Businesses spend small fortunes on making their brands presentable.?
They polish their message; media train the CEO; and give their website a shiny new look and feel.
Everything’s very nice; very safe; very presentable. Ready to be the poster child for Industry X.
And then they open their mouths.
Polishing is great; training is great; shiny is great. But culture is where the real beauty lies.
How beautiful is yours?
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I very rarely watch TV, and when I do it’s not to watch reality shows or similar. But this video from So You Think You Can Dance stopped and made me think (and thanks to my wife for the heads-up).
The Asian contestant, Alex Wong, is a ballet dancer. Yet for his challenge, he had to do a hip-hop routine with all-star hip-hop dancer Twitch. Something completely out of Alex’s comfort zone, but as you can see from the video and crowd/judges reaction, he nailed it. He took a chance, knew what had to be done, and nailed it.
Now think of you and your business, and how this can relate to you.
Comfort zones are funny things. On the one hand, they keep us safe because we don’t expect any surprises. On the other, they stunt our growth because they keep us safe.
Staying within our comfort zone means we don’t have to worry about taking chances; we’ve found our niche and success level and we’re happy to stick to it. That’s fine, and if you just need a certain level of success to achieve the results you first started your business for, then comfort zones will absolutely work for you.
But if you’re looking to really push your business buttons and stand out in your niche or industry, comfort zones will only take you so far. The real success only comes from taking risks.
Push yourself mentally and creatively. Look at everyday things and see how you can take that to the next level. See beyond the simple.
There’ll be a lot of stumbles along the way, and it won’t be easy to take off your comforter blanket and take the steps into new directions. But think of it this way – your customers aren’t standing still. They’re always looking for the best for them, not just the best full stop.
Comfort zones might make you the best; but they don’t necessarily make you the best for your customers. There’s a difference – step outside your zone and you’ll have a better view of what that is.
We should be in social media – just not right now.
We should start a company blog – just not right now.
We should be making our website more user-friendly – just not right now.
We should be doing a lot of things – just not right now.
Not right now – it’s the phrase that companies and executives/decision makers use when they know they’re behind in the game but they’re not sure how to get into it.
It’s the excuse that takes the heat off the boardroom meetings when asked about the new platforms that are emerging (or have emerged) and is it something our company should be looking at.
It’s the fallback of folks that could make it happen right now if they wanted to, but it seems like a lot of work.
Besides, there’s too much that can go wrong to make the risk (or perceived risk) worthwhile.
True. There is a lot that can go wrong.
There is a lot of work involved.
There is stuff that will be completely out of your hands.
But look at it another way. When you first started your business, was there a chance things could go wrong? Did it involve a lot of work, and long hours, to make it happen? Were there things you couldn’t control, no matter how much you planned ahead?
Of course there were, yet you’re still here.? Because you put the effort in and took the risks. Because you knew that not everything will always goes to plan; you just need to make sure you’re ready with a back-up.
So if you’re caught in the not right now dilemma – either yourself, or with someone that makes the decisions for you – take the chance and think differently (or try and show the not right now’s how to think differently).
Not right now is easy – anyone can say it, and make a pretty good case for it as well. That’s why it’s used so often.
But while you’re saying not right now today, your competitors are jumping in right now and owning tomorrow. So when does not right now become not now, not ever, because you’ve simply been left behind?
photo credit: photoverulam
Don’t wait to read case studies in your industry – be the case study instead.
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Companies put a lot of effort into team building.
They spend thousands on booking events and locations to foster team spirit. Weekends away, surviving in the wilderness, setting tasks to pass to create a better understanding of teamwork.
Thing is, it’s very often a false economy. Team building exercises like this can work, but often feel like role-playing exercises – they’re not real-life examples.
Instead of sending people away to build a team, why not build it from the inside on recognizable terrain?
Open up the silos; ask for, and then listen to, ideas and suggestions; encourage and recognize greatness; make everyone equal.
Want to build a great team? Make the team great to begin with.
