May Day or MAYDAY?
Robin Phelps-Raymond
Guiding women CEOs and her leadership team on their Journey to and thru 8-figures by closing the Strategy to Execution Gap | Board Member, PS27 Foundation & Elle Collective
Welcome to our May “AMP to Ramp” newsletter!
My goal with this newsletter is to inform, inspire, and give you a structure to use each month on your journey to grow your leadership, your team, and your business.
Each month I will share curated information and personal insights into the 3 pillars that I have seen as the foundation for growing your business:
And each month I will provide you a guide to use for your own Clarity Break. I have found that monthly Clarity Breaks give me a needed opportunity to step away from the day-to-day to assess and reflect on my business aspirations and realities.
The theme for our May newsletter is “May Day or MAYDAY!”
I have vivid childhood memories of May Day as a cultural tradition celebrated on the 1st of May by dancing while weaving colorful ribbons around a maypole to mark the halfway point between the spring equinox and summer solstice and celebrate the shift from the dreary winter to the arrival of Spring. I even remember making some May Day baskets!?
For some of you, this past month was this vision of a May Day – a time when you saw the areas you nurtured in yourself and your business the past several months take root and begin to grow in alignment.
For others of you, however, this past month was a completely different vision – you experienced one or more of the key challenges faced when scaling your businesses.?Instead of seeing growth, you are ready to issue a MAYDAY – the word used internationally as a distress signal and call for help.
The selection of topics for this month’s newsletter are lessons learned through working with women CEOs who are scaling their businesses, some experiencing a May Day while others calling MAYDAY!?
Enjoy the journey!
~ Robin Phelps-Raymond, Founder & CEO
Alignment: Let’s Dance
Have you ever watched a maypole dance, a tradition on May Day in some parts of the world??
It all seems effortless as dancers simply stand in a circle around the maypole and, in time with the music, rhythmically weave their ribbons as they pass each other, resulting in a beautiful, multi-colored pattern.
From my perspective as a CEO, watching a maypole dance shows me the power of team alignment – the dynamic relationship of steps and rhythms that connect me and my team to the vision, our interconnectedness, and a shared focus on achieving the same goal.
When there isn’t alignment, the dance looks like chaos, with a lot of individual moves (some beautiful, some off-beat, each unique) but without a shared path or purpose.?? ?
Your turn:?Take a moment.?Assess your team’s alignment.?Is it a May Day dance??Or a MAYDAY! dance with individuals extinguishing fires, losing sight of the ultimate goal??
A May Day Mindset: Shift from Shame On to Game On!
“Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” - Denis Waitley
We’ve all experienced failures in our lives.? A time when we let someone down, missed a deadline,?made an error, messed up a project, didn’t live our values, etc.?
I thought about this a lot this past month as I failed at getting my April AMP to Ramp newsletter out.?I had my reasons (excuses) for why it happened.?I was disappointed with myself and had feelings of shame, disappointment, anger (at myself), and regret – a common mindset around failure.
In sitting with this for a while and talking with my coach, I’ve been reminded that it’s not the failure that matters… it is our attitude about that failure that really counts.?
You can get bitter… or… You can get better.?It’s your choice!
The way I see it now is we need a “MayDay Mindset” – a shift in how we react to failure from one of “Shame On” (me or them) to one of “Game On” a call to action to get better. ?
Using tools of Positive Intelligence? (PQ), I was able to look at this failure as a gift and opportunity. To say “Game On” and take action to change.??
Your turn - think of the last failure you experienced in your business. ?
Please Stay on the Path!
I know you have all seen this sign at national parks, on hiking trails, or at local gardens. ?
We know why it is there. It is there to warn us that veering off the path can lead to safety issues and potentially serious or fatal harm to us. It also serves to remind us of the impact we have on others including nature and the environment.?
My question for you this month: Is this what you are telling your team?
See, many of us started this year with a 2024 plan.?The plan included objectives of what we wanted to accomplish for the second quarter.?
Some of us create a May Day path.?We define a Scoreboard to measure outcomes along 30- and 60-day milestones – signs that we are on the path to achieving those objectives.
Yet, what happens if a MAYDAY event occurred and something changed – with an individual in your company, with a team, with a deliverable – and they can’t (or shouldn’t!) stay on the path??
