Business Strategies
I read a couple of great posts by Seth Godin this past weekend that helps have the right mindset for how we should look at our life seven years from now and be proud of what we’ve done. Both can be accessed from this post here.
How I believe this article applies to business is beyond what personal change we can bring about. It’s about how we want our companies to be remembered five, ten, fifteen or a hundred years from now.
That’s right. Our goals shouldn’t focus on just what can be achieved this or next year. I propose we view our businesses and professional lives in the long-term. We should make choices based on how we wish to be remembered. When we look at our businesses with this long-term retrospective, as the likes of Charles Koch recommend, we begin to make decisions differently. Whether it’s with whom we’ll work, how we’ll treat them, or even what line of business we choose to follow.
In the months (years?) ahead, I’ll expand on this idea as it applies to various decisions we make in daily business. This is partially based on experience and the results I’ve had in the past, but mostly it’s an experiment I’ll conduct at my own business.
This is no different than software companies dog-fooding their products to find its weaknesses and make them market-ready. I hope to provide you with insight on lesson learned.
Keep in mind, given that this approach evangelizes long-term thinking, planning and execution, the initial results may not be stellar. However, I believe they’ll pay off in the long-term. This is the main motivation about posting on the subject for the months and, possibly, years ahead.
I know this may mean that I won’t write on the subject every week. So, be patient and feel free to comment or email me on the subject.
What Do You Think?
I’d love to hear what you think of Seth’s post as well as what I’ve suggested here. Feel free to comment below.
Photo Credits: vestman