I have learned the importance of perspective over my 40 years managing in many different industries. The basic practices for creating success that come to mind for most are related to processes, marketing, and analytics’ models. These are procedure related.
Even though these procedure-related principles are key factors in all industries, a leader’s perspective is what determines end results. It is perspective that creates impacting execution. Following are 15 Principles, taken from my book 15 Ways To Own Your Future as they apply to starting a small business, and creating success.
1. Positive Perspective: Getting things effectively done at any level is always enhanced with a positive perspective. It is what helps us avoid major ups and downs.
It has been stated that most executives see things through “rose colored” glasses. There is a reason for that. A positive perspective is what helps them work through any obstacle, and quickly adapt to change.
And, acknowledgment of a clear vision through these “rose colored” glasses exists also. It is a vision that seeks solutions as opposed to reasons something can’t be done.
2. Balance: Make sure you make time for self and family/others.
Whether we define this as seeking balance or better work/life integration, the key is to find time outside of business for others, and yourself. The success of a new business requires proper and necessary focus needed to succeed.
Detaching, when possible, is what recharges the batteries, and improves focus. One of many messages in my books is “where ever you are; be there.” Simply put, focus on the moment, and enjoy what is in front of you at the moment.
3. Work Ethic: Any success ever achieved has taken hard, consistent effort.
This may seem like a given, but it really is not. The toughest part of managing a business is maintaining that consistent effort. When it comes to any new major challenge, most people have high energy in the beginning.
Day-to-day battles can cause some to cut corners, and get complacent. Complacency leads to surprises, and most of them are not usually good. If you really love what you are doing, never forget the reasons you started the business.
4. Integrity: Don’t compromise your reputation; it is what businesses are built on.
Again, this may sound like a simple given, but it is not. Every business interaction is important, and should be treated as such. Any business partnership should be a partnership where both parties benefit.
Long-term business relationships are created through trust. No business transaction today is ever worth compromising business tomorrow. Business loyalty is hard to garner in today’s business world. Everything we do is a signature of who we are, and we should never take that lightly.
5. Ownership: It is your business; own it, and make sure that those who work for you have that same “ownership” perspective.
It is not difficult to take an “ownership” perspective to a business we own. The key to our success is having those we collaborate with owning that same perspective. That “buy-in” and attachment to the success of the business by others is what really creates sustaining long-term success.
The key to making that happen is for another article; how to get that done cannot be stated in just a few sentences. However, it can be said that it starts with creating a culture where others feel a part of the success, rather than just participants. When people feel like they matter, their contribution goes to another level.
6. Don’t Burn Bridges: Disagreements and conflicts will happen with customers, vendors, and distributors, and others that impact your businesses. Make sure you limit the bridges you burn. You can’t go back.
A major contributor to expanding a business network is to always retain what you have. That is the only way we can build on our base. Like our customer base, when we lose one customer; it takes two new customers to get ahead. Also, we have heard it said many times; when customers have a bad interaction, there is a tendency to share it with others. There aren’t many business relationships worth dissolving due to a disagreement. It is a very small world, and getting smaller every day.
When we wonder why a potential business relationship could not get traction, there may be a reason. Is it possible that someone we battled in the past could be connected to this potential client who won’t give us the time of day? Yes, that is always possible. It happens more times than we realize.
Always try to leave a major disagreement with a relationship intact. It is not a bad idea to look at every person we interact with as a potential goodwill ambassador for our business. Keep the theory of “six degrees of separation” in mind when conducting business. Destroying one bridge unfortunately does not necessarily stop at that one bridge.
7. Security Comes from Within: Your security in what you do comes from your belief in yourself.
Starting a new business has its unique challenges, but like anything in life, believing in yourself and your vision is a prerequisite to success. Starting a new business can create a unique insecurity. Most of us do not have a safety net just waiting to catch us if we should fail. It is us and us alone. That can be the greatest fear while at the same time what makes success even more rewarding than most endeavors.
Don’t lose sight of a major reason you started a new business. You believed in yourself and what you could accomplish. That is your security, and it all comes from within.
8. Visionary: Dare to dream; it is where all great achievements start.
One has to be a dreamer to start a new business; it is how ideas originate. Entrepreneurs usually have a vision for their business, and where they expect it to go.
This dreaming does not stop during this challenging journey; nor should it. Inherent in the energy and determination it takes to start a new business is the challenge to always try to take it to a new level.
Unfortunately and fortunately, nothing stands still. We either grow as an individual or business, or we stand still. In a competitive environment, the status-quo does not equate to growth and progress. If we are standing still, we are going backwards. Continually assess and adjust your vision, and always dare to dream.
9. Appreciation/Confidence: Don’t forget to appreciate yourself and what you do.
Appreciating people you meet and interact with along your journey is both beneficial and important. It is just as important that you do the same for yourself. It is too easy to get caught up in the daily challenges and not take the time to appreciate your accomplishments.