I find very few women business owners I talk to using weekly synchs to measure and review progress on to goals.?Instead, I find many expect their team to “(Please) Stay on the Path!”?
Your turn:?Think about what you want to happen and what is happening in your business today.?What are the expectations for MAYDAY events??
Monthly Clarity Break
Abraham Lincoln said, “If I only had an hour to chop down a tree, I would spend the first 45 minutes sharpening my axe.” ?
Clarity Breaks are a powerful tool for women business owners. They offer a crucial pause… a time to reflect, reorient, and rejuvenate your thinking about your business. ?
During this scheduled, distraction-free time, you engage in critical thinking, gaining clarity on your larger objectives and roadblocks.
It’s not just a break; it’s a strategic retreat for your mind, helping you see your business and yourself through a different lens. This clarity leads to simplified procedures, enhanced efficiencies, and better decision-making, especially under stress. ?In the end, you return to your business with clarity and focus. ?You are ready to tackle challenges with renewed confidence and insight.
I block 4 hours for my Clarity Break beginning at 8A on the last Friday of every month. I begin my Clarity Break with a 30-minute walk and end it the same way. Every time I find the walk helps me clear my head beforehand and see meaningful connections afterwards.
May Clarity Break:
Now it’s time to schedule your Clarity Break:
领英推荐
REFLECTION:
A woman in business is like no other
Multi-brilliant at work, and often too, a mother.
Guided by vision to make a difference in this world,
Reporting for service, with her hair even curled.
Ready to go, whenever the need
She knows in her heart, there’s a calling to feed.
To do right, to speak up, determined to succeed
A role model that plants the possibility seed.
Knows who she is, right down to the core
Her essence, her passion—shine all the more!
She’s in charge with a handle on it all.
At the office, at home, or at the mall.
Even in the depth of all she may know
Realizes there’s still plenty room to grow.
So energetic, creative and fun . . .
Early rise, there’s much to be done!
She still finds time to laugh and to play
Sacred time too, to kneel and to pray
It comes from inside, driven by vision,
Get on board—she’s on a great mission!
Her daily prayer resides in God’s grace
Serving others from her heart sets the pace
Making use of her talent, wisdom and skill
From strengths and trust in Divine will.
Gentle, compassionate, loving and strong
In this sisterhood of success you want to belong
Anything she puts her heart to she can do
She’s not alone sis’ta—as you can too!
The road to get here has been quite a ride
“Call me ‘Woman’—it’s my source of pride!”
Come along, she’s blazin’ new trail
A woman in business—whom we all hail!
May is also the celebration of Mother’s Day (and for an interesting insight, read about?the history of Mother’s Day?founded as a day of peace!).?For me, it is a time to celebrate and give thanks for my Mom (Nancy), for both my Grandmothers?(Mabel and Evelyn), and for my great-Aunt Opal, who was a pioneering female of her generation with a heart to serve, teaching and traveling in Japan.??
Begin this month’s Clarity Break by writing a gratitude note (in your journal or on a notecard) to your Mom or a mother figure in your personal or business life. Then send it to them or share your note with someone who you think would benefit from hearing about the person and their impact on you. ??
Look Back.
As I look at my calendar of activities, projects I spent my time on in May, what do I notice??What can I celebrate? What could have been delegated (and who could I have elevated to do it)? Where are the areas I can improve?
Look Forward.
What are the top 3 items I need to focus on in June to achieve our Q2 objectives? Who on my team do I need to engage to ensure success? What do I need to communicate to them so they are clear on direction and are empowered and motivated to deliver?
Look Far.
Review your vision for where you want your business to be 3 years from now.?What areas of your plan do you need to adjust, remove, or add to keep moving forward to reach these goals?
North Star.
Review your Why for your business.?What are you truly passionate about doing?? What is the impact you want to make in your business??In your community??What do you need to Start, Stop, or Continue doing to stay aligned with your North Star?
Help us spread the word! Share this newsletter with other women you know who will find value. Sign up for our newsletter email to receive this directly to your inbox every month.
Red Admiral Ventures LLC helps women CEOs address the chaos, dysfunction, or overwhelm in their business.? We develop better leaders and stronger leadership teams in order to breakthrough the 7 and 8-figure revenue barrier.