BECOME A STORM WARRIOR

With the advent of what we now commonly refer to as the gig economy, more people are freelancing their services and working alone in their home spaces or alone in common professional workspaces without a team around them. There is no respite at the water cooler to swap stories, exchange ideas, or talk about the latest Netflix release. In fact, the social isolation and consequent loneliness of the solopreneur is so rampant that some experts argue that it is a large contributor to the failure of many these solo entrepreneurial businesses. Many teams who typically work in an office are getting a taste of this isolation during the global pandemic. Heeding the lessons from the storms to find the power in my own vulnerability while serving my community is how I became my own rescuer. In doing so, I overcame the despair in the aftermath and began to live with more purpose and greater capacity to be of service in the world. Become a Storm Warrior so you can too.  Try this: Find like-minded, similarly situated people who share your life or business circumstances. Create a mastermind group that meets regularly, keeping the group small enough to manage and set clear guidelines about active, non-judgmental listening.1. Becoming Your Own Storm Warrior ▶ Think about a situation from your past where you chose to go it alone and prolonged or worsened your situation. Who did you burden by your choice? What could you have done differently to get the support you needed? 2. This is Not a Drill ▶ Think about storms you have weathered in the past. Now, in preparing for future storms, create a checklist of things, people and steps you need to consider or prepare for. 3. The Catastrophe after the Catastrophe ▶ Think back to the Category 5 storms each of you mentioned that you have weathered. Ask each other what worked and what you needed but didn’t get. 4. The Seven Barometers of Resilience ▶ What has kept you going and motivated in tough situations? 5. Discover How to Create Your Float Plan ▶ Ask members of your team to identify the single skill that would make the biggest impact on the performance of each member in their role. 6. Harness the Power of the Category 5 Storm ▶ Ask people who know you to give you their perception of you under normal circumstances, moderately stressful circumstances and under extremely stressful circumstances. How does this compare with your self-perception? 7. Manage the Catastrophe after the Catastrophe ▶ Identify some tools that you can implement within your organization to keep your team calm and for conflict resolution. 8. Develop a Category 5 Leadership Style ▶ Ask each team member to articulate your company’s vision. How does this align to your vision as a leader? 9. Build Your Tribe to Weather Any Storm ▶ Brainstorm ways you can magnify the comfort zone of you and your team. 10. Keep the Emergency Channel Open ▶ What is it that drives how you respond to information? Think about different situations and how you responded. What does this say about your behavioral style? 11. Commit to a Course ▶ Do you currently have any decision-making models in place? If so, what are they? If not, brainstorm ideas. 12. Homecoming ▶ What can you do to connect with people who are in similar circumstances? ▶ What can you do to reach out to someone who is experiencing their own Category 5 storm?

BUILDING YOUR TRIBE

We have previously discussed the potential consequences of going it alone, but your friends and family that you might count on in ordinary circumstances may not be available to you during a Category 5 catastrophe. Be willing to get out of your comfort zone and build community so you don’t go it alone, and you can thrive in the aftermath.  
It is tempting to isolate ourselves when we are dealing with tough situations. As an entrepreneur, you may endure extremely difficult financial distress that you don’t want anyone to know about. In our culture, we are taught that we should be independent problem-solvers.  
Author Christine Perakis shares, “When I went after my captain’s license, I could have used guidance to navigate the arduous application process. Instead of asking a dear friend who was a very experienced captain, I struggled to get it done by myself. I was surprised talking about it with him later that he thought I wanted to do it on my own, like I wanted to prove something. I hadn’t realized then that I’d made it seem like I didn’t want help. How many times had my own actions kept people from offering help?”   

Try this: What is one situation you are dealing with right now that you are struggling with but have not asked for help? Identify one trusted person—a colleague, a mentor, a friend—and ask them for help. Reaching out will feel vulnerable, but it is not weak. 

