I just spent a week onboard a cruise ship with some of the brightest up and coming business people I’ve ever met. I lead events throughout the country (and now the world I suppose) on how to become successful in business and many of these people are going on to do some amazing things.
Normally I boil my message into two main points, but I’m just going to hit on one for now and that’s execution. Seth Godin calls it shipping in his newest book Linchpin and it’s what separates the wheat from the chaff. Nike has it right, “Just do it.”
You have a good idea. In fact, you have many good ideas. I’ll even going to go so far as to say that you have thousands of ideas. There’s no way all of them are good, but the more ideas you execute, the quicker you’ll find which ones will put you at the top.
You can read a book, attend an event or work with a coach. If you never do anything with your ideas you’ll never be great. You waste time, money and time with your family.
Now is your time. Don’t be afraid. Go out and change the world.
In the early 1900’s Henry Ford wanted his engineers to make unbreakable glass for the windshields of their cars. Every engineer on his team told him it was impossible. They all gave too many reasons why it couldn’t be done.
Ford told his staff to bring him young, eager engineers who didn’t know the reasons why it couldn’t be made. He said “Give this problem to ambitious young fellows who think nothing is impossible.”
Henry Ford got his unbreakable glass.
In business, you’ll find people who will tell you all the reasons your ideas won’t work; but you only need one idea why it will work.
Are you surrounding yourself with people who care and will help, or those who will just cut you down?
I’m covering this topic on today’s radio show at coachradio.tv. I’d love for you to weigh in.
We all know the person who, upon first meeting you, tries to push his agenda. It could be a business owner or sales person trying to sell you on their product or just someone pushing their ideas.
I just spent a day in Denver with my friend Andy Traub. Time after time he would engage people in meaningful conversation. He’d ask about their day (to the woman building sandwiches at Subway) or about something he didn’t know about or understand (my brother who makes snow at a ski resort).
I saw a transition where a relationship was quickly formed and then the other person was open to new ideas or just a favor to be done. That’s because Andy took the time to make the other person feel important and interesting. (Important note: This must be genuine!)
“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” – Theodore Roosevelt
If you’re trying to get your ideas across, have a sincere interest in the other person and make them aware of it.
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Pierre Omidyar wanted to trade Pez dispensers not create a business for himself.
He started with an idea which later became e-commerce Bay area, or eBay for short.
Pierre is now the 120th richest person in the world and to date has committed over $270 million to economic advancement throughout the world.
I see far too many people [...]
It was a cold and brutal winter morning in New York on January 2, 1924 but Richard Simon had promised his grandmother that he would visit. During his visit he discovered that his grandmother loved doing crossword puzzles with her neighbor. The two ladies kept each other company in the long winter evenings [...]
It’s far easier to say you don’t have an idea to act on than it is to admit you are afraid to act on the ideas you do have.
It’s pretty rare that I talk to a business owner who has no ideas for their business. They may say they don’t have any ideas, but [...]
