11:03
Yeah. And then you talk to people who have, you know, their kids are in college or, you know, beyond, and they’re in a very different place in space. And so they have, you know, space for different things in their life. So I agree, I think we go through these seasons in life. But we also go through seasons in our business, and we’re going to grow and change, we’re going to iterate not and I know, we’ve seen a lot of this in the last couple years. But I do think, you know, there, we do have a lifetime to kind of do all the things that we’re excited about. And so it’s about figuring out, yeah, what’s right now is important to me. And that doesn’t mean this is the only thing I’m going to have ever, but understanding like, again, giving it that focus and attention is
Janna Lundquist 11:49
Yeah, what can I commit to for this season, and then commit to coming back to for some length of time, to know, to feel confident about what it is that I’m focused on and doing and who I’m serving and what I’m serving them with.
Amber Hawley 12:03
I love that. And that’s where, you know, I know, people kind of give like some now it’s there’s kind of this like anti, you know, resolutions thing, which I’m not saying I’m pro resolution. But I do think that the new year gives us a chance to have this fresh start and use, you know, reflect and kind of figure out what is it that we’re wanting out of this next year? What lessons did we learn from last year and kind of like meaningfully going forward? And so going back to this idea of of, you know, if you already have mission vision values in your business, like, you know, reevaluate, maybe going back and rereading them and make sure that feels still true for you. Right? Like that is the same stuff. But what would you say to somebody who’s like, I have never created that or even thought about it? And that feels overwhelming? Like, where do I start?
Janna Lundquist 12:59
Mm hmm, totally, totally. Well, and also, you know, you mentioned the cynicism around new year’s resolutions. And I think there can be cynicism around mission vision values, too, because we think about some of the worst actors in the corporate world, right, like, I think back to Wells Fargo, and all of the ridiculous things they’ve done over the past few years and gotten caught for. And I guarantee you, they have very lovely brochures and signage relating to their wonderful mission and vision and values, but they weren’t carrying it out in the real world.
Janna Lundquist 13:30
So I think that the mission vision values that we’re talking about, is really genuine and authentic, to who you and the team that you work with are and the clients that you serve. And it’s not about performing for other people, it’s really about getting clear within yourself, and among the people on your team about how it is you do what you do, and the kind of culture that you’re trying to create. Okay, so it’s it, I don’t need it on the break room wall, necessarily, as long as all of you know what this is for, right? And what this means.
Janna Lundquist 14:06
If I may, I might just share a couple of my really simple definitions for each of these statements, if that might work. And, and just to expand on my bio slightly, I am a leadership consultant and executive coach. I’m based in Missoula, Montana. I currently work with a wide range of clients in both the US and Canada for the most part. My background involves corporate world stuff, along with a lot of nonprofit board service and volunteer work. And I’ve gotten to work with quite a few sort of startup type clients over the past few years, which has been really fun too. So kind of a diverse client set or number of worlds that I’ve been a part of in different ways.
Janna Lundquist 14:55
So if we talk about mission, I really think about mission being Why do you exist in the world? Right? It is very easy to want to create some really broad mission statement like, well, first of all, it could be three paragraphs long if no one cut you off from stopping. But it’s really easy to make really broad things about making the world a better place or other some such things like that.
Janna Lundquist 15:20
And so I actually, my team did ours a few a few years ago. And I pulled them up for this because I don’t actually use them all the time. But the, the, the process of creating them was really important. So a couple of years ago, we talked about Janna Lundquist Consulting, helping make working together pleasant and productive. Right? People call me the team whisperer, our focus is on working together within the workplace. Okay, which is different from other consultants or other kinds of workplaces out there. More recently, on my Instagram bio, it says that we transform the workplace that drains you into the team that fuels you.
Amber Hawley 16:03
Hmm, I like that one.
Janna Lundquist 16:05
I know.
Amber Hawley 16:06
Hired. Hired.
Janna Lundquist 16:06
And that’s, that’s really, that’s really the gist of it. Right? That and that’s, that’s, that’s what lights me up as I say it to you, it makes my heart go pitter patter. Right. It’s the it’s that’s the the gist that has appeal to prospects who have become clients over the years as they go, Oh, my gosh, this team stuff is really hard. You say you like doing this? This is actually the focus of the work that you and your company do? Yes. Like, like bring out, you know, we want to bring you in so that you can help us with the tough team stuff that we have going on.
