Business isn't personal - it doesn't respond to whether the owner likes the work or whether he finds it difficult. It doesn't care about the owner's opinions and feelings. Instead, business rewards results. Define clearly what the desired result is and then achieve it - that's what a successful business does.
Often a small business owner will face large problems and have a number of possible courses of action open to him. Often a small business owner will decide what to do on the basis of what he likes to do and what he can do best. This is very rarely the best solution.
A successful business owner will instead identify clearly what he has to achieve to solve the problem - he will define the desired result. He will then identify the actions which will lead to that result. He will decide what to do by asking three questions:
- Can I do this? If not, look at another course of action or abandon the project. If yes:
- Does it have to be done? If yes, get on with it. If no, define the alternative and ask:
- Should it be done? If yes, get on with it. If no, start the alternative course of action.
Such an objective process will always lead to positive decision making and progress but I'll go further: the mere asking of non-objective, personal questions is damaging. Asking whether you like the particular work you're doing and telling yourself no or asking whether the work is difficult and saying yes makes the job harder to do. Focusing on the needs of the business and doing what needs to be done as long as you can do it and have to or should is the way to success.
That doesn't mean that, once you have solved particular problems, you can't sit back and ask whether you like your business and whether you want to continue with it. But if you successfully address and solve the problems you encounter, the answer is more likely to be "Yes".
Go To Page: 1
