You’re going to have a hard time developing your business and scaling up if you’re also not developing yourself. Today’s guest’s story shares some of his leadership hardships and challenges. When we’re looking to improve the business, the first person we need to change is ourselves!

Jeff Harris is the Interim CEO at Nomos One, a lease accounting and lease management software firm. Jeff is also a member of the Forbes Business Development Council and has experience in operations, sales, product management, customer success, and more. Through Jeff’s leadership efforts, he has decreased costs, optimized cash flow, and increased revenue growth in companies as a Scale Up Implementer.

After experiencing symptoms of not being able to swallow, Jeff collapsed Christmas morning and had to be rushed to the hospital. It was there that he realized he had pneumonia and was later diagnosed with a rare disease called esophageal achalasia, which makes it difficult for food and liquid to pass into the stomach. He was put on a liquid diet for 3 months and he lost 30lbs.

Throughout this time, he didn’t want his three kids to see dad being a victim of his illness. He wanted to set a positive example for them that you can push through adversity, but it was tough. Food is such a central point in our lives. The first time Jeff went into a grocery store and realized he couldn’t eat anything, he got overwhelmed and frustrated. The smell of good food around him during mealtime was absolute torture.

Instead of having an ‘oh poor me’ attitude, you have to change your focus to a growth mindset. Where you are today is tough, but you’re not stuck there. So what are your options? How do you lead yourself out of it? It’s so easy to focus on the end-game, but what happens if you don’t know when that’ll be? Instead of giving yourself mental torture, focus on the positives of the journey you’re on now.

Interview Links:

Nomosone .com

Jeff on LinkedIn

Mindset : The New Psychology of Success , by Carol Dweck

Resources:

Scaling Up Workshop: Interested in attending one of our workshops? We have a few $100 discounts for our loyal podcast listeners!Scaling Up

178: Jeff Harris — The Hunger for Greatness

Scaling Up Business with Bill Gallagher