Amber Hawley 16:40
Yeah, cuz at first I was thinking about this, like in two parts. The first part was about getting clarity about the choices that you make in your business and kind of the directions that you go. But the but secondly, why it was coming up, especially recently is as, as my business has been transitioning, and I’m thinking about roles that I want to bring on. And having had some experiences that weren’t so pleasant, and just feeling like I don’t want to recreate that, right, like I want, I want something very different. And and I thought, I think an important part of this is attracting people who are excited about the mission. And like you said, not some lofty brochure that feels, you know, like marketing, actually, it feels more like marketing, right? But actually saying like, this is what I stand for this is what’s important to me. And this is the kind of person I want to bring into my company. Right.
Amber Hawley 17:35
So I love I love that that’s the work that you do. And I guess, are there other ways that you think, you know, these, you know, the mission or vision and values, whatever, all three of those pieces, that that is helpful in like sharing it, like you said, not putting it in the break room. Actually, especially if it’s like, I just think, I feel like I have so many things I want to say that would get me in so much trouble. But I almost want it, you know, like Kaiser’s is thrive. And I can just imagine that the break room sometimes and people are like, yes. Okay, you know, or something like that. Actually I know a lot of people that work there and they love it.
Janna Lundquist 18:14
Totally, like they don’t they don’t mean that, this is not this is not real. That’s not really why
Amber Hawley 18:20
So are there other ways that you think that’s helpful? Beyond like just putting it in like maybe a job description or having it there for people who maybe want to work with you?
Janna Lundquist 18:32
Yes, definitely. So I’ll talk to your vision and values and kind of those definitions briefly, and then talk through my values that my company has to sort of help answer your question. So vision isn’t vision is one that I think can really apply to the kinds of organizations that are aiming big in terms of impact overall, right? Like, I have worked with organizations that, for example, they want to end hunger, they want to end food food insecurity in a local community or worldwide, right? Like, that’s a really big and inspiring thing to aim for.
Janna Lundquist 19:10
I don’t know that it always works or applies in smaller organizations, right. So as we were doing mine even right, and kind of the shoemakers children here a little bit, right? It’s sort of like, well, maybe it will serve hundreds of leaders, but there wasn’t a there wasn’t sort of a desired end result that really resonated with me and my wider team. But a vision is really like okay, if we succeed, if we practically put ourselves out of business, what will we have achieved? What will be the end result that has has impacted our community, our state, our, our, our community of clients that we serve, that sort of thing? That’s what vision can serve as.
Amber Hawley 19:53
I love that. We in therapy, we would we would call that like the magic question like what if I if we were to put ourselves out of business, what would we have achieved? I think that that’s magic. I love that.
Janna Lundquist 20:06
Exactly. Yes. And I think you can apply that magic question to come up with either your mission which is more concrete and a little more present, and near future focused, versus the vision which is a little further off, you know, that’s years or maybe even decades into the future. But I love that I use a magic wand question frequently with my with the leadership teams that I work with, just to get them out of the super practical here and now and go like no, but like, just know, like, play with me a little bit here. You know, if you if you really did this well, what would that look like?
Amber Hawley 20:39
Oh, I love that. Yeah, cuz isn’t it funny that sometimes we either stuck, we’re either in the minutiae, or we’re too big picture. Like, we aren’t concrete enough, or we’re, or we’re never dreaming bigger.
Janna Lundquist 20:51
It is so true. I talk a lot about I learned this phrase from Joan Geary who’s a nonprofit consultant in New York, I believe, and she talks about flying the plane at the right altitude when you’re doing planning of one kind or another. And it is really, it’s really difficult to get ourselves and other people out of the weeds. Or we go like, well, I know which emails I need to send between now and three o’clock this afternoon. Right? And it’s, it’s so I feel a lot of a lot of times when I’m doing work like this or other kinds of planning work, I’m going, Okay, nope, let’s let’s let’s raise that. But you know, we need a few few thousand more feet up into the sky to do this well. Yeah, another I guess we we both love analogies.
Amber Hawley 21:31
I know, I was like, man, I’ve just got all these digital things in my head. I just it’s for me, like, I remember like those pictures, those memories, and that sticks with me. Right? So I love it. I love it. For those of you who hate analogies, this will be a rough episode.
Janna Lundquist 21:46
Yeah, you may want to move on to the next, the next episode of this wonderful show in your queue.
Amber Hawley 21:55
Deal with it. Okay.
