I once was feeling a lot of pressure to get things right. And to do things, right. And to you know, little perfectionism popping up. And I asked a mentor of mine, you know, what if I really mess this up? And he said, That's right, you'll do better tomorrow. We're always learning. And this idea came to mind recently for me that Yeah, I am not superhuman. But I am superhuman. Yeah, we will make mistakes. We will not get this. All right. But it's important that we start, we attempt to start on a strong foundation, because that's going to set us up for success, short term, and long term, and it's gonna help our teams help serve and deliver on our mission better. – Amber McCue

In this episode, I talk to my business mentor and coach Amber McCue. Amber is also the founder of Freshly Implemented, where she works as an outsourced COO for struggling small business owners. We had a great conversation about the mindset around planning and executing, how to bring a team on board, and how you can track your projects and have tough conversations with people. This episode is all about implementing and how to go from plan to action.

What you'll learn in this episode

• Importance of planning
• What stops people from moving to implementation
• Being patient with the process
• Effectively communicating a plan to the team
• Reflecting and reviewing a plan with the team
• Tracking the goals
• Amber’s last words

Want to skip ahead? Here are some key takeaways.

[03:37] Why planning is important. When you build a plan or strategy, you spend less time implementing it.
[05:55] What stops people from moving through to implementation. The goal is so far off and we are often impatient.
[11:53] Being patient. Know that everything is right on time. Even when things don’t go according to plan, the other side of the situation has numerous opportunities to make it work. You just have to be open to the possibility and let things unfold in your favor.
[16:44] How to effectively communicate a plan to the team. Set clearly defined roles for projects, define the tasks, and group them by categories.
[25:18] How to track organizational goals. Each person should have an objective that’s aligned with the organizational goals. By meeting them, you know you’re on track.
[31:48] Amber’s words of wisdom. I once was feeling a lot of pressure to get things right and to do things right. And I asked my mentor, “What if I really mess up?” And he said, “that’s alright. You’ll do better tomorrow. We’re always learning.”

Resources

Business Playbook

Full Transcript

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] Hey everybody, Sami here with another episode of the Digital Marketing Therapy Podcast. And today we are talking about planning, implementing, and tracking to make sure that your whole team is working from start to finish on the same goals, growing your organization building your organization, and making things happen. And so I thought, there's no better person to bring to do this with you guys. Then Amber McCue, who is my business mentor and coach and the founder of freshly implemented, we have such a wonderful conversation about all the things and mindset around planning and executing how to bring your team on board. So everybody's on the same page, how to track so you know how to grow and pivot and change, and how to have some of those tough conversations with people. There are so many great ideas that are out there. But that doesn't mean that they're all great right now. Amber McCue has a sweet spot for helping entrepreneurs do better business and increase their bottom line from being a single mom at the age of 18 to owning two companies that allow her to work from anywhere. Today, Amber runs her businesses anywhere around the world, from Chicago to Africa, through coaching programs. Amber partners with business owners around the world who want to get more done, realize their dreams and get freedom for themselves. I have been in ambers world for oh geez three years now. And just really love the way that she approaches how we grow our businesses and how we just keep it real and be patient and take a step back and allow things to happen. She's famous for saying right on time, and you'll hear us talk about this in this episode. So I really hope you'll take a listen especially as we're getting into the end of the year, you're probably doing some planning for the first quarter or sec first half of next year. So take a listen and let me know what you think. 

 But before we get into this episode, this episode is brought to you by our Patreon channel, I hope you will check us out at the firstclick.net/Patreon. I mean this episode is all about implementation and how to go from plan to action. And that's what we do inside our Patreon channel. We help you take action from these episodes with worksheets with live Q and A's with all the things to keep you moving. So head on over to the firstclick.net/Patreon. Pick the level that makes the most sense for you. It starts at $5 a month you guys it's just a great way for you to get worksheets and take action and get things done. But for now, let's get into the episode. 

