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| THIS FELLOW KNOWS EVERYTHING. HE IS ELUSIVE BECAUSE THOSE WHO LEARN OF HIS AMAZING CAPABILITIES WOULD ENSLAVE HIM, INSTEAD OF FOLLOWING HIM. |
Business is a process; it is not a stationary object. This process targets, as its mission, a key objective, and a team of individuals, working harmoniously, collaborate, coordinate and cooperate in order to attain that key objective together in the form of a company or partnership. Business, any business is ever-moving, with many obstacles and problems along the course to success. Obstacles are a part of every life, every system and any business, and overcoming them, regardless of the odds, is one of the understood jobs of the team. Problems are a part of every life, every system and every business, and solving them is one of the understood jobs of the team.
Having said this, I would suggest that business success is comprised of five elementary components:
1) Define your mission, your key objective. Agree upon it, and agree to work as a team toward reaching it. Assign the appropriate responsibilities to the appropriately qualified individuals;
2) Create a plan, with the understanding that it must accommodate changes, bumps in the road, setbacks and erroneous assumptions made at the outset. The plan must be a living work, even as the key objective must be visualized as a beacon before you, unwavering;
3) Work the plan. When there are obstacles or problems, don't ever waste time with fixing blame -- instead identify the problem or obstacle, understand what caused it, and either focus on fixing it or on navigating around it. Learn from each mistake, and grow wiser and stronger. Your ability to overcome obstacles and solve problems as a team will be the greatest determinants of your ultimate success;
4) Advance the work in increments, with one step at a time. Passing each step should be a reason for celebration, compliments and no unnecessary pressure to spoil the joy of going forward. Avoid the stress that leads to burnout. Team members must work to support and bolster each other's efforts. A true team must communicate frequently and honestly, sometimes in celebration and sometimes in head scratching;
5) Don't waste valuable time looking back with lamentation and regrets -- those "would have" and "should have" thoughts cannot change the past. Instead, look forward. Always look forward, together as a team. Do it with an eye on the key objective, while supporting each other along the way. And don't do it half-heartedly -- doing business with constant complaints and a defeatist attitude never leads to success.
Thank you as always, for reading me, for letting me express myself, and for sharing my thoughts as well as your commentary with colleagues through the magic of social media.
Douglas E. Castle
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