If you are considering starting a business, or if you are in business but considering making some changes, I highly recommend this book, Driven by Robert Herjavec. Although Herjavec does not gravitate toward the minutiae of running a firm, he effectively communicates the values required to achieve success as well as referencing particular circumstances inevitable to all business owners. In this referencing, he proposes that business owners have responsibilities to multiple parties and it is in this context that decisions are based. Herjavec is unapologetic about his humble roots and how his modest beginnings were instrumental in driving him passionately forward in business. A contrast is drawn between those who “pitch” business concepts on the “Dragon’s Den” and himself as the more pragmatic business administrator without the “MBA”.
Herjavec illustrates the situation which propelled him in business at the earliest stage and what I remember thinking at the time of reading was how decisive he was at the most critical of times in a virtually undiscovered technological landscape. His value system is on display throughout the book and evidently was paramount in the assembly of teams required for achievement.
Simple rules of thumb are presented in the context of business decisions. Lifestyle issues are addressed as well as the personal characteristics required to excel in a business pursuit. A philosophical perspective is cited when confronted with banking and regulatory matters. The creative element is highlighted as is one critical common cause leading to regression.
You will not acquire any technical administrative skill from this book but you will come away thinking that some like Herjavec thrive amidst chaos and from there flows finance.
Had the good opportunity to speak publicly on excusitis after reading the second chapter of The Magic of Thinking Big. If you haven’t read it yet – jump to it. Millions of copies sold for good reason. David J. Schwartz exclaims, “study the lives of successful people and you’ll discover this: all the excuses made by the mediocre fellow could be but aren’t made by the successful person. “ “Each time an excuse is made, it gets buried deeper within the subconscious mind. “
Schwartz goes on to explain his characterizations of the different types of “excusitis”. Namely, health, brains, age, and luck. Have you heard the saying made famous by Dave Severn,”’A’ students end up teaching while ‘B’ students end up working for ‘C’ students?” You see the “C” student learned early that making the brain excuse wasn’t going to keep him in the competition. Hence; his resourcefulness elevated earlier in life and consequently leadership qualities emerged amidst a marginally lower intellectual capacity. Intellects rationalize while pragmatists create results. Oversimplified perhaps but you’ve undoubtedly witnessed the stammering professor versus the enthusiastic achiever. Enthusiastic achievers remove every excuse possible. They roll up their sleeves and will not permit the annoyance of an inward or outward variable from stopping them from getting what they want. This burning desire keeps the spirit at the boiling point from day to day. There is no lull. The thirst for creation is never quenched. In such a state, what others make up to be “excuses” are characterized more aptly as “annoyances”. These “annoyances” never require reference. They are unspoken and compartmentalized in a sector of the subconscious mind never needing recall.
Schwartz’ book in totality is a treat…..especially if you find yourself in a rut and require a liberating force through the written word.
Should you compete? I contend you should. Mankind’s betterment and the fulfillment of one’s individual aspirations are served by competition. The motivating instinct is bread from dissatisfaction. Should it be the Jones’ next door that you source as your opponent. No, but it should be someone who has what you want so that you can get your own or better so long as the target is inherent to yours or society’s common good.
The notion of not competing puts one on a path of contentment which can be instilled from feedback accumulated over time that one may not deserve victory. Your boss certainly doesn’t want you to compete. He doesn’t want you to take his job. Your spouse doesn’t want you to compete for fear that the relationship becomes imbalanced. Your pastor doesn’t want you to compete lest it create anxiety around scripture interpretations. Your teacher doesn’t want you to compete considering it might make work by stressing curriculum boundaries. Yet, our system of economics in western civilization is set up for you to compete and some lack want of a win. Regressing from competition is akin to defining oneself by losing when in essence losing should be considered a seed for future growth. We were all born to win but the aforementioned feedback loops creates sideline dwellers.
When teams are destined to miss the playoffs, players don’t become motivated to lose as an incentive to earn a better draft pick. Players fight for a victory in pursuit of excellence and pride for what they do. It is an instinct of the human form which cannot be denied. You are no different with exception to possible cognitive forces arising from environment.
The zero sum game doesn’t always apply. Win win relationships and transactions are created everyday by people keen to compete.
So now that Target has compromised your data, Walmart has it figured that they are going to welcome you home. You can now expect an intrustion into your Walmart shopping experience by an “interceptor”. Apparantly, Walmart Canada has installed them into stores so that they can come up to you and ask if you have yet received your free $25. Oh of course, they will simply execute the “assumptive close” by asking your name for their application form. You won’t know who they are, whether they are a third party promotion company and you will certainly not be honored with an “excuse me” and a formal introduction. In short, you will be ambushed.