[Intro] You're listening to the digital marketing therapy podcast. I'm your host, Sammy Bedell Mulhern. And each week, I bring you tips from myself and other experts, as well as hot seats with small business owners and entrepreneurs to demystify digital marketing and get you on your way to generating more leads and growing your business.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] Hey, everybody, I'd love to welcome Amber McCue to the podcast. Amber, welcome.

[Amber McCue] Thank you so much. I'm so excited to be here with you, Sami.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] I know we've been talking about doing this for a long time. So I'm really excited, we finally got to make it work.

[Amber McCue] For me. You're so gracious. Oh, it's been one of those years. 

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] Yeah, I think that's just like the saying for everyone. It's been one of those. Okay, but we're here to talk about planning, but more importantly, how to put those plans into action. So before we jump into that, why is planning kind of something that you geek out on and get excited about? 

[Amber McCue] You know it’s so funny, it's naturally just been a part of who I am. And it's funny, I can see it in my daughters too. Like which one plans more which one doesn't, right? Which one thinks about scenarios, different scenarios that may come up, and does their little scenario plan. But it's just naturally been a part of who I am. But as I stepped into working in corporate and running a business, I worked with some phenomenal strategists. And you could see very clearly when we build a strategy, and there is research to back this up when we build a plan. When we build a strategy, we spend less time implementing, and those were the leaders that I was like, Oh, you've got you to know what you're doing, you've got your stuff together. And you know, supporting those modern CEOs who are strategic and to build a plan before diving into the deep end of the pool, perform better their organizations perform better. So I want to embrace what I naturally do but also okay, what can we take the format for people who aren't natural planners or who don't really have a defined planning process? How can we build that so that we can get the success we're looking for in our organizations.

 [Sami Bedell-Mulhern] Yeah, because I think whatever the beauty of planning is whatever stage you're at in your business, it's still a crucial part, even if like your plan near the beginning is like, get my business license, like, whatever it is, right? Setting those goals is super important.

 [Amber McCue] Yeah, every step of the way. I mean, in so many areas of our life, like we've done a lot of moving lately. And if we didn't plan a little, and identify who's executing what, bless my husband, he does most of the move executing questions and support. That's a nice thing. But I mean, in all areas of our organizations, and in life, it's a helpful thing.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] Hmm, well, I find that planning is easier than doing. And so sometimes I get really excited about, Okay, I'm gonna play out, I'm gonna brainstorm, I'm going to get creative. And I'm going to have fun with the plan. But then, when it comes to implementing, I get stuck, or then it's like, Okay, well, that's not as fun and sexy. Like, now I actually have to do the work. So what do you think really stops people from moving through to the implementation stage?

[Amber McCue] This is a challenge and an opportunity that most leaders, most entrepreneurial spirits, I see come up against. And it is really exciting to create the ideas, and we've got so many ideas and strategies that we can execute in our organizations. So then we got to do it. And you know, many times, I think that we look at a few things that happen, we look at, okay, these are all the things and it's very overwhelming to think about all of the things at once. And when we break it down, and we pull it back to what's the easiest first step that will get momentum going towards execution? Actually, someone just mentioned to me yesterday, similar thing, she's like, I love the dopamine hits I get with planning. Don't come fast enough when I'm executing, because the goal is so far off and reaching the milestone. And this is why we've got to back it up. And we've got to implement milestones that we can celebrate along the way.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] No, I agree with that. 100%. Because I think that's as I get impatient, so I'm like, I know, this is the goal, but like, I want to get there now. And you know, because we've worked together for so long like there are goals that I put in place too early in my business, and so they didn't hit as they should have. Yeah, but really, it was just the timing. And so how to do you kind of pull yourself back as an entrepreneur and say, you know, because I agree with you, the little milestones along the way really helped so that you can see that progress. But how do you kind of pull yourself back and be patient with the process, I know your mantra is right on time? But talk a little bit, maybe about your process there.