WE-OPIC VISION

At the center of every high performance team is a common purpose—a mission that rises above and beyond each of the individual team members. To be successful, the team’s interests and needs come first. This requires “we-opic” vision (“What’s in it for we?”), a challenging step up from the common “me-opic” mindset.
Effective team players understand that personal issues and personality differences are secondary to team demands. This does not mean abandoning who you are or giving up your individuality. On the contrary, it means sharing your unique strengths and differences to move the team forward. It is this “we-opic” focus and vision—this cooperation of collective capability—that empowers a team and generates synergy.
Cooperation means working together for mutual gain—sharing responsibility for success and failure and covering for one another on a moment’s notice. It does not mean competing with one another at the team’s expense, withholding important data or information to “one up” your peers, or submitting to groupthink by going along so as not to make waves. These are rule breakers that are direct contradictions to the team-first mindset.
High performance teams recognize that it takes a joint effort to synergize, generating power above and beyond the collected individuals. It is with this spirit of cooperation that effective teams learn to capitalize on individual strengths and offset individual weaknesses, using diversity as an advantage.
Effective teams also understand the importance of establishing cooperative systems, structures, incentives and rewards. We get what we inspect, not what we expect. Think about it. Do you have team job descriptions, team performance reviews and team reward systems? Do you recognize people by pitting them against standards of excellence, or one another? What are you doing to cultivate a team-first, cooperative environment in this competitive, “me-opic” world?
To embrace the team-first rule, make sure your team purpose and priorities are clear. What is your overall mission? What is your game plan? What is expected of each team member? How can each member contribute most effectively? What constants will hold the team together?
Then stop and ask yourself, are you putting the team first?

An excerpt
from Pulling Together
by John J. Murphy

SEVEN DISCIPLINES FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE

There are 7 disciplines you must develop if you want to achieve all that is possible for you. You can learn these disciplines through practice and repetition until they become automatic. 

Goal Setting
Every morning, take 3 to 5 minutes to write out your top goals in the present tense. Get a spiral notebook for this purpose. By writing out your 10 goals at the beginning of each day, you will program them deep into your subconscious mind. 

This daily goal writing will activate your mental powers. It will stimulate your mind and make you more alert. Throughout the day, you will see opportunities and possibilities to move more rapidly toward your goals. 

Planning and Organizing
Take a few minutes, preferably the night before, to plan out every activity of the coming day. Always work from a list. Always think on paper. This is one of the most powerful and important disciplines of all for high performance. 

Priority Setting
The essence of all time management, personal management, and life management is contained in your ability to set proper priorities and use of your time. This is essential for high performance.

Concentration on your Highest-Value Activities
Your ability to work single-mindedly on your most important task will contribute as much to your success as any other discipline you can develop. 

Exercise and Proper Nutrition
Your health is more important than anything else. By disciplining yourself to exercise regularly and to eat carefully, you will promote the highest possible levels of health and fitness throughout your life. 

Learning and Growth
Your mind is like a muscle. If you don’t use it, you lose it. Continuous learning is the minimum requirement for success in any field. 

Time for Important People in your Life
Relationships are everything. Be sure that in climbing the ladder of success, you do not find it leaning against the wrong building. Make time for your relationships every day, no matter how busy you get. 

Action Exercise
These 7 disciplines will ensure that you perform at the highest level and get the greatest satisfaction and results from everything you do. Study these 7 disciplines and then make a plan for how you can incorporate each of them into your daily life. 

WHY CARING ABOUT PEOPLE SHOULD BE THE HEART OF LEADERSHIP

The demands of leadership continue to increase in pace and complexity. Leaders have to care about more things than ever before. Why should caring about people be elevated to leaders’ number one concern?

Under the pressure of escalating demands, most leaders adopt a command-and-control style of leadership with their teams, according to Nink and Robison from Gallup.

They don’t delegate enough, they overwork and end up feeling overburdened.

Teams disengage.

Leaders and their teams end up producing less, while also jeopardising everyone’s well-being and increasing the risk of burn-out.

Leaders who put caring about people at the heart of their leadership take a different approach.

They focus on the team and how the team can be supported to produce results. Rather than increasing control, they care for their team by adopting a coaching style.

Caring leaders cultivate trust with their people by supporting and developing them. They readily delegate work and responsibility. They do what they can to equip team members to do their best work.

Not only does more and better-quality work get done, this also has the enormous benefit of relieving the pressure on leaders.

Coaching conveys genuine caring and support

Coaching conveys benevolence; it signals genuine care and support. The more people experience their leader as someone who is caring and supportive, the deeper the trust.

Through coaching, team members provide input and suggestions and this helps them to feel valued and appreciated.

Only about one-fifth of people feel that they get feedback from their boss that helps them to do better work. About the same proportion feel they are managed in a way that motivates them to do outstanding work. The care factor is noticeably absent.

When people perceive their leaders to be benevolent, they are more likely to reciprocate. They work harder for longer and are more likely to go above and beyond what’s required.

