15th Anniversary Red Shoe Solutions

Yesterday we celebrated the 15th anniversary of our Red Shoe Solutions training and consulting business.  We should be thrilled considering that some experts suggest that the failure rate of new businesses is 90-95% in the first five years.[i]  But more than a decade and a half of experience also brings with it some sobering truth.

When I first began as a one person shop, I thought that if I created the perfect training, I could change people’s lives forever.  Unfortunately for most this is not true.  Like me, most people need time, practice and plenty of “start over’s” to unlearn the habitual ways of unconsciously reacting to life’s more challenging moments.

Upon discovering that I lacked the omnipotence that so many other “experts” espouse I could have been discouraged.  Then I realized that I have never attended a single training or experienced an amazing speaker, of which I have seen many, who in that single moment changed my life.  Habits formed over time take time to change.  This truth applies to both individuals and organizations.  The 70% failure rate of organizational change  initiatives[ii] has been a standard for decades, and it is not uncommon for people to make the same New Year’s resolution nine separate times.

 I am not discounting the benefits of single event or short-term training.  The skill required to create a compelling keynote is truly awe-inspiring.  Bringing an audience together in a unique shared experience creates bonds that can last a lifetime.  In those moments there will be both people and organizations that are at just the right place where “an instant’s insights” can break through the roadblocks of learned unconsciousness.

 The majority of people, despite what they say, need time, trust, and consistent reinforcement to create sustainable transformation.  So before you plan your next training or conference event decide.  What level of results are you looking for, Keynote or Community?  Or both?