What Snuffy taught Covey (at least he could have)

Phil — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:19:30 +0000

Are you working fast and furious? Burning the candle at both ends? Yet, you don’t feel like you are making progress. Years ago, before Stephen Covey wrote “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” I learned a very important lesson from an unlikely source.

While I still struggle every day to heed this sage advice, I’ll never forget it. Take five minutes to see what Snuffy taught me. I hope it helps you move ahead in all your endeavors.

Know Thyself

Phil — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 18:30:20 +0000

Last week at a local coffee shop I met Kathy. I was introduced to her by a friend of mine, with whom she just finished a meeting. My friend runs a growing marketing business and he was helping her think through the identity of the retail business she is on the verge of launching. He introduced Kathy to me because he thought I might be able advise her on advertising options. We had a pleasant conversation and agreed that we should meet in the near future to discuss her needs.

Five words from my brief conversation with Kathy have not left my mind in the days since our meeting. In describing her trepidation about starting this business, she spoke the words regarding the marketing and
management of her new company. She was confident in the quality and production of the products she plans
to bring to market. But as for marketing and managing her new venture, she said, “I don’t have a clue.”

Almost daily, I meet small business owners and managers who proclaim that in certain areas of their business, “I don’t have a clue.” While that can be a daunting admission for a business person to express, it presents a powerful opportunity. In Kathy’s case, her admission that she was clueless on marketing brought her to meet with my friend and eventually with me. I suspect her clueless nature on business management will lead her to find help in that area as well.

Unfortunately, too many small business owners and managers I meet do not demonstrate Kathy’s willingness to recognize their strengths and call for help with their weaknesses. Instead, while knowing they are clueless in certain areas of their business; their approach is to continue muddling through. Often, the
result muddles their progress by dragging down their entire operation. One of the most powerful steps a small business owner or manager can take is to evaluate their strengths, to determine whether they tend to be entrepreneurial, managerial, or technical. A successful small business must contain all three elements, yet most small business owners are strong in only one area, leaving the others to suffer.

Michael E. Gerber’s book, The E Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It is an insightful guide book for small business people. It is designed to help business owners identify their strengths, while laying out a process for building a successful small business that eliminates
weaknesses. I recommend this book several times each week. I recommended it to Kathy. I recommend it to you.

I love the saying, “The person you will be five years from now will be most influenced by the books you read and the people you associate with.” I believe the same holds true for your business.

Fuel your business this week. Read and hang with some business people whose success you hope to emulate.

–
PS

Small Biz Fuel» Recommended Reading

What Snuffy taught Covey (at least he could have)

Know Thyself