From heaven to hell and back again

Instead of feelings of happiness, loss of control produces frustration, resistance or even resignation. You feel like you've been transported "from heaven to hell". How can this be solved?

Performance at the zero point

To put it simply, loss of control is when one's own entrepreneurial performance has zero impact. No matter what is done, no effect is achieved anymore - activities to acquire new customers come to nothing, strategic existing customer care no longer reaches top-level contacts, or more than ever employees leave the company despite the greatest efforts. The entrepreneur no longer has control over what happens. What follows is a chain reaction, a downward spiral, the entrepreneur is caught in the hamster wheel.

Hectic and impotence

Welcome to the road to hell. It's possible that individual errors of judgement weren't so tragic, but it doesn't matter at this stage. Hectic attempts to regain full control are unsuccessful. Personal sacrifice knows no bounds, certainly no physical ones. Any performance generated nevertheless remains an ineffectual one that at best only frustrates, triggers resistance or, at worst, leads to resignation. At the latest now a feeling of powerlessness spreads - arrived in hell.

The valley of tears

Powerlessness - in addition to the further downward spiral - also holds the possibility of calm, of reflection, of the opportunity to rearrange thoughts. It marks the turning point to reflect on the mistakes made, to reassess the situation, to reconsider resolutions and to decide anew. Accepting the state of hell is a "must", so is admitting one's helplessness. From personal experience, landing on your stomach is as necessary as the air you breathe. It has to really hurt before the realization of rethinking matures and the strength to change course is great enough. This is a process of small steps, because the damage to one's own ego does not allow any big leaps. No one likes helplessness, especially not an entrepreneur. Now is also a good time to seek outside advice and support. Self-awareness and self-reflection are certainly good advisors, but the transition to self-control is a real challenge.

To ensure that the realization of failure does not remain just a realization, at least one more perspective is advisable in the stuck state. This has very factual reasons such as the already mentioned change of perspective, which despite massive efforts in self-control not every affected person succeeds in, but it also has something to do with emotional support. The wounds associated with the belly landing need a helping hand from outside, someone to help you back on your feet and to walk the first part of the coming path together. Too pathetic? In a very practical way, the added perspective also shortens the amount of time it takes to overcome the journey to hell. A very practical insight from the journey to hell: If you are wise and willing, you will integrate further perspectives into the healing process.

Wanted: a strong partner

To be ready for a change, the belly landing, the valley of tears, hell, is usually a prerequisite. The following phase towards heaven requires a strong partner. This partner helps, for example, to find new ways of customer acquisition, to win back lost customers or to sow trust so that good employees stay. It is about a partner who has a different perspective on the problem and the solution, who is a sparring partner and coach. But it's also about a person who brings empathic skills to understand and categorize the pain of the gut landing. At best, a person brings both skills to the table. The way out of hell also succeeds with more than one companion. The shorter this phase, the faster new measures can be established, the better the result. Too long hesitation is usually punished.

The way back to the top

If the path of change is taken, it is not only the entrepreneur (and his strong partners) who are called upon, but every single employee in the company. This presupposes that the "imbalance" can be felt or measured by everyone. This refers to the impact of the loss of control on the company, not the personal impact on the entrepreneur himself. The entrepreneurial path back to the top can be outlined with five phases.

- Phase 1: Picture of the common goal. Develop a picture of the future situation and create strategies to achieve the goal. It is important that you work together with all employees on this goal, the vision. A declaration of intent in a quiet room will not lead to any results. If not everyone can work on the vision, make sure that the picture of the future nevertheless reaches the last corner of the company and takes everyone along on the journey.

- Phase 2: create the appropriate environment. Make sure that your environment can implement the strategies. Change all the systems and structures that undermine the vision. Take risks in the process, "we've always done it this way" will not help. Take advantage of other ways of thinking (additional perspectives!), invite input and be open to suggestions and concerns.

- Phase 3: Achieve rapid success and communicate. Show your environment that the new strategies are working and ensure "quick wins". Do not spare praise and recognition for the employees involved. Pay attention to individual successes and efforts, to the personal development of the individual. This also has a positive effect on your own motivation and performance. - Phase 4: stay active. The phase after the quick wins is crucial in order not to lose momentum. Resting on the first successes would be fatal and does not successfully complete the way back to the top. Pick up where you left off, don't tire of the vision and insist on implementing the strategies. Keep your comrades-in-arms active.

- Phase 5: Making improvements measurable. Now it's time to settle the score. Make the connection between the former status quo, the "lopsidedness" and the achieved performance improvement visible. Find the right means to translate the strategy into measurable numbers, data and facts and communicate the results. Stick to your story of the vision.

Along with entrepreneurial development will come personal development. This is balm for the battered entrepreneurial soul. Welcome back to heaven! Personal growth at the loss of control is possible - and regained control from it tastes especially good. ■