[Amber McCue] You know, something else that happens when we reach a goal is oftentimes happiness and positive psychology underscores this in their research as well. But oftentimes the goal is reached and we don't feel what we expected to feel. And that's because right the dopamine stops flowing, right. We're working towards the goal. We're building the plan, okay, okay. Okay. And then it's over. And it's like, you take off this giant backpack, you just went on a long march, you take off this backpack, and life just keeps going like that. Okay, we're back at it, right. And so this is the thing with goals, we think that this is like, oh, reaching the end destination is the place that really that March, the celebrating the building up to my husband has recently gotten into a rucksack. And so this idea, and the marching and the carrying weight is kind of in my head. And it's the journey, like how can I add more weight? What more can I do with this? Can I make it this far? So thinking about and looking at the journey of the process is very much in line with right on time, and I am not naturally a patient person, Sammy, you know this about me, I've had to, like grow into this last year, two years ago, someone another parent said to me, You are so patient with the girls. And like, Oh, that was nice to hear. Because this is new, right? I want to reach those goals reach those destinations. But when I started living right on time, and there was a whole journey to get to that place as well. That's when I realized, No, we've got to enjoy every moment. We don't just skip ahead. We don't have to add on all these extra things. What is the right thing right now? Where am I focused right now? Keep the the the center the focus, keep the attention on that. And then we will propel to the next step.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] Yeah. And so then how does the right on-time kind of feeling alongside your plan, kind of help push you through implementation and Well, I think most importantly, say Yes to the right opportunities saying not right now, or saying no when things come your way because as you're growing and scaling, a lot of things are going to come naturally. Just come your way.

[Amber McCue] Yeah, it's so true. And so oftentimes, we can build a plan. And most of the time, things don't go as planned. 

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] All the time. Well, they still didn't go according to plan.

[Amber McCue] I love it. And so this is why when the right on time way has sort of coming to mind when I think it was 2014. When I realized I started saying to my clients when they would say I'm late, I'm so sorry, Mr. Call, you know, etcetera. I'm like, Oh, my gosh, no big deal. No, you're right on time, because I knew they were late. There was something going on, right? There's something going on there. It's no big deal. Everything's right on time. And it was the fall of 2017. When I realized I wasn't gifting this right on time way of being and thinking and living to myself, I was keeping the pressure, I was keeping an intensity. And so it was that fall that I just asked, you know, just generally asked and was looking for lessons for patience, and surrender. And to be right, always right on time, like, we're right on time. And Sammy, you know that it was just a few months later, in March when we were supposed to be moving to the Congo. Our apartment was entirely packed up, the movers came, the van had left Annapolis. I was standing in our empty temporary apartment with my eight suitcases that we were going to take to the Congo. And my husband called and said, um, we're not moving, like, oh, but we already did. He set up a change of plans. We're not going to the Congo anymore. Oh, where are we going? We don't know yet. So at that point, it began a journey of moving eight actually was 13 times hopping from place to place Airbnb, MB to Airbnb. Then on August 14, we landed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which would become our home for the next two years. And we moved two times after we got to Ethiopia. But right, we had a plan. I asked for these lessons because I knew that this isn't right. I knew I needed those lessons. And then here they came, one after the other. And I totally called uncle, about eight moves into this journey. And but it was a lesson in Okay, there is magic happening. Even when things don't go according to plan. There is magic, like watching for those opportunities, watching for those unexpected things, because it's easy to say this is the plan. It's not working. But how would you look at the other side of the situation and find the opportunity, because so many times there is something at work, and there's something brewing that we can't see yet? But when we surrender, and I literally opened my arms from side to side to think, alright, you've got to let go. Like there's something here that you don't see yet be open to the possibility and let those things unfold in your favor.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] Yeah, and I think the incredible thing about having that plan is that it makes it easier to kind of know where to pivot. So because you kind of had a lot of different things already in place. It was I mean, it was still a scramble and still crazy stressful. But it's a little bit easier to kind of maneuver through. Okay, well, now here's the next step we take when this part doesn't go the way we want, we know where her stuff is. And you can work through those logistics like you can kind of start to then figure it out. Or, you know, in your business, if you have kind of contingency plans, when you're not just flying by the seat of your pants, it makes it much easier to say, okay, things aren't quite going the correct way here, we got to pick up this piece, this is going really well let's move things over here. It just makes it easier to maneuver.