Janna Lundquist 21:57
Okay, so let’s talk values a little bit, I think about values, in its most simple level values is, how is it that we behave in this organization, or in this company, right? With a mission, we know what we do. With the vision, we know what we’re trying to achieve. But the values are really sort of behaviorally, How do we treat ourselves? How do we interact with each other within the organization? And how is it that we interact with our clients, our patients, our customers, our end users? Whatever language you might have around that.
Janna Lundquist 22:34
And I personally think that values are the piece that can be really, really helpful as filters when you’re doing things like hiring for a new team member, right? Because values tend to get there’s, they’re they resonate, or they don’t resonate with you and with other people, and that can help kind of I’m picturing magnets, right, that can either attract you to each other as potential colleagues, or have those people responding to your listing or your posting going, oh, you know, I don’t, you know, this does not sound like a fit. And so I’m either going to take myself out of the running or not apply for this position.
Janna Lundquist 23:15
So let me just because it can be helpful to have some examples. My my team and I, a few years ago, we created a list of four core values, with just like many definitions associated with them. And the definitions are very much like in plain old how we talk language, right? Again, we didn’t write these for a brochure or framed artwork, or even to go on the website in any flashy way. It’s really first and foremost for ourselves. The first one is trust. And our definition for that is that confidentiality, of course, but beyond that, showing up as the imperfect humans we are and supporting others to do the same. So trust is where it all starts. Growth is second, being curious and taking risks. Sounds great, but is seriously uncomfortable. It also leads to breakthroughs and progress. So I’m consistently
Amber Hawley 24:14
So far. Yes. And yes.
Janna Lundquist 24:17
And when it comes to the growth, growth is one of those that I come back to with my team members, right? When I’m asking someone to do something they haven’t done, or they want everything to be like, 99.9% perfect. I’m like, we’re aiming for growth here. It’s great if this first draft of something or this new process you’re building is 80% good, because 80% good is better than the nothing we have right now. Right. So it gives people that room for literally the growth mindset of like, we don’t do things perfectly here the first time or any time, and that’s okay. Instead, we’re valuing this growth that happens over time.
Janna Lundquist 24:56
The third value that we have is focus. Scaling or growth requires discernment. Only a few opportunities deserve your attention. Clearing away the others, the noes or the not-nows is essential. Okay, so that’s the same kind of work that we do for our clients. And we also need to do it for ourselves. And finally, prosperity. A rising tide lifts all boats. Entrepreneurship, improves lives, strengthens communities, and is ridiculously fun.
Amber Hawley 25:28
I love it. I love that. What I hear in that is, like you said, it’s very human. It doesn’t feel like marketing, which, yeah, I think is why people are a little cynical, right? Like that it’s only used for a marketing piece and not actually, you’re not actually utilizing your values in your company to, to make those decisions and to, to actually influence the day to day work. So that feels so real, like and very grounding.
Janna Lundquist 26:02
Well, thank you. And again, these are like, these are just like the drafts, right? Like we never, we never went through like, and here they’re final, I was sort of like, I know, I know, I have this somewhere. Where is this? You know. But it really, going through the process of doing it together, helped me as the leader and the owner, communicate to my team members, like, Hey, here’s this, it’s another way of explaining or expressing or making explicit, my expectations and my vision for this, right. And like, we get to show up as imperfect humans, do really good work for the people that we serve, and then hopefully go home at night to our families and enjoy the rest of our lives as well.
Amber Hawley 26:42
Right? Well, maybe that’s what it is what I heard in that, I could almost imagine the brainstorming session in which these were come up, you know, like people contributing, because that’s what it feels like, when you throw out, these are the things that you know, like are important to me, or that I’m noticing or that’s happening here and that we like, and then you, you know, you refine them a little bit. But But man, what a lesson in it doesn’t have to be perfect or finalized. Because that’s still really powerful.
Janna Lundquist 27:11
Yes, yes. Yes. And I think so I think I think first of all, if you you know, wonderful listener, are thinking about this and thinking about mission vision values being one or two or three pieces of that, right, you can start with one, whichever one resonates the most. If one of those resonates for you, get together with a biz bestie or your team or whoever it is that you do this kind of work with, and draft something out, like get something down on paper, let it sit, let it percolate, play with it a little bit.
Janna Lundquist 27:43
I think first off, it is of most value to the people you work with day in and day out. And then it kind of as I think about like the ripple effects, right, then, as you consider that next role, or you’re doing networking first on your social media about I think I want to hire this person, right, then incorporating a little bit of this, like the values that you all bring to your work together, can help people who are considering applying for a role with you go like, Oh, you know what, I guess there are two ways that that could go one is they go, Oh, the values aren’t aligned? Well, great. They filter themselves out.
