We all have our haunted houses. Business can be scary.
In one corner of our haunted house, we see new competitors, shadows in the darkness out for blood. In another, healthcare costs threatening to drain us of our lifeblood. Hanging from the ceiling we see demanding regulations that could suffocate us. Labor shortages and a changing economy pop out and demand our attention.
In another corner of the haunted house, maybe more, we see those times when we took risks and they didn’t work out as planned. We wonder if our marketing plan will work and if we can get the capital we need at a reasonable rate. Personal health and/or family situations can be scary, putting us on edge and taking away from our business focus too.
Sometimes the things that scare you can be good: you have a new product or approach that could put you at the front of your industry, but it’s a risk.
Some of the things that scare us and haunt us are in our control, some aren’t.
All we can do is control the things that we can control.
But those of us who have done our share of living know that what George Bernard Shaw said was true: “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”
To make progress we have to change. For some of us, that may mean going from flying by the seat of our pants to having a plan.
Planning thoughtfully and holding ourselves to a plan, making sure our leadership team is in alignment and consistently looking ahead will help us 1) survive the scary parts 2) suppress the ghosts of our past 3) come out on top.
Now that’s not so scary, is it?
By Blair Koch