Entrepreneurs Corner III:
Do you like reading entrepreneurial stories? I enjoy the lessons learned from both successful and failed ventures. I gain from the insights and lessons. I recently read an article from Entrepreneur written by contributor Israel Idonije, founder and CEO of ATHLiTACOMiCS, titled ‘5 Ways to Achieve Your Desired Win.’ Some of you may know Israel from the NFL. Israel shared five simple rules to his playbook that I want to focus on. In this column, I want to expand on my perceptions to his five simple rules and one liners taken from his contribution.
Understand what you bring to the game. Think about your gifts and abilities.
Whether you are seeking to be successful in business or life w! e need to understand our gifts and abilities, our strengths and our weaknesses, and our passions. As entrepreneurs, we need to continue to develop our skills to benefit our business. I often share one of the biggest challenges of entrepreneurs is believing we have all of the answers. We don’t. We need to know the resources available to us that help us with the daily challenges. Understanding what you bring to the game is key. Understanding you need resources around you to create a successful team unlocks your company’s potential.
Understand the rules of the game. Ask yourself — what must be done to ensure that win.
This rule not only has to do with goals for your company, but for your personal life and stage of career. Are you developing your company ! culture and personal style in an early career? Are you creati! ng your legacy as a boomer with an established record and reputation? Depending on the age and stage of your personal and professional career, your goals will be different, but understanding the rules of your business and creating the success you desire, will depend on understanding the rules of your business game.
Define your WIN and put together a game plan. Your win is different from mine. It’s unique to you.
How do you spell success? We might define success differently. Maybe your definition is gross revenue or sales. Maybe your win comes with more personal goals such as impact on your community or customer satisfaction. Regardless, your measure of success is defined by you and your team, not others. If you have worked with me, you know I believe in turning go! als into strategy, and strategies into action as the best way to achieve company benchmarks. I also believe as a company culture, we need to build in team successes and celebrations of benchmarks. Leaders are those who set the direction and coach their team to succeed above their expectations.
Be disciplined and flexible. Doing what needs to be done even when you don’t feel like it is paramount to success.
Just like our diets, we need to be disciplined, yet flexible in our companies. Staying on a strategic course is important. Amending that course and being responsive to our customer needs is also key to a successful business. Just like our diets, staying disciplined, yet flexible for our customers, can be challenging.
Mentors: find one. A good mentor will share ! their playbook so you can learn what they did to get where they are and how they overcame challenges.
If you are in your early career, a mentor in the industry is key to your success. Not everyone understands the value a mentor will bring until you have someone who has been successful in your industry of choice mentor you. A mentor will not only share pitfalls to avoid, they will also serve as that introduction to key relationships. Personally, I enjoy mentoring. I always tell those I mentor that the key isn’t being seen, but the relationships you build alone the way. A mentor will serve as someone who will help in building your future reputation. You won’t go wrong if you pick your mentor carefully, and build your reputation on honesty and integrity.
Whether you are considering starting a business, or a seasoned entrepreneur, you should always be learning. I believe Israel Idonije is on point with his 5 ways to achieve your desired win. As a professional athlete, he applied his rules of the game into his business to create a successful venture. He understood the important connection between personal character and the company culture. Every business is unique, just as each of us are unique. As a sole-proprietor of a small business, your business culture is a reflection of your personal discipline. Remember, we do business with those we know, we like, and we trust. Just like our diets, sometimes we may need to adjust our habits to reflect the culture we want to create within our growing businesses.
For more about the Entrepreneur e-magazine and developing personal goals successful people pursue, visit the website at Entrepreneur. com and read the ‘5 Ways to Achieve Your ! Desired Win’ article from October 2016.