[Amber McCue] It's so true. And this is why I also believe in doing a little scenario planning, right? Sometimes things are really going to hit the fan. But as you were building your plan if you take just 15 minutes, even depending on the scale and scope of the project, of course, but if it's smaller, or if it's new, let me take just 15 minutes to identify a few different things that can happen. And if those things happen, what will I do? And then when that point in time comes, you will have already addressed that situation in your mind, maybe on paper like in a legitimate, tangible scenario plan but I always run through these in my head, you know, this is our And right now if this thing happens, that's what we'll do instead, if this happens, okay, we'll have to figure that out. I'll call so and so if you are right. So just mapping out a few things that you could do, so that when those things come up, you're kind of ready for it. And then if something unexpected comes up, hey, we knew this. We knew we had a good plan. But we know things don't always go into the plan. Let's Let's realign.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] Yeah, well, one example that literally just happened, or that I witnessed last week, which I don't know how the whole thing went down. But I attended the traffic conversion summit online. And they had Snoop Dogg as their final keynote speaker for the entire thing. Yeah. Well, he tested positive for COVID. He did. So that morning of the third day, we got an email saying we're so sorry, Snoop Dogg tested positive for COVID and can't speak. And they pulled in Magic Johnson and said, which was incredible. But like, Can you imagine? Like, you know, hopefully, they might have already had some contingency plans because of COVID differently, you know, like, hey, whatever. But like, that I can just imagine the stress on that team that night, trying to figure out how the heck are we going to bring in? Oh, my goodness, cuz you know, it's a keynote, you got to replace somebody with a pretty good repertoire. So yeah, so basically, plans but things happen that you just can't even imagine would be a thing you'd have to deal with.

[Amber McCue] Exactly. It's so true. I was feeling for the events team, as you mentioned that like, Yeah, but they were feeling it. I've been I've planned some events, or I've partnered with people who plan some events, and there is an element of stress.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] Yeah, I want to pivot a little bit because you've got your plan you're implementing, but for people that have a team, like you're the public face of your company, and so everything is going to reflect on you whether you do the work, or not. Right. So how, and I think this is a problem with even people that aren't the face of their company, but how do you then put that plan in place, communicate that to your team, make sure everybody knows who's implementing what, and then have trust that that's going to happen, and not micromanage your entire team?

[Amber McCue] Yes. This is this is big. And this is where I think it's so important to have clearly defined roles and responsibilities on projects, for plans for our organizations, because it is hard for, people, for humans to operate in a space where there is a lack of clarity. Like certainly there are many of us who at any given time can jump in and handle it and take care of it. But to live in a space where roles and responsibilities are not clearly defined for the long run is very stressful. Am I stepping on her toes? Right? He's supposed to be doing that? Or am I supposed to be doing that? And instead of spending brainpower on executing the important activities that we have set up? I'm wondering, like, shoo, I don't know who to talk to about this. I've got a question. Where do I go? So you want that energy to be spent in the right place? Which is why Okay, what's the right place? Let's define the roles and responsibilities. And we use something called a racy, we talked about this and how to clone yourself, but you can definitely Google this as well. And a racy outlines, what is the task, and I like to group those tasks by swim lane, or by category, like social media versus website design, versus right writing the communications for the press release for the website, launch, etc. And when you define the task, group them by category, then you assign are who's responsible? A who's accountable, meaning I'm not doing the work, but I am accountable to make sure that work gets done. So I'm following up, I'm tracking timelines, I'm checking to see if there are problems that may need to be addressed. Who's consulted? Who might we need to ask about this project? What integrations are there for the website? You know, I'm not sure about that when we go ask so and so. And then who's informed? Okay, the website has launched, who do I need to let know? So the next set of activities can take off like you need to announce this on social media? Okay, drop the press release, etc. So I think it's so important if we're going to share responsibilities with a team, let them know what's going on. And now Sammy, a little bit more specifically, you know, I run two businesses, our consulting business, and my photography, business. And in the photography business, I have a partner and we have a team of people. And in the consulting business, we have a team, but most are contractors. It's primarily our operations manager and myself, who will sort of have the vision and have all the ideas, then loop in the team. For more ideas, because we're not the only ones, and I think it's important to get that buy-in, like, here's what we're thinking, here's what we see, what are we missing? What am I missing? Okay, that's a great idea. And then there's ownership in that process as well. And then when we have ownership, we all want this to succeed. It's not just about this was ambers idea, I gotta see if it'll work or not. It's no, this is our team project. This is what we're doing this year. And it's we.

