Man, alone, has the power to transform his thoughts into physical reality.
~ Napoleon Hill
In the absence of clearly-defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia, until ultimately we become enslaved by it.
~ Robert A. Heinlein, 1907-1988, novelist and screenwriter
Entrepreneurs are famous for engaging in lots of activities. There is no guarantee that activities will create progress.
It’s like riding a stationary bicycle and getting nowhere.
Just because you have an idea, it doesn’t mean that you can be successful with the idea alone. All great organizations began with someone’s vision. Have you clearly articulated your vision?
When Napoleon Hill interviewed the most successful people in the United States, he discovered that each of them had definiteness of purpose. He also found that they had a plan and a support group. He called this group a Mastermind Group. Having a plan is essential to success. Having a mentor or mentors is also essential. There are many excellent plans that become “credenzaware” (nice work that goes nowhere) and never reach the potential of the vision.
The journey begins with a vision. That vision is articulated in long-term strategic objectives and short-term goals. Goals are worthless without action plans. Action plans don’t work without a champion and a target completion date.
As a thought leader, I find it valuable to have a coach myself. I don’t see my blind spots. I need a sounding board. I need to get a different perspective, and understand what I need to discover and what I don’t know.
My basic principles are as follows:
- Foundations – Define your vision and its outcomes for 1-3 years. Build your skills and hire a coach for developing strategy, sequence, team, and skills.
- Relationships – Choose the best people to play with. Choose people who are successful. Choose people whom you respect. Choose people who align with your vision. Choose people who commit to you and your vision.
- Systems – Rehearse for success, or practice failure over and over. Musicians get better because we rehearse. That same principle applies to non-musical activities. Define an excellent process and then practice. Create the DNA of excellence in your organization. Read: An Agenda: The Enemy of Productivity in Meetings!
- Balance – When you are working all the time, you have no time to manage your organization or relate to the team, clients, or plan. Balance makes the other principles work. Organize your time, your work, and your life. There’s no time or money to waste.
Read my free report: Building the Business of Your Dreams. I wrote this report for entrepreneurs with a dream. It applies to leaders wanting to create a new future for a business, a church, or a nonprofit organization, no matter how long the organization has been operating. Today is a new beginning. Today is a new start-up.
Goals work because you share them with someone who will hold you accountable. Accountability means support. Accountability means measurement of success. Accountability means commitment.
We don’t live alone. Why should we work alone?
Successful leaders define their skills and their gaps. In John Maxwell’s The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You, he defines the ceiling as follows:
Your leadership is like a lid or a ceiling on your organization. Your church or business will not rise beyond the level your leadership allows. That’s why when a corporation or team needs to be fixed, they fire the leader.
Doesn’t it make sense to have someone to partner with you? Email me for a free consultation: http://www.hughballou.com/contact.php
The Transformational Leadership Strategist
(c) 2013 Hugh Ballou. All rights reserved.