This heading was taken from a quote by John F Kennedy, US President, when he said “Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought”.

When I came across this, I thought it was very appropriate for the current times. You may or may not like Donald Trump, Nigel Farage, Kemi Badenoch and the rest, but reporting of current political affairs seems to be full of stage-managed broadcastable segments aimed at some perceived wrong and designed to hit the headlines and get popular support. They all seem to have been at media school.

Donald Trump is by far the most adept, and even if you vehemently disagree with what he says, and so many do, you have to admit that his delivery and charisma have been very effective. He has no fear, or should that read respect, for anyone and does not worry who he upsets or annoys in pursuit of his own goals and objectives. It is fascinating to watch. Others try to emulate him, but no one I have seen comes close. His video clips are everywhere. He knows how to control the stage.

I don’t think there are any politicians in the country who would get away with what he says and does, but maybe I’ll be proven wrong after the next general election.

I think that deep down we probably all have some slight admiration for Trump’s ability to get what he wants by controlling his own people and his environment, albeit that at times it smacks of intimidation.

However, there seems to be a lot of strong opinions but little reasoned thought. On big issues, there seems to be no consensus on the principles that determine right and wrong, and so whether actions are reasonable, etc. But I suppose these are subjective judgments anyway. Everything is portrayed as a crisis requiring immediate and forceful action. Maybe that is correct, but I have my doubts.

So, in the context of a small business, are you a Trump? Do you demand that everyone falls into line with your views, or do you seek to obtain “buy-in” from your team, whatever size that team might be, not from fear but because they understand and agree with your approach? I think, in many small businesses, there needs to be a shared vision, but that will generally come from the top down. If you don’t care, then neither will your team. If you don’t work as hard or effectively as your team, you will lose respect. They need to feel that they are being guided by an effective operator who brings something positive to the room and is not just living off the profit of their labour.

Not many of the small businesses that we deal with have the luxury of various committees to determine and control their actions. Committee meetings can be a discussion next to the kettle.

I am sure that someone out there knows the answer to how we should all be running our small businesses, but in the end, we all have to muddle through as best we can based on our own experiences. If we have had the right experiences and worked with the right mentors, then we may get it right.

How do we know? Well, you could adopt various measures, either subjective or objective. How big is our business? Is it growing? How many people do we employ, etc? How do you reach that point where you can finally feel that you have been successful?

But I think that many people who run a business have what has become known as imposter syndrome. They may be in a responsible position, running the business effectively and directing its staff, but they feel that they should not be there and are waiting to be found out.

Remember that you have got where you are for a reason, and what you think about your own abilities has little to do with it. Your qualities have got you where you are, and so hopefully you feel that you are being or will become successful. The proof of the pudding and all that!

So, whether you are Trump or not, you have certain principles by which you live and work, and presumably, this is why you are where you are. Do you think you have been successful? There are many definitions of success. One that I like is this:

“Success is the progressive realisation of a worthy goal or ideal.” ― Earl Nightingale

This focuses on the journey and not the destination. If you work diligently to achieve a worthy objective, then, by this definition, you are successful, whether that be in business or in your personal life. It is not linked to actually achieving the goal you set for yourself. An interesting idea!

 

Alan E Long

The Long Partnership

07770 738770