Why do some businesses just seem to grow and grow unabated by economic turmoil or other circumstances while others struggle?
Why do some business owners seem to operate wildly successful businesses effortlessly, without struggle or strain while others seem to battle just to stay alive each and everyday?
Today I want to teach you one simple principle that will empower you to share this “effortless” success experience and I’ll use a story about General George Patton to illustrate.
You may already know that he is best known for his mastery of tank warfare.
In World War I, the tank was a technological innovation that changed everything about the battlefield. It transformed a battle from static; with two armies facing each other down from their trenches, to dynamic; no longer limited by a lack of movement.
And, as much of a strategic and tactical expert as General Patton had already established himself to be, after the introduction of the tank, he spent most of his time crawling around inside of one.
Imagine that!
Here he was, one of the, if not the most decorated generals of the time, and he was spending his time crawling in and around tanks. That’s quite an image isn’t it?
In a few months he learned everything there was to know about tanks and how they worked.
He knew where every part went.
He knew what it did and how it worked.
He knew how each part integrated with all the other parts.
And, in the end, it is no small exaggeration to say that it was Patton’s intimate knowledge of the tank that allowed him to apply this awesome innovation effectively and emerge victorious time and time again.
No, he never needed to build a tank.
No, he never needed to design a tank (although I suspect he provided some valuable input).
BUT…because he knew all there was to know about tanks, how they were put together and how they worked, he could apply that awesome advantage effectively.
You’ll want to do the same thing with your business.
Know everything about it.
You have got to know everything about every part of your business.
You’ve got to know what all the parts are, what they all do, how they work and how they work and integrate with each other.
That does NOT mean you have to DO it all yourself.
It does NOT mean you have to build it all yourself.
But you DO have to understand it all.
No doubt this can be a challenge.
As you’ve learned from me already there are plenty of things about your business that you
won’t be good at doing. There are also a fair number of them you won’t be all that interested in learning about. And while you may never need to learn how to actually do them, you better know how they work and effect your business.
Sure you’re going to delegate them to others. In fact you must in order to remain focused
on your strengths. But keep in mind that delegation of responsibility does not equal abdication of responsibility. At the end of the day, it is your business and you need to know what’s going on in it.
I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, the devil is in the details. Simply put, if you are not tending to details, your business will end up in trouble “but quick”.
Imagine how empowered you will be when you know everything there is to know about your business (tank).
You’ll be able to leverage that knowledge into your own competitive advantage.
You will no longer be subject to surprises, unknowns and uncertainty.
You’ll no longer fall victim to shifts and changes in the market.
You’ll know what to do in every circumstance.
You’ll know which ‘lever’ to pull which button to push.
You will be free to move forward with confidence and assurance….ready to take on any challenge.
You’ll be able to innovate better solutions to your customer problems, provide more value and make money money because you know how your business works.
I am interested in hearing your thoughts about this article.
Do you have any “blind spots” in your business…anything you don’t really know or understand completely?
Do you see how they are keeping you from realizing all the success that’s possible for you?
What do you think you can do about them?
Share your thoughts on this by commenting below
I’m standing for all that’s possible for you in life and business.
Sincerely,
Steve
PS – This is another of the reasons I created ThePerfectBizFinder Program.
If you haven’t look at it yet, you should. Using the techniques I teach you, you will learn what you need to know about your business to guarantee success. You’ll master daily practices that insure that you command the understanding and expertise you need.
You’ll learn innovative techniques that will drive your forward progress regardless of the challenges you encounter.
|
You should own it. I’ve put together a way for you to get your hands on this amazing program for less than you can even imagine. Check it out here:
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks Steve, You have enlightened me, especially the part about attending to details or your business will fail. I need to get back to basics.
I agree with the basic premise, however sometimes it’s not knowing what you can’t do that allows you to do something you otherwise would have thought impossible. I know my business inside and out and it’s depressing : ) I sometimes wish I didn’t know so much and have back that feeling I had long ago when I was just beginning. Everything was possible back then. It’s why I am constantly thinking of new ideas and businesses
these days. That thrill of letting my imagination free to create.
I agree you should know your business and the environment you’re working in, just don’t put a lid on it.
