My son has two gecko lizards. They eat crickets voraciously. Interestingly, for the lizards to grow, they need to shed their old skin. Unless they get rid of the old, they don't have sufficient room to grow. That got me thinking.
As business owners, shouldn't we go through a periodic shedding and rebirth process? Shouldn't we unload some of the old ways of thinking and behaving and adopt some new? Shouldn't we take a regular assessment of what is and what is NOT working in our businesses and personal lives and dump what is no longer working? I think shedding old skin is a healthy way to grow and a good metaphor for entrepreneurs.
As entrepreneurs, it's our past thinking, decisions and actions that got us to where we are today. That's great, but we can not be locked in the past. For most of us, we have stopped growing -- our knowledge, attitudes, skills, strategies and habits have not been upgraded, updated or elevated. Not surprisingly, many of our businesses have become stagnant and trapped in the "old skin ways" -- just like us. Odds are, we have not challenged or shed some of our old assumptions, limiting beliefs, ineffective strategies, and poor habits.
Quite frankly, some of us prefer to bury our heads in the sands of yesterday rather than try to identify more effective ways and means of today and tomorrow. We don't like facing reality and the many changes all around us. We are trapped in the glory of the good old days and by our old success. We have slowly evolved into past-based instead of future-based business owners. For some, we act like our best days are behind us and we are fearful of trying new things. We have lost the ability to take risks and make changes. We are not proactively shedding old skin for new growth.
Some of us are firmly stuck in the old skin of, "I have to do everything myself", "That won't work in my industry or business", "Nobody can do it as well as me", "I must work 60-70 hours a week", "No pain, no gain", "We have always done it this way", "The old ways always worked before", "I don't have time to think", "Of course I know what I'm doing", and "Let's just work harder." For your sake, please challenge these old assumptions.
Trust me, this topic is not about being right or wrong. It's simply about finding more effective ways to run your business and life; to achieve greater success and balance in your life. Be honest with yourself and determine what old skin you need to shed. What you need to get rid of in order to grow and move forward. What past business practices no longer work and need to be dumped. And finally, and most importantly, determine to have a future that is even bigger, bolder and brighter than you past. Happy shedding.
Read "Becoming a Strategic Business Owner" for additional insights.
Daniel Murphy
The Growth Coach
Business Coaching Franchise System