Not since the first blog have I connected business with the spiritual. Today, I think perhaps I will. Today we look at the wings and the wheels of our business both at the same time. Welcome back to The Beauty Inside-Out Beautician and part two of The Better Fly blog series.
It's almost time to fly again and so there's a great need to look at these two before we begin to consider our take-off. In Ezekiel 1, beginning at verse 4, a vision is shared. The vision reads, "I looked and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north-- an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. ...In the fire was what looked like four living creatures, but each of them had four faces and four wings... and the wings of one touched the wings of another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved. As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces. All appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel. As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced; the wheels did not change direction as the creatures went. Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around. When the living creatures moved the wheels beside them moved; and when the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. When the creatures moved, they also moved; when the creatures stood still, they also stood still; and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels."
In business, before our wings can part the clouds, our wheels must canvas the ground. In the above scripture, we learn that the spirit of the living creature is in the wheels. In my business workshop LLO (Limited Liability Operations) we look a lot at agility, and in fact, one of the 7 laws of LLO states that "The Power of LLO is Agility". Here in this vision by the priest Ezekiel, we capture the idea of a swivel. The scripture describes a wheel intersecting a wheel. In this case, the swivel is not used for spinning, but it enabled each of the four faces of the living creatures to move straight ahead without turning. This is a huge increase in agility and keeps each face focused on its terrain. As we all know, being in business is no easy task. Some businesses surely can have what feels like four faces. For solo entrepreneurs managing the different roles, can be overwhelming, and even impossible if there is only one set of wheels. We can also find our wheels stuck when we try to be the wheels. Sometimes agility is simply the power to choose; just as the living creatures sometimes stood still and other times rose from the ground. Still, let's go a little deeper.
One major reason for movement in business is for the purpose of networking. Without study and understanding, this is sometimes done in a frenzied way with all our wheels turning, but when we bring our spiritual acumen to the world of business, we see that there is a way to network without twisting and turning. I was thinking of a bee, and how it pollinates. In a way, the bee acts as wheels and moves about building a network that sustains the food chain. I was also remembering the hive, and how much it actually looks like a network. In the last blog, we looked at competition and how young businesses can be choked out. One of the things that is seldom forgotten in a multi-level network is the first two or three people that are directly connected to the head of the network. In the context of this Better Fly Series and in reflecting on some of the adversities of keeping flight in business, it is important that we look at our networking in such a strategic way. Think about what happens if your competitor can determine who the direct connectors are in your business' network while in your eyes, it's all just an oversight. Depending on how competitive your competitor, you can find yourself without wheels. And we know this is important again because "the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels."
As I was reading a little about the Bee, I learned about a substance that bees produce called propolis. It's often referred to as beeglue. It is a resinous mixture that honey bees create by mixing saliva and beeswax with exudate gathered from tree buds, saps, and other sources. Bees then use this mixture as a sealant to mend any unwanted openings within the hive or network. Now, begin to consider what your special mixture will be. The question is: Before you raise your wings upward this time, can you identify the cracks in your network and begin to apply your sealant? Between this blog and the next... work with this question and these ideas. On the next blog, we'll take a closer look at our wings.
Thank you for joining The Better Fly blog series. Don't forget to share it with someone. To read the previous 3 blogs in the series, use the tags below this entry.
In business, before our wings can part the clouds, our wheels must canvas the ground. In the above scripture, we learn that the spirit of the living creature is in the wheels. In my business workshop LLO (Limited Liability Operations) we look a lot at agility, and in fact, one of the 7 laws of LLO states that "The Power of LLO is Agility". Here in this vision by the priest Ezekiel, we capture the idea of a swivel. The scripture describes a wheel intersecting a wheel. In this case, the swivel is not used for spinning, but it enabled each of the four faces of the living creatures to move straight ahead without turning. This is a huge increase in agility and keeps each face focused on its terrain. As we all know, being in business is no easy task. Some businesses surely can have what feels like four faces. For solo entrepreneurs managing the different roles, can be overwhelming, and even impossible if there is only one set of wheels. We can also find our wheels stuck when we try to be the wheels. Sometimes agility is simply the power to choose; just as the living creatures sometimes stood still and other times rose from the ground. Still, let's go a little deeper.
One major reason for movement in business is for the purpose of networking. Without study and understanding, this is sometimes done in a frenzied way with all our wheels turning, but when we bring our spiritual acumen to the world of business, we see that there is a way to network without twisting and turning. I was thinking of a bee, and how it pollinates. In a way, the bee acts as wheels and moves about building a network that sustains the food chain. I was also remembering the hive, and how much it actually looks like a network. In the last blog, we looked at competition and how young businesses can be choked out. One of the things that is seldom forgotten in a multi-level network is the first two or three people that are directly connected to the head of the network. In the context of this Better Fly Series and in reflecting on some of the adversities of keeping flight in business, it is important that we look at our networking in such a strategic way. Think about what happens if your competitor can determine who the direct connectors are in your business' network while in your eyes, it's all just an oversight. Depending on how competitive your competitor, you can find yourself without wheels. And we know this is important again because "the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels."
As I was reading a little about the Bee, I learned about a substance that bees produce called propolis. It's often referred to as beeglue. It is a resinous mixture that honey bees create by mixing saliva and beeswax with exudate gathered from tree buds, saps, and other sources. Bees then use this mixture as a sealant to mend any unwanted openings within the hive or network. Now, begin to consider what your special mixture will be. The question is: Before you raise your wings upward this time, can you identify the cracks in your network and begin to apply your sealant? Between this blog and the next... work with this question and these ideas. On the next blog, we'll take a closer look at our wings.
Thank you for joining The Better Fly blog series. Don't forget to share it with someone. To read the previous 3 blogs in the series, use the tags below this entry.
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