Since you are one of my readers, you are a world changer. You want to have an impact with your business.

You will have much more impact if you get in touch with your fierce.

In a virtual meeting I was in recently, we were talking about winning vs. collaboration (as if they were two diametrically opposed things!). One young man promoted the old party line that business is all about competition, that you have to crush your opponent (the competition) in order for your business to prosper. He could hear the growls and fists in his voice. The meeting fell silent.

At first, they returned me. Flashback to the Middle Ages. Does anyone really hold this opinion anymore? Well, I only have to look around in the news to know that there are those who do it. I was disappointed to see it perpetuate in this young man.

You see, I believe that collaboration and commercial success go hand in hand. I don’t just believe it. I have SEEN it in my own businesses. Every time I put collaboration with people who were supposed to be my competitors first, we ALL made more money. We ALL had more impact.

Though at first taken aback by his vehemence, his fierceness, I responded with my own brand of fierceness. I spoke calmly. I did not agree. I explained my own experience. I was quietly forceful in making my point heard.

No one else responded, and the discussion moved on to other things. Later, one of the other young people in the meeting emailed me to ask, can we talk about what you said about winning vs. collaboration?

In that application, I see that I made a difference. There is an opportunity for us to have a conversation. As a result, you may shift your views towards a more collaborative approach to your own business. A more IMPACT. That is for him to decide, but I have the opportunity to share my own experience.

I have not always been solid in my fierce. When someone was fierce with me, I used to shut down. I would walk away, withdrawing from the strong energy. It felt like too much energy to deal with. scared me It felt like anger.

Other people respond to the fierce with their own anger.

You have a choice. You can respond, if that’s a conversation you want to have, with your own ferocity.

No one is going to have your impact except you. To have it, take advantage of your pride.

The word, fierce, can be interpreted as angry and aggressive. That’s not what I’m talking about here.

Fierce is the force. Fierce is the clarity. Fierce bravely holds on to your limits. Fierce is a commitment focused on your impact.

Cultural norms about how someone is supposed to behave can get in the way of ferocity. Fierceness in people of color or in women in particular is often not welcome. There is often a concerted effort to shut you down, especially when your pride conflicts with a norm that serves the status quo or the patriarchy. Look what happened to US Senator Elizabeth Warren when she proudly defended her right to speak about herself. And yet she persisted.

You too can persist.

We are in a unique moment. Old structures are collapsing under the weight of this pandemic. We have the opportunity to redo things, to build a better future. Finding your fierce allows you to be a bigger part of it. Wouldn’t you like to have a say in what the future looks like? How would you like it to be? I would love your contribution to be part of the world that is now being created.

Once you start to harness your fierce, it can start to light a fire in you. In fact, you may even want to burn the house down. A social structure that serves no one but a privileged few. A practice that is doing harm. That can be a sign that your fierceness is really and truly on.

Burning things metaphorically may or may not be the path you decide to follow. It may not be necessary. We all have our own ways of making an impact, in that world-changing way that only you have.

I still feel that shiver of fear when someone sends their fierce in my direction. My first impulse is to keep quiet. Residues from the past, when going unnoticed kept me safe. But now, I recognize it and take advantage of my own ferocity. Wow, that’s liberating! And potentially change the world.

How do you find your pride? Take advantage of something that you are passionate about. Your Impact Purpose is the best way to get into your pride.

Then use your fierceness to keep your own inner fire burning and make a difference.

May the fierce be with you.