On a practical level, care means learning and development. This translates into regular coaching conversations between managers and their teams. Frequent on-the-job coaching will do more to build a learning culture than anything else.

For leaders, this means genuinely asking people how they are going and finding out what support they need. Managers are less focused on the task and what has been done because it is only part of the picture.

With a coaching mindset, the focus is to enable the team and each member to grow to full potential. When you put care at the heart of leadership, that’s the most important contribution.

Understand the motivations, emotions and interests of others

To be a leader who cares, begin by understanding the motivations, emotions and interests of your people. Having this understanding means you can align their and your needs more readily.

Next, make sure you manage your own emotions. As leader, your mood is highly contagious. A calm, positive emotional state helps your team to feel positive and it will also increase performance.

There’s no substitute for empathy; so also make sure you create a warm, human connection. People will support and reciprocate your care when they like you and enjoy interacting with you.

Finally, provide a sense of control through choice. Choice is rewarding. Giving people responsibility and reminding them they have a choice increases their well-being.

Coaching focuses on each team member’s needs, interests, suggestions and development.  It comes from a place of genuine inquiry. It helps them to feel valued and appreciated.

When you care for your team members, they know. When they know you care, they care more about their work and satisfaction and productivity thrives.

 - Dr. Karen Morley, author of Lead Like a Coach

LEADERSHIP IN A GLOBAL PANDEMIC

A 2-Time Category 5 hurricane survivor and serial entrepreneur shares her experiences and life lessons learned to help us all weather the extreme situations in our lives ...in the hours and days following the first of two monster storms left me no idea of what to do next. As a professional boat captain and lifelong sailor, a navigator of businesses, boats and people, guiding them to safely reach their destinations for a couple of decades, I was now cut off from my global connections and left wondering, “what now?”

When facing an out-of-control situation, how many times have you thought, “I have no idea what to do next?” After the first hurricane passed, I was one of many victims amid the rubble. I had no idea what would come next. I sure wasn’t thinking strategically! As of the writing of this post, we are in the midst of a global pandemic and half the world’s population is under quarantine, uncertain when the threat will diminish. It’s times like these when many of us may think that, with nowhere to go, no one to see, “there is nothing that I can do.”

With my home destroyed and no transport off the island, and without a pre-defined role in my community, I felt paralyzed at first. In the aftermath of any Category 5 event, even without a pre-designated role, opportunities to step forward will appear if we stay alert. In doing so, I discovered that there were things that I could do that would make a difference in the community, would help me focus and alleviate the powerlessness and the loneliness that I felt in the immediate aftermath.

Outdoor wilderness leadership strategies offer four key roles for the Category 5 situation – designated leadership, peer leadership, self-leadership and active followership. We can all fill any or all of these roles in uncertain times. Finding your place when circumstances are out of control will ground you and give you purpose.

In the Covid 19 pandemic, our compliance with the quarantine rules is an example of active followership – those of us symptom-free who keep our “social distance” for the health, safety and protection of others is a contribution to our community by, literally, doing nothing.

In a yacht-race, the tactician is in charge, making decisions, with or without input. Winning teams have mastered these leadership roles by not only performing their own tasks with competency and efficiency, but also understanding what the other jobs are. Great team members stay constantly vigilant for changes in conditions, are ready to step in before an emergency overwhelms the crew, and keep the boat on course by their quick action and impeccable execution. Once, during the 5-minute start sequence of a long-distance race, our boat lost two different sails to a blow out within 4 minutes. Quick response on the part of every team member enabled the boat to get off the starting line and continue the race. These leaders will improve performance in any enterprise or life situation. A good self-leader is aware of the overall landscape at all times and takes on whatever responsibilities are within their power to not add to the burden of others.

The natural progression for excellent self-leaders is to become a peer leader, to step forward in service to those around them. After the first hurricane destroyed my home, and in anticipation of the next one coming two weeks later, I took shelter with and began to assist the salvage company owner and crew who were working nonstop, restoring order to the marina where 300 vessels had been destroyed. Having had no prior experience, I researched and went about the business of importing heavy equipment, navigating the challenges to bring much-needed machinery to the hurricane-ravaged island.

