In this interview, Richard speaks to Fiona Challis. She’s been in the IT industry for over 25 years, firstly in corporate and then running a sales training company. Now, she’s passionate about mindset, personal development and energetics.
Feeling like she needed a change, Fiona left the sector to grow, explore and try new things. She’s been helping women with their development, and gone on a journey of her own.
An Interview with Fiona Challis
What are Energetics and Mindset?
The easiest way to understand energetics, Fiona says, is that it’s like a frequency. “So take a sales team – you can tell which ones are going to implement the strategies you teach them. And which won’t. Because you can feel the frequency they’re on.
“And it’s the same in the world of MSPs. If you want success and the right results, you need to tune into that. Strategies are so important, but it’s the mindset and energetics behind them that determine the results you get.
“You could give multiple MSPs the same strategy and yet they’d all have very different results. And that’s because of the energetics.”
How Mindset Impacts Leadership Team Performance
Mindset has a direct impact on the results a MSP gets. But before that, Fiona says, you have your beliefs: “The way I see it, my beliefs and behaviours determine my results.
“So if you want to improve results, you have to work with your people. Support them to remove limiting beliefs and empower them for success. That in turn affects their mindset to be more positive and growth-oriented.
“And that drives the right behaviours in your business and that drives results. You’ll really see a change when that happens. And it’s nice and simple when you look at it that way.”
How MSP Leaders Can Model the Right Energy for Their Teams
Leaders have to lead from the front, even if they don’t believe in meditation or mindfulness. Because that doesn’t mean that their teams won’t benefit from it, says Fiona.
“So when you’re the leader of an MSP, you have to see things beyond your own world and what will work for your team. Just because it’s not for you, doesn’t mean it’s not for them.
“Be open to having that growth environment for your people. Introduce new practices and methodologies. Anything that helps them to step into a bigger version of themselves.”
What is Self-Awareness?
Self-awareness is the path to being self-led. Imagine you ask a team member to describe who you are. What would they say? That’s step one. Second, ask yourself: “Am I the same person, with the same behaviours, in work and outside of work?
“Because leadership isn’t a 9-5 job,” Fiona explains. Instead, “It’s who you are as a person, a natural leader. And it’s not what you do when you’re at work. Are your work and personal selves congruent?
“What would your staff say about you? Would they recommend you as a leader to other people? Because how we see yourself sometimes is not how your staff see you. So the trick is to make sure the two of them are the same.”
Tips for Maintaining a Positive Mindset
Fiona explains that she’s changed her whole routine and her life and business have completely transformed. And that’s because her focus is on energetics, mindset and embodying everything she’s learned.
“For example, my day now starts with movement because movement changes your state. So I’ll go for a walk or to the gym. If I’m stuck for time, I do a walk-in meditation rather than do it separately.
“By having movement, meditation and moments of gratitude, I start my day off the right way. I think about what I’m grateful for each day. I have one foot in desire – what do I want to achieve in the future? And the other in gratitude. That leads to balance and a clear mindset.”
How Modern MSPs Can Create a Mindful Workplace
For newer MSPs who want to build a strategy that includes the elements of energetics and mindset, Fiona has some clear advice: “Put 20% of your business plan on strategy. And the other 80% on the rest.
“Because I can guarantee if you do the mindset and the energetics of your business first, any strategy you implement will work. Don’t just assume that what’s working for everyone else in the industry will work for you.
“Instead, take time to find the right strategies for you to take you where you want to be. When you build a business that way from the start, you’ll be excited about it. And you’ll be passionate about growing it and you’ll love what you do.”
How to Connect With Fiona Challis
How to Connect With Me
- Subscribe to TubbTalk RSS feed
- Subscribe, rate and review TubbTalk on iTunes
- Subscribe and rate TubbTalk on Spotify
- Follow TubbTalk on iHeartRadio
- Follow @tubblog on Twitter
Mentioned in This Episode
- TubbTalk interview with Fiona: How to do Awesome MSP Sales
You Might Also be Interested in
Richard Tubb is one of the best-known experts within the global IT Managed Service Provider (MSP) community. He launched and sold his own MSP business before creating a leading MSP media and consultancy practice. Richard helps IT business owner’s take back control by freeing up their time and building a business that can run without them. He’s the author of the book “The IT Business Owner’s Survival Guide” and writer of the award-winning blog www.tubblog.co.uk
All PostsYou might like:
Comments