 [Sami Bedell-Mulhern] And I feel like the part of your planning that I love so much part of your process is kind of that reflection and review and really going back and figuring out like, you know, what worked? Why did it work? What didn't work? Why didn't it work? And so do you have those kinds of open conversations within your team and allow for open feedback so that everybody is also kind of feeling supported? In the successes feeling okay to fail because they can come and communicate about it. And you guys can kind of problem solve it all together?

[Amber McCue] Absolutely. We have those conversations 100% in all things, you know, I was in a meeting with our photography team last week, this week, actually. And I floated an idea out there that I've been mulling over we haven't officially implemented it, but I just kind of floated it like, oh, we're thinking about this. And I could see a couple of people like, Oh, no, I don't like, Oh, I guess I gotta find out what's on their mind. What don't they like? How can we make this work for clients? How can we make this work for the team? So it really just observing and listening when you see that no reaction. And this is one of the biggest things when we implement projects. When we do change management in organizations when there's something new brewing we want to execute on. And we're not in maintenance mode, engaging people in Why is this good? How does this benefit you? Right? And how does this benefit the people you care about? Whether that's, you know, if you're impatient advocacy, and you are directing those activities, and somebody at corporate, somebody at the headquarters says this is what we need to do. And the patients aren't on board, like once that information we want to engage. So yeah, end to end, we engage in the change.

[ Sami Bedell-Mulhern] So, do you have any tips for folks because like in the nonprofit space, a lot of times, it's like a single corporate sponsor that's giving a lot of money, or a couple of people on the board member or on the board who aren't actually involved in the day to day will come and say, as you did in your meeting, like, Hey, we're thinking about, we think this is a great idea, you should do this. And the executive team typically wants to appease those people. donors. Yeah, yeah. So how do you have any tips or ways that maybe people could come back with that conversation? I mean, how would you kind of run that if you're then the development director, who's supposed to execute on something that you know, is not the right fit for right now?

[Amber McCue] Yeah, and this is so important. I love that you brought this up because it goes back to relationships? And what is the relationship we have with that those advisors with those donors, and when someone says, like, you should do this, this is a great idea. You know, oftentimes, my initial responses, you're right, that is a great idea. I would love to do something like that. I love to, you know, I'm speaking with one nonprofit right now, who wants to do ongoing fundraising, right, and get reoccurring donations? And, okay, so how do we do this? Right, is the question. And that is actually the question I would pose back to the big donors, I pose back to the advisors like you are here to advise on the donors, but you are our partner. And we want to take your feedback into consideration because you're seeing things out there. And here are the challenges I see with executing this fabulous idea, this fabulous strategy, right? And because that person may be able to help you navigate those challenges. Or they may say, You're right. Right, so it's engaging in a conversation, and not right, and anything that we're doing and anything we're executing and implementing this is again, being open to the possibility like, could we possibly do that? Yeah. What scenarios could come up, though, that would make this challenging or maybe it's not. Maybe it's not a right-now thing? You're right. Can we set up more conversations to talk about that? So we can weave that into our next 12-month plan? Because this year, the team is stretched. But this is a great idea. We've got to talk more about this. So how can you open up the conversation and again, engage people and bring people into the process? And when people take ownership of something, even if it's just taking ownership of the idea and strategizing with you, they're going to be more bought into making it work for you.

