What Works: On hold again? Here’s how to move forward

Have you ever felt like you have been placed on hold? The client has placed their contract on hold and the timeline impacts your business. There’s a relationship in your life that has potential, but just too many things are up in the air for it to move forward.

You are on hold for a trip you need to take, so you can’t say yes to commitments that fall during that time. You or a family member is having health problems, so everything stands still while you are addressing medical concerns.

If these situations sound familiar, you have been on hold. You can almost hear the hold music playing as you wait for the client to move, the relationship to materialize (or dissolve), the date to come, or the illness to resolve.

The problem with being on hold is, you give away your power to the hold.

The truth is, business doesn’t stop just because one client is uncertain (even if it’s a big one). Love doesn’t stop just because there is a lot of uncertainty around it. Life doesn’t stop just because someone is ill. It’s when all attention goes to those things that life can feel like it stopping. Really, life and business go on. It’s just you that are emotionally and energetically tied to the situation.

Here’s how to keep moving if you are on hold.

Water the grass you are standing on. In other words, live and do business in the NOW – not the future. What can be addressed now? How can you be your most productive and satisfied self today? Where can attentions shift away from what could be to what is?

Stay open and actively seek new opportunities. If no commitment has been made, no contract signed, no relationship, no job offer – keep looking! Look with your full heart open. You can hold space for something or someone without it taking over your willingness to stay open to what is new. In business, it’s called filling your funnel. Make sure your funnel is full. Make sure you are actively taking care of yourself and seeking every opportunity for your own wellness.

Don’t deprive yourself. You may have blown your budget or energy on something that will take place in the future. But do not use that as an excuse to deprive yourself now. Sleep well. Eat well. Spend time outside, even if its at a park with a book. You don’t have to place your physical and mental wellbeing on hold. In fact, it’s guaranteed to worsen your situation if you do.

Mind your language around the situation. It will be tempting to tell everyone you know about the situation. It’s how we attempt to gather support. However, what you focus on increases. If you talk about health, you make decisions that guide more toward health. If you talk about the end of something, your likely outcome is the end of it. When you talk about your situation, speak about it from a full and resolved standpoint.

Business contract: “We are deciding the correct timing for this project.”
Relationship – “We are supporting each other right now.”

Health: “We are doing all we can to stay in whole and perfect health.”

Lovingly detach from the outcome. You may want it, but don’t let it tear you apart. You’ve heard “what is meant to be will be.” It’s not just a platitude. Look back on losses with fondness for what was and an eye toward what you learned. Show gratitude every day for your success. Teach your teams to do the same. Embrace change and all the good that can come from it.

Sometimes, the gift is on the other side of the unknown. (You just don’t have to wait for it.) The hold music will stop because you had the courage to continue on. You can decide to do that today. Where can you take yourself off hold? The floor is yours, Carson City.

ABOUT DIANE DYE HANSEN
Diane Dye Hansen has more than 20 years of experience in communication and change management gained in the sectors of government, non-profit, healthcare, publishing, advertising, entertainment, and technology. Her Critical Opportunity Theory helps organizations and leaders turn challenge into opportunity through proper leadership and team communication.
She is the president and founder of What Works Consultants, Inc., a consulting firm which helps business leaders communicate when communication is hard. This is done through research, strategic communication planning, change management consulting, customer success consulting, and training. She is a columnist on CarsonNow.org. To meet her and learn how she and her team can help your company, visit What Works Consultants, Inc. online at www.whatworksconsultants.com.