Earlier this week I found a computer case sitting in a parking lot; the parking space was empty. If a car had been there, the case was right next to the car’s back door. My first thought was, “Oh no, someone forgot their computer!” My next thought was to take it into the store but then I hesitated because then I thought, “What if it is a bomb?” Thankfully that last thought was only fleeting; I grabbed the case and took it into the store manager. When I explained, he half jokingly said, “It could be a bomb” but then opened it up and found some magazines with the owner’s name and address.
Why am I sharing this? It is a good example of taking decisive action to move forward and not over analyze the situation. In some business environments the next step after identifying the case would be to form a committee to discuss the various options and after several months of researching the options, then decide if it should be moved…That may be an exaggeration but unfortunately those of you from large organizations are smiling and see some truth in this.
Earl Bakken is the founder of Medtronic, the multi-billion dollar corporation that makes medical devices (my last corporate job was in their cardiac division that made implantable pacemakers & defibrillators). He started as an entrepreneur in his garage supporting the local hospitals with test equipment. I heard of his, “Ready, aim, fire” philosophy not long after I started working there (he was no longer running the business but was still involved and well know as a legend). His saying did not make sense to me because I thought planning was so important for success. I was reminded (and enlightened) of his saying this week by the February, 2011 Inc magazine (linked but it is last month’s issue on line). The article, “How Great Entrepreneurs Think” summarizes research with successful entrepreneurs (Earl Bakken was one of them) by a professor at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, Saras Sarasvathy. A quote from the article,
“I always live by the motto of ‘Ready, fire, aim.’ I think if you spend too much time doing ‘Ready, aim, aim, aim,’ you’re never going to see all the good things that would happen if you actually started doing it. I think business plans are interesting, but they have no real meaning, because you can’t put in all the positive things that will occur…If you know intrinsically that this is possible, you just have to find out how to make it possible, which you can’t do ahead of time.”
The research referenced in the article shows that successful entrepreneurs are brilliant improvisers and keep their goals broad enough to allow for adjustments along the way. Then, as they grow the business, they became more like the most successful corporate executives, “set a goal and diligently seek the best way to achieve it.”
Of course, this is not an excuse to have no business plan; it is a balance and the key is to know when to get going and try a few things to see how they work. I had an entrepreneur client who talked and talked about an idea. They were stuck in the land of aspirations. There is a point when I have to be very directive in my coaching, “What is it that is stopping you?” or “When are you going to take action?”
Sometimes I catch myself stuck thinking this post has to be better and revised again (and again) and realize that I just need to let it go and not let perfect be the enemy of good in order to move forward. By the way, if the scene had looked like the picture above, I would have walked away fast and asked the store manager to call the police.
Have you ever been stuck in the land of aspirations? Please share in a comment
picture credit: roel1943 vis flickr creative commons