Don't let excuses get in your way!

By Tara Bitzan, Executive Director, Alexandria Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce

“I don’t have time.”
“Our organization doesn’t have a budget for that.”
“It’s too far away.”

These are some of the common reasons professionals in any industry give for not attending conferences.

Here are a few other reasons, which may not be as readily admitted:
“I’m an introvert and these events are out of my comfort zone.”
“I get overwhelmed with all the things shared at these events.”
“I/my organization isn’t in the same league as many who attend these.”

I am telling you that none of these excuses is good enough!

If you want to lead your organization successfully, here are my three pieces of advice:

Develop a growth mindset. Believe that talent and intelligence (and YOU) can grow with practice, effort, and experience. People with growth mindsets embrace challenges and view them as opportunities to grow. They work hard to develop and improve skills and abilities.

You can keep doing what has always been done at your organization and perhaps hold steady on revenue, retention, or whatever factors your business operates under, and for some that may be a win. But hopefully you aren’t one of those people who accepts “good enough.” Instead, start asking yourself, “How can we get better at what we do? How can we better serve our clients? How can we have a greater impact?” Ask questions, listen to others, seek out opportunities, attend conferences!

Reframe. This word has had a great impact on me, and I use it frequently in both personal and professional situations. You’ve probably learned the importance of “framing” issues, but I challenge you to spend more time “reframing.” This simply means looking at something through a different lens or perspective, playing Devil’s advocate in saying “but what if we did it this way,” etc.

 This has been especially useful to me when I struggle to see the benefit of something, am challenged by something, or simply don’t understand something. It doesn’t come naturally for most of us, as we tend to lock in our first thought or reaction. We need to focus on reframing, but it is worth the time and effort. Whatever the first thing that pops into your mind for any given issue, acknowledge it, then try reframing.

Examples: Reframe “I don’t have time” to “what a great opportunity for me to work in a different environment and get advice from my peers.” Reframe “It’s too far away” to “what a great opportunity for me to explore and get ideas from other communities on the way” or “what a great opportunity for me to invite John to rideshare so we can talk shop the entire drive and I can get an abundance of one-to-one advice.” Reframe “I’m not in the same league as many of the people who attend these” to “what a great opportunity to learn and grow from those I admire.”

Step outside of your comfort zone. I saved the most important one for last. I first heard this statement more than 20 years ago and have repeated it hundreds of times since: Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. You can sit on the sidelines and watch all the amazing things happening around you, the successes being realized by other people or other Chambers, the relationships being formed, or you can challenge yourself to grow and improve.

This may not be easy. I get it! I am an introvert! People exhaust me. I would always prefer to go home than to gather with a large group of people. But I also want our organization to be a shining star in our community, and I know I can’t accomplish that if I don’t get outside my comfort zone every single day.

Start by simply attending a conference. If you are an extreme introvert, sit quietly in the back by someone you already know and don’t actively participate if that’s too much. Just attend. You will still learn something, and it will be worth your investment of time and money.

Next time, sit further up by someone you don’t know, introduce yourself, strike up conversations. Now you will learn from the presenter as well as those you are conversing with, and you will be forming relationships.
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Magically, every time you push the boundary of your comfort zone, it doesn’t snap back, but keeps expanding. Before you know it, you are doing things you never thought you’d be doing, you will have grown tremendously, and you will be sharing your experiences and advice with others to help them grow as well.