Janna Lundquist 28:21
Two, what I think is actually really exciting is not only say it’s a fit, one, they’re looking at the posting itself, the role and they’re going, oh my gosh, that role looks amazing. I’m you know, I’ve got those skills, but two, they’re going, that role is amazing. And this culture looks like a remarkable fit for me and who I am. That really in my experience can build the excitement and create the connection between the two of you through an interview process. And you know, fingers crossed, create a really wonderful fit and working relationship once that person’s hired.
Amber Hawley 29:01
Oh, absolutely. And when I think back to the team members where it like I felt the most connected to or there was such a synergy between us in the work that we did or there was an excitement, enthusiasm that was there. That to me I find infectious. Right? That’s that ENFP part of me that love, the enthusiast.
Janna Lundquist 29:24
INFJ right here.
Amber Hawley 29:28
Exactly. I’m like, it’s just so I, when I think about that it was because that was the thing, they shared the values. And I mean, a little I mean, there was the mission part too like, but I think it is the values part that when all of our values aligned, that was when it really it just it felt like magic. I guess this is my episode where I’m going to talk about magic a lot.
Janna Lundquist 29:53
It is, it’s magic. I’m thinking of the word Ignite. I’m thinking about like connective tissue, right? Like if you all have some of some of this in alignment, it makes it easier to work together. And it makes it easier to work through hard things together as well. Because you, you have a certain sort of base that you have in common.
Amber Hawley 30:12
Exactly. Yeah. Cuz it doesn’t mean there were never challenges, right. But it was more like, yeah, there was just so much alignment together that it felt it still it felt so good. And it felt like it brought out the best in us. Right. So I love that. Wonderful. My brain is just like all over the place. And as you said it, I had to write something down because I thought, I thought, oh, gosh, you know, especially I work with so many people who are struggling with like perfectionism, and like, I am the president of that club.
Janna Lundquist 30:46
I’m a recovering perfectionist depending on the day.
Amber Hawley 30:49
I know, I was like recovering. But yeah, I wrote down “the power is not in the perfection.” Because when I thought about what you said about that, like, it’s not the power that you get out of something, the energy, the, the way it hits people, the depth of it is not about it being perfect. It’s about the authenticity, and the fact that it connects to you. So yeah.
Janna Lundquist 31:16
Absolutely. Yeah. Another another thing that a client shared with me recently is, and maybe this is common, and I just had never heard it before. But But I, we were finishing a project. And I said, So do you have everything that you need or that you expected to get out of this process together? And she said to me, she said, Janna, the process is the product.
Amber Hawley 31:37
Yes. I love that.
Janna Lundquist 31:38
So especially as you as you think about it internally, right, obviously, hopefully, you can be sharing this in one way or another as you seek out clients and work with clients. But if you’re doing this with your core team, the process is the product, right, that you are achieving something new and different just by asking, asking yourselves these questions in a group, a group process.
Amber Hawley 32:03
Right. No, that’s so great. And yeah, I think there’s there’s a lot of freedom in that. Because it really is it is anti perfectionism in the sense that it’s allowing because the journey, the process, it’s meandering, right, and it’s there’s, there’s always this opportunity to grow and iterate and change. But it’s like capturing those moments. So again, thank you, I just love that. This is a very visual episode people.
Janna Lundquist 32:35
It is visual, right. Hopefully, we still got a few people listening at this point. I’m just teasing. No, but and I think really concretely, right? If it’s January 2022. And this is resonating with you. And you’ve got maybe I don’t know how many,what’s what’s a typical team size for the people who, who follow you or listen to your podcast, Amber?
Amber Hawley 32:55
That’s a good question. I know a lot of people, there’s so much variance that I, that is not a question I’ve ever asked. But when I think about it, I’m gonna say probably three to five people. That’s gonna be my guess, the average.
Janna Lundquist 33:11
Perfect. Yeah. And like I have I have two permanent team members, Tiaan is in the Netherlands, and Aliane is in South Africa. And then Sierra, our intern, is currently in California, where she’s in her sophomore year of college. So same, right. But very concretely, if each one of these three statements or tools is resonating with you, whether that’s the values or the vision or the mission, you could literally just schedule a, I would say maybe like a 75, or 90 minute zoom session with the members of your team. Share my definition of whichever one you’ve chosen, or find another definition that you like online. Set up the Zoom call and do is do some brainstorming. Do some brainstorming around what it is we think our mission is what do we think our vision is, and or what we think our values are, and just start there.
