Photo by Starck Ting
Yesterday we discussed the difference between owners and victims. Today I want to tell you more about the “Owner’s Mindset.”
Owners give everything they’ve got to whatever they’re doing. They pour every ounce of energy into the current moment.
They realize that anything they could do while multitasking isn’t a high-leverage activity they should be doing in the first place. Instead it should be delegated or outsourced.
You see, when you give all of yourself to something you own it. In a sense, you wrap your responsibility around it completely.
And the very first thing an entrepreneurial owner needs to pour every ounce of energy into is their vision for their business.
From Microsoft to CNN to Google, almost every successful business started as a vision in the mind of a entrepreneurial dreamer.
Of course, we all have dreams. The difference is that Bill Gates, Ted Turner, and Sergey + Larry believed in their dreams so strongly they refused to quit until their dreams became a reality.
Look, being an entrepreneur can be nerve-wracking, because you’re going to face many obstacles on the road to success. And there’s no by-the-book way to eliminate them.
But with a clear vision in your mind, you’ll always know which direction to go in. And you’ll find it easier to conquer any obstacle blocking you from accomplishing your vision.
And, as long as you never lose sight of your vision, you’ll never lose sight of success either.
So, how do you bring your vision into focus?
Well, here’s an exercise that’ll set you down the right path to having a crystallized vision to turn to when times get tough.
Project yourself and your company five years into the future – an article is being published in the newspaper about your company’s recent achievements – answer the following questions as though it were five years from now:
- What is the article about?
- What are your core products or services?
- Who are your core customers or clients?
- How do you feel about the company today?
- What do you hear employees talking about?
- What changes have been made over the last five years?
- What things are you measuring to determine your success?
Now, take your answers from the above questions and synthesize your answers into a cohesive vision for your business.
The whole exercise should take less than an hour. And your vision will serve you the same way the North Star guides a sailor who gets lost in a storm. It’ll help you with everything from establishing your daily outcomes to withstanding the setbacks we all experience from time to time.