HP knew computers or at least they thought they did.. up until Bill Gates came along.
( I think it was HP that blew him off, I might have the company wrong, but the point still stands)
Know your business and it’s environment, but know it is also constantly changing. Even tanks change.
That’s my biggest failing. Thanks for reminding me. Focus and learn everything about your enterprise. You always give more than I expect.
Thankyou you always mske me think!!!
Good advice and comments from people who this has clearly resonated with. Thank you Steve most sincerely, you put a lot of very valuable info out (some of which I know at a deep level but have somehow forgotten so you have been an instrument by way of reminding me). I don’t think you’re an actual instrument … don’t want you to think of yourself as a guitar or anything! Cheers. Jacqui
Steve, thanks for thies lessons its realy useful .
I understand your lessons maybe not all that is because our languages are difrent
but i‘m trying to leurne it and take the ideas .
I have no buissenes till now but i‘m study it to pot it in action when i start
EMAN
Steve, thanks for this simple lesson and all your useful materials.
This message is timely for me.
I have been putting many hours into developing a detailed mind map for launching the nonprofit I have dreamed of leading for many years. It has been helping me get my thinking and priorities clarified. It is my hope that this will lead to wiser actions.
And because I am using an innovative online service named Comapping I will later invite others to collaborate as things unfold.
This seemed right when I began into this process. But it has been taking longer than I expected and I was doubting the value. Thanks to this timely message I understand that it will pay off in the long term.
Steve, We must have parallel reading programs. Three days ago I came upon a small paperback book at the local goodwill store. The book is titled Patton’s One-Minute Messages (Tactical Leadership Skills for Business Managers) by Charles M. Province. It has the wisdom of both Patton and William Edwards Deming. If you have not read it you may enjoy doing so.
Thanks for another lesson. I know you need to know regardless what you are doing.In the oil field as soon as the stem got out of site they would say all guess work from now on. Any new products I sold I made sure that it was what they said. I would check it out to see if it was what I would want. When I sold John Deere if they put it out I knew it would work. So many things you talk about I am familur with, I still love to read them.
Hi Steve, thanks for sharing that story! I can most certainly identify with the good General, be a son-of-a-bitch…or not! In my business of Teaching folks to “Turn trash into Cash”, I have found it most usefull to keep “crawling around in the trenches” and in so-doing I have discovered so much about the glass craft industry as well as the recycycling industry. Being a true entrepreneur at heart my strengths lie in pioneering (starting) something then handing it over to somebody else to carry on with, whilst I think up the next “wonder of the world”. With this Bottle Crafting business, I seem to have “lingered longer” and in so doing experienced a great depth of participation in my business than normal. That would NOT have happenend if I did not spend much more time in the trenches!! I am sure that PASSION has something to do with it!?
Steve, I appreciated what you had to say about Patton and his intimate knowledge of the tank. During the Vietnam war I served at Ft. Hood, Tx in Patton’s 2nd Armoured Division as a track commander. Patton was not reverred in our outfit, in fact, he was cursed as a heartless son-of-a-bitch whose men and their lives meant nothing to him other than a means to an end. I will say, however, his knowledge of warfare and of his opponent made him a force to be recommended with even under the worst of conditions. Having owned a business and being a partner in the start-up of two others, I found the ability to anticipate what the other fellow had as options was invaluable. The most important factor for success I found was merely the ability to withstand whatever hell the day directed your way and still be standing.
Thanks, Steve!Your story reminds me of my father, who spent decades perfecting the design of bilge pumps. He got his hands dirty testing pump designs … with pumps tested in water tanks and running 24/7 until they failed and left clues about why they failed … which led to redesign … on and on and on. Of course, he did not mine the materials from the earth or handle the bookkeeping.Or my sister’s former violin teacher. This particular teacher was a member of a symphony orchestra for a major city. In that role, she practiced her violin for five and a half hours a day. A behind-the-scenes discipline that made her public playing seem effortless. Of course, she did not play every instrument in the orchestra or schedule performances.To know everything about your business, you must immerse yourself in it long term.
What if I already own a biz , Will your program help improve ? Please advise. Thanks Bruce 512-695-8008
{ 2 trackbacks }