Finally, with transportation and intermittent telecoms, I was connected to a nascent volunteer organization to liaise with the British Military to deliver geo-map location data of conditions on the ground. I also facilitated the effort to bring international volunteer medical personnel on-island to assist with recovery. These assignments were offered to me because I was open, willing and available. Prior to that, I had no official role within the government or any volunteer organization, nor would I have known how to contribute via any formal channels. Sometimes designated leadership is available simply because a vacuum was created. During the Covid 19 pandemic, with schools shut down, the Red Cross organized food service for school children who depended on school meals for nutrition. Volunteering to serve meals to children provides a much-needed service that contributes to the well-being of the entire community.

Choosing a Category 5 leadership role in any catastrophic situation, whether it’s a global pandemic, a natural disaster, a cash-strapped business or anything in between, will get you focused and acting with a purpose. And often it doesn’t even require any previous training or experience. All that is required in these situations is that we are willing and mindful of the evolving circumstances, to figure out what’s needed. That’s how we discover what we are capable of in tumultuous times.

In the immortal words of the great Arthur Ashe,

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”

- Christine Perakis, author of the The Resilient Leader

'COMING SOON' LEAD GEN FORMS

If you’re launching a new blog or website in the future, you may put off building a buzz or getting leads until it’s up and running.

But what if you could build leads even while your website is still under construction? That’s what a coming soon page is all about.

You can create a ‘Coming Soon’ page for your business as your homepage. When readers land on it, they can submit their email to get updates and stay informed on offers and when your site will launch.

A Coming Soon page like the one featured in the image below can be easily built with a WordPress plugin like SeedProd. You can also add social media buttons to send visitors to your social media page while your site is being built.

Conclusion

We’ve looked at several neat and awesome lead generation forms that businesses are using today to create conversions on their site. You can easily build your own lead capturing form by using a WordPress plugin like Formidable Forms.

Lead capturing forms are varied and can make use of different techniques to create more subscribers and convert readers into leads. Use the examples given here as inspiration to build your own winning lead generation form.

SOCIAL PROOF IN A LEAD GEN FORM

Next is a fantastic lead generation form by Smart Insights. It’s great because it uses a graphic that reflects what it does – providing information.

The text is very specific and is clearly meant for a knowledgeable marketing expert. However, what makes this lead capturing form stand out is the use of logos of its clients in the form.

It’s a clear statement that this is a respected information base that serves high-level audiences. By featuring the businesses it works with, it creates social proof and instantly conveys authenticity.

Using Statistics

It’s well known that statistics and facts go a long way in copywriting. In this form by Sprout Social, you can see how the main text highlights an interesting fact to their audience.

The form also has subtext to convey other information, namely that you can download a guide when you subscribe and that you’ll gain a clear edge over your competition.

Another way it’s different is that it’s making use of a different position when compared to the other forms we’ve seen so far.

CONTENT UPGRADE

A content upgrade takes lead magnets to the next level. Usually, when a website offers a lead magnet or creates an optin form, the form is the same on all pages.

What a content upgrade does is that it offers tailored lead generation forms for different pages or content categories on your site.

While this seems challenging, it’s also highly rewarding. You’ll see higher conversions because the lead magnet offered is directly related to what readers are already looking at on your blog.

Lifehack uses this method extremely well. It has different lead generation forms for different categories of topics.

An assessment popup appears when you’re exploring psychology related posts.

You’ll find time management forms if you’re looking at posts for productivity.

Creating content upgrades is a more personalized approach to lead generation. It’s also a means to segment your email list as you’ll be able to group readers according to their interests.

THE ESSENTIAL LEAD GENERATION FORM

A large number of websites do not use optin forms or lead generation forms at all! These websites are letting potential customers slip through their fingers. Building a lead capturing form in the style of an optin popup will help you acquire an email list to further nurture your audience.

From the introduction, we’ve seen an example of a lead generation form for a book review site that could use some work. Here’s another example from another book review website, Book Riot, that shows you how you can improve a simple form. Here are some notes to consider:

• There’s a clean design with large and attractive text that tells users what they’ll receive if they sign up to their site.
• It has a lightbox effect that makes the form stand out from the background which is darkened
• The subscribe button has a distinct color that matches the theme and calls the users attention
• It uses text that’s more compelling. The use of an exclamation point and Subscribe Now convey more emotion and is more compelling

Try to create a clean, attractive, lead generation form that clearly tells users why they should sign up with you. You only need to add one field for entering email addresses and you’re good to go.

