The Magic of Lateral Moves

Far too often we entrepreneurs haven't quite moved beyond the corporate mode for success. We get sucked up into that desire to climb "the ladder." We want to get to the top.

But in a recent experience with my Sales, Authenticity & Success (Sassy) Diamond Mastermind members, I discovered that lateral moves can be just as powerful -- in fact, sometimes even more powerful for making quantum leaps.

We were at Miraval for one of our Diamond retreats, and I surprised them with a rock-climbing experience.

I shared with them that for our Sassy Activity we weren't going to be jumping off of any of the 35-foot poles around the property or doing any of the high-ropes courses because, just by virtue of their being Diamond clients, I knew they were willing to take big leaps for their business.

Instead, I chose rock climbing, because it's all about the intricacies. It's about paying attention to everything around you and making smart, calculated moves.

When I said that to my Diamonds, the rock-climbing instructor got really excited because he said he had so many high-level, Type-A business professionals who come out and want to get to the top, ring the bell and take the photo. They have tunnel vision for what they think is the fastest route to the top. And so few people were actually paying attention to the details of what they were doing.

He coached us to open our minds as well as our eyes, to not just look at what was above us, which is what most people do, but to look all around us, including below and especially side to side.

When we took his advice, we found that there was often a tiny little move to the left or right, that if we moved our foot onto that rock we would be able to go three times higher than if we were just focusing on going straight up.

We discovered that sometimes the biggest leaps come from small, lateral moves.

This sparked so many ahas among my Diamonds that I couldn't wait to bring the discovery back to you.

So I want to encourage you to pay attention to the field. Notice what's to the right and left of you.

Keep your eyes open for a lateral action that you could take that might advance you much more than the direct route to the top.

For example, I raised the money for the eWomenNetwork Foundation. And even though it wasn't my motivation for doing it, that lateral move advanced my business in ways. Fundraising isn't what people normally think of doing when they're rushing to the top!

But that lateral move advanced my business in ways I never could have predicted. Among many other benefits, they invited me to be their keynote speaker at their yearly conference, honored me as their Foundation Champion of the Year and introduced me to their subscribers.

So while you're looking to advance your business, keep an eye out for that elegant, lateral move that might just end up being a quantum leap.