We all know that we need to have vision and purpose for our business’ systems and processes to keep it operating smoothly and great staff who are fully engaged and sharing the vision with you. But ultimately, there is one thing that stands between you and your business’ success—implementation!
You can have the best team, vision, and systems in the world; but if you’re not taking action, then your success will only be theoretical.
Success comes down to actually getting on with it and doing what needs to be done. We can read all the books in the world about making homemade lasagne; but until we’re in the kitchen kneading piles of dough, we’re not going to be great at making lasagne.
Strange analogy, I know (I’m married to an Italian, lasagne came to mind!), but it demonstrates my point well. You have to actually do something for it to become a reality. This applies to your business too. It’s when you take action that you will start to get some solid hits. I can’t tell you how often I hear business owners talk about their plans and strategies only to meet with them a month later and nothing has been implemented. It may be a great idea but it won’t come to fruition on its own, you have to implement those plans. Take action!
It’s easy to procrastinate, we can usually come up with a good reason to justify why we haven’t gotten the job done.
The difference between those who succeed and those who don’t is that successful entrepreneurs are committed to following through and implementing what they said they would do. They put in the hard yards. When we come up with an idea, it can be quite exciting. We find something that we know will work. Implementing it is not nearly as exciting. It usually involves tedious planning, organising, sorting, and doing. That’s not nearly as much fun; it’s easier to go on to thinking about something else and feeling that excitement again.
Here is the key, before going on to the next idea, take a look at the following:
- How well did you follow through and complete the previous great idea?
- Organise yourself a task list to take your idea from thought to action.
- Look at it each day and map your progress. That will help you with the determination to keep going.
- Note the role this task plays in the purpose and vision of your goals.
- Accept that there may be set backs and challenges along the way (and there will be).
So much of what we do is mindset. We need to be able to focus and follow through, keep up the motivation to complete the task long after the initial excitement has subsided.
I find Stephen Covey’s “start with the end in mind” approach really helpful, it keeps my eye on the vision and gives me the determination to plough through the phases of a task. I know where I want to go and that I have to endure these steps to get there. I also know that if I don’t implement what needs to be done, then I’m not going to get there.
It’s as simple as that!
