4. Majoring in Minor Things.
This is one of Jim Rohn’s basic principles for success. You cannot be successful in the long run being 10 miles wide and an inch deep. There are a handful of things that are important enough to account for the greatest impact. Take a cue from Steve Jobs and get rid of the distractions. Tie your vision and strategy to the truly impactful things and execute those to the best of your ability. I failed by trying to do it all. You can’t. You will hit the wall, and so will the company. I became mediocre at a large number of things.
5. Avoiding.
If there are things that you can do, and should do, then do them. Don’t neglect them. The basic business fundamentals cannot be ignored. Strengthen your skills in weak areas or put people in place in whose skill and integrity you trust. I was not able to recognize the areas I was weak in quickly enough to either learn how to do them (sometimes not practical to do) or find people with those skills that I could trust to do them well.
6. Lacking Values.
Core values are principles without which life (or business) wouldn’t be worth living. As stated in the book Tribal Leadership, values are what the organization stands in. Establish a set of Core Values that can unite the organization and then create resonance around them. I am now convinced that Core Values become the foundation of a well-oiled, world-class, customer friendly, ethical organization. I was clueless about this in the past.
7. Blindly Trusting People.
Reagan said trust but verify. While leaders can’t do it alone, the wrong people with the wrong skills in the wrong place are a formula for disaster. Allow people to run on “short leashes” until they prove themselves. I did not take the time to properly vet and then observe key people in their roles before I let them fly solo. Any competent, well-grounded person should have no problem with this approach.
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