Brace yourself for a powerhouse in business strategy, leadership, and sales, Meridith Elliott Powell. A Hall of Fame Speaker, award winning author, Meridith isn’t just redefining the game; she’s rewriting the rules.

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Guest Resource

Meredith’s Website – Check out Meredith’s website and find her thrive system, steps and strategies and join her community and mission.

3 Value Bombs

1) Success isn’t logical. Success comes down to one thing and that is what you focus on. If you believe you will be successful, your mind will find a way to get there.

2) The biggest predictors of success in the face of uncertainty is base on how much you can cast a vision, how much you can focus on what you can control and let go of what you can’t control.

3) If you decide that uncertainty is positive and that disruption leads to opportunity, it will ignite innovation and creativity.

Show Notes

**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.

Today’s Audio MASTERCLASS: How To Use Uncertainty & Disruption To Propel Business Growth

[1:12] – Meredith shares something that she believes about becoming successful that most people disagree with.

Success isn’t logical. It is not about the most money, the most resources and best education you have. Success comes down to one thing and that is what you focus on. If you believe you will be successful, your mind will find a way to get there. If you don’t , it doesn’t matter how much money or education you have, it will not happen.

[1:58] – Meredith talks about why Uncertainty is such a challenge in business today.

There’s more uncertainty in our lifetime now than it has ever been. As entrepreneurs, we want predictability and control. Uncertainty gives us no predictability and takes away every ounce of control that we have of how successful we are going to become.

[2:36] – Meredith talks about the extensive research on uncertainty and the impact on business today.

She started researching about uncertainty in companies and individuals in 2016 and found out that success is not logical.
The biggest predictors of success in the face of uncertainty is base on how much you can cast a vision, how much you can focus on what you can control and let go of what you can’t control.
The people who thrive in uncertainty get in shape for change and don’t sit and wait for change to happen and start to predict the changes that will happen. They wil think more of what are the shifts that will happen in the next year and what they can be doing to get ready for it.
They spend more time building a team that is flexible and agile and don’t complain when obstacles shows up. They think about how they will use those obstacles to propel their organization forward.
She calls this strategy “Conditioning yourself for change” – getting in shape for change.

[4:29] – Meredith talks about turning uncertainty into a competitive advantage.

Uncertainty is your greatest competitive advantage because it is the biggest fear of most of your competitors.
When fear enters your brain and you are afraid of uncertainty, its shuts down your innovation, creativity and engagement that will lead to negative results.
If you decide that uncertainty is positive and that disruption leads to opportunity, it will ignite innovation and creativity. You will come up with more ideas to get pass the obstacles and increase engagement which is the direct line to driving bottom line results.
Uncertainty is the ultimatecompetitive advantage because most people fear it and if you don’t, you’ve got the edge.

[5:50] – Meredith talks about the proven 9-step formula .

Strategy no. 1 – You need a relentless vision. What you focus on is what you are going to get. You are so focused on your vision that your mind finds a way to get it.
Strategy no. 2 – Condition yourself for change quoting the US Military mantra “Embrace the suck”. The market place will change sometimes in your favour and sometimes not in your favour. The longer you can see that change is coming, the more time you need to prepare for it and the more you will be in shape for it.
Strategy no. 3 – Competition becomes collaboration. It’s a waste of time to compete with people. Think of ways to work together because in the face of uncertainty, saving time, energy in resources is everything.

[7:53] – Meredith gives one example.

Jim Beam Whiskey is a company that’s been around for 250 years. They grew their company in the face of prohibition because during that time the making, selling and consuming of alcohol will become illegal. Though the founder didn’t believe that it will happen , he got ready for it and diversified his income streams so when the unthinkable happened, he knew only to survive. All his competition declared bankcruptcy.
The only difference he had with his competitors was he conditioned himself for change and got ready for what would suck. He was prepared and he thrive when uncertainty showed up.

[9:44] – A timeout to thank our sponsors!

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[12:14] – Meredith breaks down strategy 4,5 and 6.

The most difficult to do in the face of uncertainty is to make a decision because you don’t know what is coming at you. Strategy no.4 – Making a decision that align to your core values so you have to know your core.
Strategy no.5 – Listen to your customers. Spend time by talking to them to know what is their problem in order to solve it.
Strategy no.6 – Build your network and it will change your life. The power of thriving in uncertain comes down to the connections and relationships that you build. Invest in your network and your network will invest in you.

[13:52] – Meredith gives an example of building your network.

Her example is the opposite of not building your network. Networking can be awkward and uncomfortable because you need to make connections to strangers but it is through this connections that you will find an opportunity to not only thrive in your uncertainty but also be successful.

[15:50] – Meredith talks about strategy no. 7,8 and 9.

Strategy no. 7 – Strengthen your team. The quality of people that you surround yourself with will determine your success. The only way to tap in to that quality is to stop telling people what to do but start to ask them for input and advise. People will help you more if they feel that you are giving value to them. Include them in the process and turn on their intrinsic and motivation.
Strategy no. 8 – Shed fast and keep moving. Realize that in the face of uncertainty the fault is not your own. The strategies that you use to make will no longer work because the market place is changing. Understand where you are productive and where you are just wasting time and energy. Work smarter and not harder.
Strategy no. 9 – Rinse and repeat. Make it a lifestyle and grow from the inside out.

[18:47] – Meredith gives an example of strategy no. 9.

The company Martin Guitar which started in 1800’s by Christian Frederick Martin was very successful in New York. When he moved to Pennsylvania, he died and passed the company to his son Frank who took the business when he was 21 years old.
He asked himself 3 important questions , what his father did well, what will he never change about the company and that is the quality of their guitars and the last question is what he needs to do that his father didn’t do that is to move west and open new stores and expand the market. He included ukulele, mandolin and other instruments.
They did not lose the best in them and paid attention to the market place.

[21:32] – Meredith talks about the road to success.

Being busy is not the road to success, its about being productive. You can be productive by embracing constant change, able to shift and be willing to let go of the things that don’t work and trying new things that are.

[21:55] – Meredith give her key take away.

Help people believe that uncertainty always lead to opportunity and gain serious competitive advantage.

[22:27] – Call to action.

Meredith’s Website – Check out Meredith’s website and find her thrive system, steps and strategies and join her community and mission.

[24:27] – Thank you to our Sponsors!

Thrivetime Show: Attend the world’s highest-rated business growth workshop taught personally by Clay Clark at ThrivetimeShow.com/eofire!
NetSuite: Over 41,000 businesses have future-proofed their business with NetSuite, by Oracle – THE number one cloud E.R.P. Download the CFO’s Guide to AI and Machine Learning for free at NetSuite.com/fire!

Killer Resources!

1) The Common Path to Uncommon Success: JLD’s 1st traditionally published book! Over 3000 interviews with the world’s most successful Entrepreneurs compiled into a 17-step roadmap to financial freedom and fulfillment!

2) Free Podcast Course: Learn from JLD how to create and launch your podcast!

3) Podcasters’ Paradise: The #1 podcasting community in the world!