An even funnier thing happened to me this morning (you’ll get the joke when you read on).
As I was posting my latest article, I saw this article below that I posted 4 years ago…and how apt a message it was even for me. I realised that in a way I have been hiding for the last few years, happy working with my existing clients, happy keeping my stuff to myself…i didn’t think it was out of fear but I guess ultimately it was. I preach on Vulnerability but for the last couple of years I didn’t really want to be Vulnerable myself...at least not when it came to sharing my message through my writings. I've actually written a lot in that time…but I haven’t posted/shared it with anyone apart from my customers. As it turns out, last night I decided to put it all out there and get back into writing and more importantly sharing my writing.
So here is that article. The one I wrote and shared 4 years ago. The one whose advice I have myself ignored these last few years…poetic to read it today just as I had decided to front up, just as I posted my first article in years. I hope you enjoy the read, un-edited since I originally posted it (and make sure you click the links to the article about Seth Godin and the article in Strategic Management Forum...there is real gold in there).
A funny thing happened to me this morning. I have been working at getting my website up and running this last week (yes, only 10 years overdue) and putting together my content has been a very cathartic experience going over what makes my Sustainable Profit Strategy model so very different from everything else out there in business improvement land. Described by some of my clients and colleagues as a Paradigm Shift, it really challenges the way we as business owners think about business success and what we focus on in the pursuit of "success" and yet very rarely achieve the level of financial freedom and time/lifestyle freedom we initially set out to (note: if that's not the best reason to change then I don't know what is).
So I turned on the computer to get back into web content mode and whose email should jump straight out at me but Seth's Blog. If you are familiar with Seth Godin's work then you will probably agree with me that he is the thought-leader of thought-leaders. And his theme was on a key plank of my model and my work with clients. And then I opened an article in the Strategic Management Forum (which I almost never do) and together they inspired me to write this blog…something I have been wanting to do for many months now, if for no other reason than to share some of what the real thought-leaders of our time are saying and doing.
Change has always been the more difficult of all the work we do as humans. We seem much more attuned to just follow the pack because if everyone else does it that way it either must be right or I just can't be bothered with the hard work of thinking and challenging, or maybe it just feels more comfortable to be in the BIG group…not standing out against the crowd.
Funny thing is, that we all SAY we want to be different, many of us have even convinced ourselves that we ARE different. Yet when the true test comes, most of us get scared into NOT standing out, NOT trying something different, NOT doing the hardest work of being vulnerable and most importantly, not being prepared to challenge our mindset, our beliefs, our current knowledge and understanding and in doing so open us to learning so much more about ourselves and others, rather than remaining cynical and untrusting and fearful.
Business is really just a reflection of the people IN the business. If we are scared of change or worse, if we are too comfortable with the way things are to even consider challenging ourselves and making change, then there is no way on earth our business will revel in the prospect of change. And yet staying the same is the fastest path to death and a very boring journey in the meantime, especially when so many businesses struggle to make adequate returns and profitability consistently from year to year, especially when those very few who have achieved some level of financial success in their business still struggle to separate themselves from their business often enough to enjoy real, quality, time with loved ones not distracted by the email or phone or reports…worries about how the business is performing in their absence.
If ever there was a need for change, then the post-GFC new economy combined with the explosion of internet commerce (global competition on things you wouldn't ever conceive were possible even 12 months ago, unbelievably cheap and easy outsourcing locally and globally, Gen 'Y' changing forever how business is done and how we view the employer/employee relationship) have magnified and accelerated that need. Sure the vultures and the critics are circling but did you ever stop to think that they may be actually more vulnerable than you.
…but Jackals eat first..vultures chase the scraps !
It is time to change and change is uncomfortable, but far less uncomfortable than missing the boat...so get comfortable with change. Seek out different, seek out alternative, create a real difference to everyone else in your market, create real value. Your customers, your staff, your family…and yes even YOU will thank you for it.