“The first step to being self-reliant is to objectively identify and face your fears.” – Gary C. Laney
Yesterday, I had the honor of joining my friend and colleague Gary C Laney on his virtual book tour for Strategic Influence: 10 Success Factors of Highly Influential Leaders with several outstanding entrepreneurs Marques Ogden, Kimberly Carney Steven Shallenberger, Gary Kennedy and Somdutta Singh
In his book, Gary speaks about the fear of meeting new people – especially powerful people – as we may not know what to say to them. This can translate to not speaking up, being ridiculed or seen as not worthy, and most of all, not feeling like we are good enough to be in the company of these successful people.
As the author of The Fearless Factor and The Fearless Factor at Work I spent several decades feeling this way. As I began to understand fear and take personal measures to overcome the debilitating effects of this particular emotion it became my life journey.
Confronting my fears has not always been easy, but was essential if I was to actually make some progress and succeed in life. It’s the biggest reason I do the work I do as an executive coach and creator of Transformational Strategies for Success. I help people overcome the primary fears that get in the way of becoming the best leader they can be.
My fundamental philosophy is simple. Fear matters to your success. It is a driver for growth and also an obstacle to achieving the things we desire.
Fear frequently directs our actions which results in playing small, and not taking bigger risks.
Fear has a lifesaving quality but in today’s world of uncertainty our inner fears may overwhelm us. As we build our businesses and become more successful we struggle with two main underlying concerns:
- Not being good enough for the task
- Feeling we don’t deserve success
As Gary says in his book…you will never be totally ready for what comes next.
The biggest fear for many is the fear of failure. We are all failing our way to success and it’s simply a part of the journey. Simply put, failure is a choice, decision or expectation that didn’t go the way you had planned. There is only one action to take. Next!
“You may encounter many difficulties, but you must not be defeated.” – Maya Angelou
This speaks to the resilience of building your network and your influence. We learn from our successes, but we learn more from our failures. We must get comfortable being uncomfortable if we are to succeed at anything.
The Power of Strategic Influence is a handbook for building a strong business through the power of influence.
The personal stories of those who are highly influential leaders fills the book with great insights on the journey these individuals took to reach the heights of personal and business success.
Gary uses the analogy of arriving in a strange city he calls Metropolis, where you know no one, and you have little money. The book challenges you to think about how you would not only survive but how you will develop influence in the community by first giving before you get.
As someone who has undergone such a journey I can say with complete transparency it’s not easy, but it is doable. I left my home in Edinburgh, Scotland when I was 16 years old for London. I arrived in the city with very little money and nowhere to stay or have a job. The person I was supposed to stay with turned out to be a bad influence and I was left alone and had to figure it out.
My first thought was find a job, which I did, then on the first day of work I found shelter with some workmates. From there, it was work to build a future. I made a lot of mistakes before I started building a community of friends. I was young and so building a business wasn’t on my agenda, but survival and resilience were.
The second time I arrived in a strange city I was 28 when I left London for San Francisco. I had one introduction and once more my first thought was get a job which I did, even although I wasn’t supposed to work because at the time I was an ‘illegal alien’. 43 years later, I’m still here and legal!
I’ve lived on three continents now including Europe, Asia and the United States, and each time I had to build community, learn the ways of the culture, and redefine who I thought I was, confronting my fears each time to build a strong community. Over time, it has become my trademark. If you planted me in the fictional city of Metropolis today, I would find a way to survive and thrive, and also give back to the community I serve.
Throughout my life, I’ve followed my instincts, which has been good, but if I had this practical, from the deepest trenches of experience, book I might have been a bit smarter in how I approached creating influence. This is required reading for anyone who is even remotely interested in building a sustainable business and community life.
We all succeed on the shoulders of others. None of us builds a life alone. Giving back is something Gary is passionate about, and for those of us who have achieved a great deal as a result of the generosity of others, it’s important to pay it forward in whatever way you can.
The Power of Strategic Influence gives you the10 Success Factors you need to help you build community, know how to influence, and learn to give back to the community you serve.
If you’re in the process of building your business or career you must read this book. If you are already established think about those who have influenced you and how you continue to influence others by giving back to your community.
From his many years running successful businesses Gary C Laney has distilled the essence of what it is to become a powerful influence in this uncertain world and he does so with tremendous grace and presence. Read this remarkable book.
Are you ready to take ownership of your amazing skills and talents, be more confident in your choices, claim more authority at work and find greater confidence and comfort across all dimensions of your career and life? Check out Transformational Strategies for Success If you want more information please DM me.