Janna Lundquist 34:03
I think the the idea of you as the leader, or the owner, inviting your team members in to help define or name, how it is that you all do things is something that they’re likely to be really honored to do. Right? It’s not something that you’re doing, you know, in your own office by yourself and rolling out to everyone else once it’s done. You’re kind of going like, Hey, we’ve been thinking, I’ve been thinking about these finding ways to filter and define who it is and what we do. And I’d love it if we could do this together, you know, in a meeting in January to kick things off on the right foot. It can be as simple as that.
Amber Hawley 34:42
Yeah, no, I think that’s a great idea. And like you said, I actually think people would be really interested in contributing to something like that. I think that’s, I love that idea. If somebody is a if they’re one of those people who’s totally solo, maybe they have a VA but they’re not, you know that VA is not like super involved in their business, is there a suggestion that you would give for them? Or I always like to sometimes give time limits. So I like that you mentioned the 75 to 90 minutes, because sometimes we can make it super big and overwhelming, and then we’ll never get it done. Is there a suggestion for that person?
Janna Lundquist 35:19
Exactly. Um, yes. I mean, I think you could do that in a few different ways. I mean, I think you could, this is something you can sort of like journal out yourself, or write up yourself, whichever of these, I wouldn’t overwhelm yourself with expecting to do all three right off the bat, just because I think that, again, can be kind of a big expectation. I know, I’m just looking, I know I sent this to our mutual friend Victoria Due when I was first working at it. So you might, you might have a client that you’re close to, or a friend who knows a lot about your business, or like a trusted just like a trusted person in your world. I do think it’s important to bounce it off of someone at some point, just because you’re likely to get some insight.
Janna Lundquist 36:00
And sometimes, just like with the altitude conversation, we’re so far into our own business and understanding what it is that we do, that we’re not always like, We need someone to pull us onto the balcony, right? And off of the stage. You go like, Oh, but you know, I can imagine something. So Janna, I know all this, but you work with teams, I feel like you should say something about teams might be the kind of the obvious statement, someone might have told me if I’ve been doing it on my own, right? Like, oh, yeah, I don’t have that in here, do I? I should probably incorporate it.
Janna Lundquist 36:31
And so you know, we all just have our blind spots, because we’re so far into it, that just having someone who’s like pretty familiar with who you are, and what you, you know, what you do or want to do in your business, and they might be able to help you kind of extract from your from your brain and from your experience, some of these words or concepts that really drive what it is that you do.
Amber Hawley 36:52
Oh, that’s a great suggestion. Yeah, I could see, I agree with you. I think there are people, whether it’s your biz bestie. Or if you have a coach that you work with, or you’re in a mastermind with people or some kind of program. I think those like you said, there’s always going to be those moments where it’s like, oh, well, duh. And so you didn’t add that, or I have I have seen the other side of it, where people get very verbose, and they try it’s almost like a marketing thing, where it’s like, I that I literally, that’s kind of my, that’s sometimes my gift is the ADHD tune out. I was like, I haven’t heard any of those words now. Like, I don’t even understand what you’re saying. Because
Janna Lundquist 37:30
Way too much.
Amber Hawley 37:30
Yes, way too much. And I loved how succinct everything was. But that’s a great idea. So take the time to journal to kind of, you know, give your space, give yourself space to do you know, each part separately, and then come back and, and share it with each other. And I think there’s something too when you say it verbally to someone else, that that gives you that it Yeah, it even like clicks for you in your own brain, even without them saying something. But you know, and I guess you could do it with your partner as well. Like, if there’s somebody that gives good feedback.
Janna Lundquist 37:42
Yeah, totally, you be the judge. Yeah. No, definitely, I think I think, you know, I’m a verbal processor, too. So just saying things and kind of getting out, getting that out like that can be really helpful. And, and I think it’s sharing it with other people, whether that’s the people on your team or someone else can help us avoid some of the industry lingo that we might be used to ourselves and may make a lot of sense to us. But hopefully, this is something that can be pretty understandable to like, you know, your average curious person in terms of what you’re defining,
Amber Hawley 38:43
I love it. Well, this has been really helpful. And I think it’s one of those again, I think this is the perfect time the start of the year.
Janna Lundquist 38:51
It is yes, that blank slate.
