I have a list of books that I aim to re-read every year. One of these is Napoleon Hill’s best-selling all time classic – Think and Grow Rich. Napoleon Hill, poised this question in this book. The concept is simple and powerful – to be successful you need to have your own group of advisors or people in your immediate circle that play an integral role in your development and success. Companies have Boards of Directors, whose primary role is to ensure the company is moving in the right direction and is well governed, fill this role and they hold the CEO and Executive Management accountable.
What about you the small business owner? Who do you turn to when you want advice or need help with a business problem? In other words, who sits at your table? Working as a solo or with a small team, we become isolated and we often fall prey to that great enemy of success – the line of thinking that what worked in the past or is working now will continue to work in the future. We all need people to bounce ideas off of, who can hold us accountable when we set our goals and who will speak the truth when its needed.The tricky part is who should receive an invitation to sit at your table? Who you select is critical as you are not looking for fans but rather those who will not be afraid of telling you what you may not want to hear. Your personal group of advisors should be divided into two categories; “Invisible and Visible Advisors”. Invisible Advisors are those who you don’t have a personal relationship with but are fed by them in other ways. Examples of these would be authors, speakers, business leaders, etc. Visible Advisors are those who can actually sit at your table with you. Some examples of these would be mentors, friends, co-workers, people referred to you etc. If you already have your table of advisors organised and you trust and can rely on then you are on the path to success. If not, according to Napoleon Hill it may have to do with whether you’re ready for it or not. “Psychologists have correctly said that ‘when one is truly ready for a thing, it puts in its appearance.'” Are you ready to write those invitations?