Forms with Power Words

This example from Copyblogger features the brilliant use of copywriting techniques to capture leads. Here’s what you should notice:

• The main text body is short but conveys the full benefit a subscriber gets in just six words
• It makes use of power words; in this case, the word ‘Free’. It also highlights the power word in a different color
• The subtext provides more information that’s also compelling and more detailed than the main text
• Here, the subscribe button is super specific as it says ‘Teach Me’ rather than the typical ‘Subscribe’

It’s vital to focus on simple, powerful, and informative text in your lead generation forms. Make sure that it’s actually relevant to your users and provides them with precise benefits.

A Full Page Lead Gen Form

It is very appropriate to include the lead generation form from the John Chow website’s front page.

Let’s breakdown everything that it’s doing right that you can follow when building your own lead generation form.

• Using a full page lead generation form is an obvious eye-catcher. You can use images and text to their full advantage
• There are three short and succinct bullet points that explain real and actionable benefits
• It uses power words and the button also features actionable text
• The subtext with the ‘lock’ symbol and ‘No credit card required’ immediately conveys security and safety

WINNING LEAD GENERATION FORM EXAMPLES TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS

Lead generation is the core activity of any business’s digital marketing strategy. Cultivating leads allows you to nurture the people who are interested in your products to become paying customers.

Your profitability rests on lead generation which makes the gateway to creating leads, i.e. lead generation forms, a serious priority.

In this post, we’re going to look at and break down some interesting lead generation forms I’ve found online. Seeing real-life examples will help you get a better idea than if I made you a post with dos and don’ts.

To start with, here’s a simple lead generation form by the Los Angeles Review of Books website. The site itself is informative. However, the lead generation form could be improved. At present, it matches the overall website color scheme and doesn’t stand out as much as it could.

The text copy could also convey more information that compels readers to sign up.

SUMMARY OF THE 7 DISCIPLINE TO ACHIEVING IMPOSSIBILITIES

There are 7 disciplines you must develop if you want to achieve all that is possible for you. You can learn these disciplines through practice and repetition until they become automatic. 

Goal Setting
Every morning, take 3 to 5 minutes to write out your top goals in the present tense. Get a spiral notebook for this purpose. By writing out your 10 goals at the beginning of each day, you will program them deep into your subconscious mind. 

This daily goal writing will activate your mental powers. It will stimulate your mind and make you more alert. Throughout the day, you will see opportunities and possibilities to move more rapidly toward your goals. 

Planning and Organizing
Take a few minutes, preferably the night before, to plan out every activity of the coming day. Always work from a list. Always think on paper. This is one of the most powerful and important disciplines of all for high performance. 

Priority Setting
The essence of all time management, personal management, and life management is contained in your ability to set proper priorities and use of your time. This is essential for high performance.

Concentration on your Highest-Value Activities
Your ability to work single-mindedly on your most important task will contribute as much to your success as any other discipline you can develop. 

Exercise and Proper Nutrition
Your health is more important than anything else. By disciplining yourself to exercise regularly and to eat carefully, you will promote the highest possible levels of health and fitness throughout your life. 

Learning and Growth
Your mind is like a muscle. If you don’t use it, you lose it. Continuous learning is the minimum requirement for success in any field. 

Time for Important People in your Life
Relationships are everything. Be sure that in climbing the ladder of success, you do not find it leaning against the wrong building. Make time for your relationships every day, no matter how busy you get. 

Action Exercise
These 7 disciplines will ensure that you perform at the highest level and get the greatest satisfaction and results from everything you do. Study these 7 disciplines and then make a plan for how you can incorporate each of them into your daily life. 

BENEFITS OF PRACTICING SELF-DISCIPLINE

The benefits of practicing self-discipline in every area of your life are many:
1. The habit of self-discipline virtually guarantees your success in life, both with others and with yourself.
2. You will get more done, faster and of higher quality with discipline than with any other skill.
3. You will be paid more and promoted faster.
4. You will experience a greater sense of self-control, self-reliance and personal power.
5. Self-discipline is the key to self-esteem, self-respect and personal pride.
6. The greater your self discipline, the greater your self-confidence and the lower will be your fear of failure and rejection. Nothing will stop you.
7. With self-discipline, you will have the strength of character to persist over all obstacles until you eventually succeed.
Begin today to practice self-discipline in every area of your life. Persist in this practice until self-discipline comes to you as automatically and as easily as breathing in and breathing out. Your future will be guaranteed.