Amber Hawley 38:53
I know and I love I love planning, I usually plan in like November. But I also realized, like, it is nice to have like some, you know, strategic planning or something like that. But there’s, it’s nice to have that space and kind of a break and then let it percolate and kind of contemplate this stuff. And then, you know, go to it, like you said, it doesn’t it’s not like, okay, January 15, that’s due right, this isn’t your taxes, but not, I understand they’re not due in January, but they may as well be for me. But like give yourself like the permission to kind of dream about this and create it. But then let it be one of those lenses that in 2022 you’re looking at your business through, to help you make decisions about offerings or collaborations, or opportunities that you say yes or no to. I think that this can be one of those core things because it’s coming back to something that’s super meaningful and important to you and your business.
Janna Lundquist 39:59
No, I think that’s exactly right. I think if that, to some extent the process is the product upfront, and going through this at all is going to put you, you know, head and shoulders above many other businesses and organizations around the world. But secondly, yes, use it as the filter. Because especially with shiny object syndrome, and everything else, it’s so easy for us to have mission creep, right and go like, Oh, but I could also do this thing or I’m hearing this need, maybe I should be doing that, too. And if you can go back to your mission and go, Wait a minute, oh, there’s like that, that doesn’t overlap in the way that I want things to overlap. So maybe I shouldn’t do that new service, or shouldn’t do that new product line, right, you’re gonna, you’re gonna have that filter there.
Janna Lundquist 40:45
And then also, I think values, especially for me, are really helpful when I’m evaluating hiring a new team member or bringing on a new client or even a type of client, you know, I sometimes need to do a little bit of a gut check, a lot of which happens pretty intuitively. But sometimes I have to really, you know, think it through as well and go like, Oh, I’m having some heartburn over this. Why might that be? And if there is some sort of misalignment in terms of values, that can help me prevent bringing on a client who isn’t a really terrific fit for me and my team and the company and what we’re trying to build, so really do use them to help you discern what you want to move forward with? And what you don’t, maybe at least not now.
Amber Hawley 41:29
Yes, that’s so great. And I have a I have a ADD framework that I use and discern is the second part of it. So and I think that
Janna Lundquist 41:38
Discern is so essential and so hard for us to all do.
Amber Hawley 41:41
Yes. But it’s that’s where even that discernment around the types of clients you take on which I understand money, pressure, like as a, as the, you know, primary provider, of financially for my family, I like get it. But there’s so much anguish and stress that comes from not discerning when we’re taking on new clients that we can save ourselves from. And I actually think it leads to abundance when we use that discernment. But in the moment, it can feel very scary to say no to people.
Janna Lundquist 42:11
In the moment. But if you say no to that client or potential client who isn’t a great fit, you’re making space for that perfect, rockstar, best fit client to come in and join your client roster.
Amber Hawley 42:24
Wonderful. Well, if people want to find out more, because I’m sure that there are many people I know there are many visual analogy based people who love to
Janna Lundquist 42:33
It’s not just us?
Amber Hawley 42:35
No it’s not just us, I guarantee it. But if people want to find out more about you and the work you do, what is the best place to find you?
Janna Lundquist 42:45
Yes, I welcome people to visit my website, which is JannaLundquist.com. And I serve clients primarily through strategic planning and workshops and one on one executive coaching. Feel free to sign up for my newsletter there.
Amber Hawley 43:00
Okay, awesome. Well, thank you so much, Janna, and thank you for helping us start 2022 on the right foot.
Janna Lundquist 43:09
This has been a blast. Thank you so much for having me.
Amber Hawley 43:13
And we will have the link to her website and everything in the show notes. So if you forget how to spell Lundquist, you’re fine, you’re saved there. But head on over there. And as a reminder, so this episode is coming out on January, I believe it is the of course I should have that date right in front of me. But that would be too useful. It’s coming out on Wednesday, January 5, which means two days from now, I am hosting my annual What’s On Your Plate workshop. So there is still a chance to grab a seat. There’s lots of pre work, but you don’t have to do all the pre work to join us in the workshop.
Amber Hawley 44:00
But these are the kinds of things that we’re looking at. We’re looking at what are what are the things that are most important to you. It’s really about assessing your business and your life, creating that vision, executing that vision. And then we use the last two hours on Friday to actually plot out our task list for you know, for the month and for the week. Because this is one of those things where it’s great to create all of this vision and have these goals, but if we don’t actually schedule it, it rarely happens. So I hope you guys will join me there. You can head on over to AmberHawley.com/2022 to get more information.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
The Inner Circle
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