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January 31, 2006
The importance of vision – Iceberg, straight ahead!
I firmly believe that a business can develop only to the extent the owner(‘s) personally develop(s). Reality is that most people, without a proper vision, do not reach their full potential; in fact, 8 out of 10 will not reach the level of success in business or in life they desire.
You wonder why? Simple answer. Unpopular, but simple. Because in business, as in life, most people don’t act – they react. Harv Eker clearly nails this in his book, Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, “Most people are unconscious. They are asleep at the wheel”. While most unfortunate, most people acknowledge only what they can see and concentrate on success – and their lives – on a pretty shallow level. They live firmly in the "visible" world.
Not you, you say?! So, what type of person are you? What do you think about yourself? How confident are you in your abilities and talents and do you have reason to be confident? Who are your mentors; who do you look to for inspiration and motivation? How much do you trust or not trust others? What is your "perseverance factor"? In other words, how well do you act when you are not in your optimal frame of mind, in spite of difficulty, distress, or apprehension?
Iceberg, straight ahead
Your personality, the way you think and what you believe are key factors in your ability to succeed. I frequently use my iceberg analogy to describe this principal: the theory that the visible part of an iceberg represents less than 10% of its total size; the other 90% remain invisible beneath the water. Applied to real life it means that knowledge or technical skills are no longer enough for success in today's world, and entrepreneurs feel this now more than ever. These things represent the mere 10%, or the "tip of the iceberg" of today's needed competencies. Keeping with my iceberg analogy, where "skills" and "knowledge" are "above the water line", deeper competencies such as deeply-rooted motivation, self-concept, and a mature enough personality are usually hidden beneath the surface, yet have enormous influence over ones daily behavior. It is these deeper, enduring competencies that need to be identified and selected. Therefore, if you wanted to effect change in an iceberg – or your business, profession, or life - wouldn’t you agree it would be a better to work on improving the invisible 90%?
Envision the fruit, and effect change from the root
In his bestselling book, Eker uses a different, easy-to-understand analogy; a fruit tree. Imagine trying to improve an apple that an apple tree produces by focusing on the apple that is already hanging off the branch. If you want the tree to produce better quality, larger, sweeter tasting apples; you need to work on what’s not visible – the roots. It means you need to start early on, be ahead of the game. Picture, envision how the final, perfect apple will look, feel, smell, and taste. Have a vision of the outcome and start at the roots.
If you want to grow your company, increase your external success – invest some time on your internal growth. Envision the newer, better you; the “YOU version 2.0”. Keep in mind, as humans, we are part of nature, not above it. When we align ourselves with the laws of nature our lives unfold more smoothly. When we don’t, it might get rough.
Posted by Ben at January 31, 2006 10:27 PM
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Comments
"I firmly believe that a business can develop only to the extent the owner(‘s) personally develop(s)." If the owners of Globat developed a conscience, they would operate on a different business model.
Posted by: Mark Gorney at February 27, 2006 03:44 PM
Well-put, Ben.
Posted by: Drew Snyder at March 21, 2006 08:06 PM
see eye-to-eye with you,
Posted by: David Fan at April 6, 2006 11:56 PM