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24 Mar 2011

Growth Coach Advice for Entrepreneurs: Stop Chasing Shiny Objects

Entrepreneurs and business owners, for your health and sanity and that of your employees and your business, stop bouncing around from one idea to another, one project to another, one fire-drill to another.  Instead, finish what you start and stop chasing the latest fad, newest technology or gadget.  While it’s common and quite entertaining for kids and pets to chase “shiny new objects”, it can be disastrous for business owners to do the same.

By jumping around like a hyperactive dog chasing anything that moves or looks new or enticing, you end up driving yourself and your employees crazy.  Such a frantic pace and lack of focus can be very unsettling for your employees and customers. Think about it … if you are always chasing shiny objects or leaping to new things or down new paths, you can’t make any real progress.  As a consequence, very good existing ideas, projects and strategies simply don’t get the proper focus and attention they deserve and are not fully implemented or completed … what a shame!

Also, while we’re at it, please stop chasing the business practice or management strategy “flavor of the week or month.” Stop looking for the silver bullet and magic cure. Bottom line, constantly chasing new ideas and shiny objects will yield too much chaos, complexity, confusion, and craziness in your organization.  Right now, times are crazy and challenging enough; don’t complicate business management with a lack of focus, priorities and discipline.

As your personal Growth Coach, please understand, I’m not saying don’t experiment, innovate, or search for new strategies and ideas.  Far from it.  What I am saying is to keep things in balance and be sure you have fully implemented the old, good ideas and strategies before you reactively bounce to new ideas, chase shiny objects, fall in love with the next cool gadget, or buy yet another new “toy”.  Without full and aggressive implementation, you don’t get full results.  Finish what you start.

As a business coach, I’m not certain of the fascination owners have with “all things new or shiny”.  It seems to be a habit similar to “channel surfing” with a remote control … jumping from cable show to show.  Maybe business owners are afraid to be held accountable for results and quickly jump to the next thing. Instead of “running to” something, maybe they are “running away” from unfinished work.  Maybe they have ADD and easily get bored. Maybe they are like explorers and prefer the “unknown” to the “known”.

Regardless of the reason or excuse, jumping to something new before you have fully completed something old is a bit perplexing and very costly.  It’s like never allowing yourself to master a skill.  Or quitting a game, book or movie before it ends.  Or giving up old friends for new friends.  Stop the madness!  If you don’t catch your breath, slow down and think before you CHASE something new or shiny, you will never see good ideas through to completion and see optimal results.

As a CPA and business coach for over 25 years, I have seen way too many small business owners want to mysteriously and quietly move on to new ideas, projects and strategies before the old ones have even been implemented.  Though most entrepreneurs are hurting the organization by doing so, they truly think they are helping.  They are naively searching for the quick fix, silver bullet, magic cure, panacea, and super solution.  They don’t realize that a good idea fully implemented today is far more valuable than a great idea partially or never implemented tomorrow.

But worst of all, such business owners are setting a terrible example for the rest of the company.  By jumping from project to project, they appear to be running away from accountability and are sending the message that it’s OK to NOT get important things done.  This sets a very bad example for their employees and they too will feel that it’s OK to jump to new tasks, new projects, and new responsibilities without consequences and without being held accountable for results.  Sadly, a culture of excuses seems to develop instead of a culture of results. Employees end up majoring in minor things. They mistake busyness with accomplishments.  A culture develops that lacks focus, discipline, and real follow-through and execution.

At The Growth Coach, we don’t allow business owners to spin their wheels, jump around and chase shiny objects … we get them to be focused, strategic and effective.  That’s what drives superior results. Our year-round business coaching process provides the on-going structure, discipline and accountability so that important things get implemented and completed … again, that’s what produces real results.  You can’t keep jumping to the flavor of the day, week or month and make any real progress … objective and honest coaching, on-going accountability, and complete implementation of existing ideas, strategies, projects, and goals are what truly drive outstanding results.

Do not allow yourself or your employees to jump to the next new thing without completing the last old thing.

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