 [Sami Bedell-Mulhern] Well, and this goes into a kind of the last piece that I want to chat with you about which is, you know, if we have really brought the team together to plan, and everybody's on board, everybody knows what their role is in implementing and how it gets us to that plan. And then, and then the last thing I want to ask you about is like, how are you tracking towards those goals? Because I think then when some of those hard conversations come up, you can say, Well, hey, let me show you what we've done this year. Let me show you where we're at. Let me show you, you know why also, maybe this doesn't fit in, then it's not as much of a personal thing like we're not going to choose to do your idea, but it kind of can line out for them a little bit more. Why moving things in a different direction, might just derail more than just that piece. So how do you track kind of towards goals? Like, are you an annual plan? Like, hey, we're gonna do annual reviews? Are you guys planning and chatting quarterly? Like, how does that look inside your team?

[Amber McCue]  Yeah, this is a great question. And I think before we get to the team level, this starts with the organizational goals. And this starts with the project goals, and they cascade down. And then Okay, we have a dashboard, right?

 [Sami Bedell-Mulhern] I know, you are an Excel lover. spreadsheets, all the spreadsheets.

[Amber McCue] And now I've actually hit a point where like, I know, it is possible to do what I want to do, but I can't figure it out. So I started calling in spreadsheet experts. Oh, boy, we've got to start looking at the data in some more intricate ways. And this is why I look at these numbers because you're exactly right, Sammy, they cascade down. Because each person who's executing on the project, each person on the team should also have goals that are likely tied to the organizational goals. And they should have KPIs or key performance indicators with them. And this is simply an objective, clear number or deliverable that has been produced that we can say, Yes, we hit that goal, or no, we did not. And it could be a date and a deliverable. And it could be just like, this is our we want this many new donors this every single month. And these things flow through. So everybody's clear like this is what I'm working towards. This is what I'm driving towards. This is my number one priority. And then yes, it becomes very clear for a manager, a coach, a leader to say, Hey, we are not on track to reach our goal this month, what's happening? What can we do about this? How can I help you in reaching this goal? So it pulls everything together, and it makes those conversations so much more seamless. And it should never be a surprise for someone on the team to learn that they're not reaching their goals. They're not meeting expectations. And when we have these goals set, and we have these conversations regularly, you're right, I haven't been reaching these goals for the last six months, I can't figure it out.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] But if you're reviewing them regularly, then it makes it also easier for you as a team to pivot and say, Okay, well, is it not working? Because you don't have the skills to get it done? Or because you need additional resources? Or because you need support in some other way? Like, then don't you feel like the teamwork, there's less animosity the team is flowing together. And you know, then it's better to kind of make those decisions quickly, as opposed to waiting six months or a year. And then all of a sudden, you're like, sorry, sorry, kid, you got to go. Like, yeah, it doesn't work as well that way.

[Amber McCue] Right? And it gives that foundation and sometimes if it's a complex project like we might need to get in the trenches on this together as I see it, you see it, we all know it, and but the team member may be making the right steps to keep it on track. And then other times there's total mismatch and misalignment for them, for me executing in that role. Like, I know, this is the goal we're trying to reach. I know what we need to be doing. But this is not my zone of genius, get out of here and say the same thing to the team member like, Hey, I see you're trying, but Well, this is just not working. Can we end in smaller organizations, it's hard sometimes to move people into, you know, quote, unquote, as Jim Collins said, in good degree, a different seat on the bus. So sometimes that's hard. That's ideal. If you've got someone whose values align culture align believes in the mission, but how we just don't have a seat right now. Like, love to work with you. But man, like, you know, it's not working. I know it's not working. Like, let's figure out a transition plan.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] I love that I had a mentor, a board member at a previous nonprofit job I was working and he said something that has stuck with me forever because it's so true, especially in the corporate space, that we're trained to just like promote if you're going to be successful in your job, you have to keep promoting, promoting, promoting and working your way up the corporate ladder. And you promote people until they get to like you said a job where it's just kind of not cool. Their zone of genius, but it's the next step up. And then instead of being like, how can we support you? It's like, oh, sorry, this isn't working out, we fire him. Right, as opposed to nurturing and growing people in their zone of genius, where they're at with your organization and figuring out ways to maybe just change it up and not have the traditional roles, right? Like, it can be whatever you want it to be inside of your organization.