It takes a great amount of confidence to start a new business, and that confidence can be tested from time to time. It is only right that we take the time to respect and appreciate the undertaking.
10. No Regrets: Don’t look back; look forward. Do what you need to make it work if it is indeed your passion and your dream.
Starting a new business comes with its share of mistakes. No matter how prepared you may be, it is a process that creates mistakes. The key to getting through the errors you will make along the way is to learn, and not repeat them.
As in life, so it is in business; it is very easy to spend too much time going through the “what ifs.” When we do that, all we do is waste valuable energy that takes away energy needed to move forward.
The best way to reduce time spent thinking about regrets is to acknowledge that start-up mistakes will happen. It is part of the process that results in better products, better processes, better marketing, and better operational management.
Continually look forward. Look at what you can do daily to take your business to the next level. That not only makes the process more enjoyable, it is how we create sustained success.
11. Free Seminar: Look at every tough situation in the process as a free seminar. Save the over-critiquing of yourself and instead pay attention, absorb, and apply what you learn along the way. Everything is a work in progress.
As stated above, there will be mistakes along the way; it is a given. Not only is it important not to look back, it is just as important to appreciate every tough new situation as a free seminar. As painful as a tough situation may be, if we learn; we will be farther ahead in the long-run. This can be as simple as dealing with a difficult distributor or vendor.
Even though these seminars are not really free in any form of the word; they are necessary. Take them for what they are, and move on.
12. Health: Don’t ignore your health; without it, nothing is possible.
Given the time and demands of a new business, it becomes very easy to forget about our health. It is important to recognize that good health allows us to handle the demands of a new business. Do not short-change it.
This means two very important things. One, we should try to take the time to eat healthy. It is too easy when time is limited to eat whatever is handy and quick. Balance is also very important to our diet. A good diet can help give us the necessary energy we need to meet our daily challenges. Take time to eat healthy.
The other obvious area that gets slighted is exercise. Keeping in good physical shape can help us keep pace with the demands of a new business. We should take time out of our day to exercise in some form. It is also a great form of therapy. It positions us to handle the daily mental challenges. It is also good therapy for countering every-day stress.
Lastly, make sure you get seven to eight hours of sleep nightly. Not only does lack of sleep reduce our energy, it impacts our analytical skills and interaction skills significantly.
13. Don’t Take Yourself So Seriously; Take What You Do Seriously: Enjoy the journey; don’t let the seriousness of what you are doing add extra pressure to succeed.
The everyday demands of doing business, and your drive to succeed can be a heavy burden. That burden can suck a sense of humor out of one quickly. Don’t let that happen. Keep a sense of humor, and be willing to laugh at yourself. Humor and laughter is a great healer and also a great stress reliever.
No matter how serious business can be at times, there is always a humorous side. I have always looked for the entertainment side of business interactions and issues. I have never been disappointed.
14. Respect: Treat every contact as a link to your success. Respect given will result in respect received. We have to give in order to get.
Treating others with respect is one of the most important ways to succeed in business and in our personal life. It is one of the most under-valued keys to creating great collaboration, and getting things done. It seems too obvious to be mentioned. Yet, when not given, it can impact more than we could ever imagine.
Most often a bad result caused by lack of respect given is not detected. When we cannot find a reason something fell through, it may be traceable to not giving someone the proper respect. At the end of the day, no matter our position, we all value our self-esteem.
All one need to do is look to athletes today who loudly voice this as a rallying cry. The NFL Eagles took that motivation all the way to a Super Bowl victory. We might be surprised to realize that business people are no different. We just don’t shout it out for all to hear, and we don’t have the platform to make it known.
Bottom line; treat every person you meet with respect. Title or position should not matter. We all are drawn to people who treat us with respect.
15. Life Is Theatre: When things really get rough and you just need to lighten things up; take a step back and make believe you are the audience in your own show.
There are times when the pressure and stress we are feeling from the everyday demands hit their limit. Take that break and detach. Take a walk or just change your focus. Take a step back and get a good macro view of things.
This really is a good way to recharge the batteries rather than just continue to drain what little may be left. When we are mentally drained, our decision making process becomes compromised.
In my book 15 Ways To Own Your Future, the “Life is Theater” perspective is given a chapter. I have given this advice to hundreds of managers and staff over my business career. Many have used it very effectively. A word I have used for this process is “popcorn.” That is what we snack on at the theatre.
Detaching can help us see things more clearly. Many who have worked for me, and worked with me usually convey a tough situation with one word. That phrase is “get the popcorn.” It is simple and effective. It is a quick way to define a situation and make others aware of an issue one is working through. Most importantly, it is a quick reminder of the necessity of not making any moment bigger than it really is.