[Amber McCue] Yes, yeah, it can be exactly. They don't have to be traditional. And that's something that we look at a lot, like, Okay, everyone says you need, okay, rocket fuel, the book came out, and there is so much buzz, even still around an integrator. Like, that's really awesome. That's not what I see myself needing I see myself needing a variation of that. So remix it for what your organization needs. We need managers in our photography business. Okay, but we don't want it to be a traditional manager role. We're operating pretty virtually. We're operating a lot of part-time teams. So okay, how are we going to remix that? So we've got coaches, and we've got resources and team coordinators, so we can remix things for the totally new way of working. And that is exciting. That brings energy, no, it's changed. So it's uncertainty. So it also brings discomfort for people. But if we're in this together, and we're kind of figuring it out together, and we create an organizational environment, where we are going to move through this as a team, then we can handle it.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] I love that. Okay, so plan, implement tracking. I mean, that's pretty basic stuff. So figure out where you're feeling a little bit weak, and maybe jump in on that. Yeah, and remember, right on time, I love that so much. Is there anything else or any words of wisdom that you've kind of learned along the way that you'd love to share that I didn't ask about?

[Amber McCue] Oh, my goodness, one thing that immediately came to mind, in case you needed to hear this today, as you listen, is I once was feeling a lot of pressure to get things right. And to do things, right. And to you know, little perfectionism popping up. And I asked a mentor of mine, you know, what if I really mess this up? And he said, That's right, you'll do better tomorrow. We're always learning. And this idea came to mind recently for me that Yeah, I am not superhuman. But I am superhuman. Yeah, we will make mistakes. We will not get this. All right. But it's important that we start, we attempt to start on a strong foundation, because that's going to set us up for success, short term, and long term, and it's gonna help our teams help serve and deliver on our mission better.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] I love that. That's so great. How do people find out more about you? And I know you have a lot of great freebies and things like that. So how do people connect with you?

[Amber McCue] Yes, amazing. Well, I'm ambermccue.com. I'm also on Instagram, as AmberMcCue, and my Facebook pages as ambermchuch. So pretty easy to find on all those platforms, even YouTube, etc. But in addition, something that may be of value for people is we have a playbook. If you're thinking about building your strategic plan. If you're thinking about what are the elements I need to include in this, we actually have a playbook template for you to look at. What should my outline be? What should I drop into this? And it's at ambermccue.com/playbook

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] Perfect. And we will have all of those linked up in the show notes as well to make it easy for you guys to check those out. Thank you so much for joining me. This has been super fun.

[Amber McCue] Oh my gosh, Sami, thank you. I adore hanging out with you all the time. Anytime.

 [Sami Bedell-Mulhern] Okay, you guys. How incredible was that? I mean, I just have to say that was one of my favorite conversations that I've had on this podcast. Amber has such great insight. And just great actionable tips to take when it comes to pulling your business to the next stage. So I hope that you will implement something whether you're trying to hire that first person to help you out or you're, you know, adding to your team or just wanting to have better communication with your team, your board, your volunteers, whatever it is. This is definitely an episode that I will come back and listen to over and over and over again. Head on over to thefirstclick.net/125 to grab all the links and resources that we talked about in this episode, and I cannot wait to see you in the next one.