As a business coach one of the first things I must determine is whether a business owner suffers from the “I Know” disease and whether they can be cured. If I had a pound for every person who thought “What can you possibly tell me about my business…I’ve been doing this for…years…,” I could wallpaper my house. Not only could I definitely provide some impactful insights into their business, their customers could probably provide even more if they were asked. Now before you start thinking “Who does this guy think he is…,” let me admit I had the “I Know” disease when I helped grow my company to the top 2% of 20,000 competitors. Looking back I am sure I had lost perspective the last several years and badly needed an objective outsider to give me the hard truth.
If you are wondering if you may be afflicted, here are some warning signs of things you may think or say:
– “That strategy would never work in my business.”
– “You don’t understand. My industry is different.”
– “We tried that before. That doesn’t work.”
– “I’ve been here for 20 years and know what works best.”
– “This is the way we’ve always done it.”
– “When the economy comes back and things get back to normal, we’ll rebound.”
The reality is that every time we think “I know,” “My business is unique” or “Our industry is different,” we block our minds to any opportunity to learn. If we are able to keep our minds open to the possibility that a differing view or new idea may have value, we are able to absorb and apply the information. Think about how easily you may tune out your spouse when they are telling you something for the 10th time. Or how your teenager ignores your sage advice. This happens in business all the time because we feel we know so much about our business and industry that there is nothing new to learn.
If you’re thinking there are no more big ideas left, ponder this. A flushing toilet was invented in 1596, but Scott Paper did not manufacture toilet paper on a roll until 1890. Took almost 300 years to come up with that brainstorm? I’m guessing we have some upside in our businesses if we open our mind.
What do I suggest? Consistently challenge to status quo because the results will not change until we do. Strive to implement at least one new idea each week to drive huge annual improvement. Ask your customers and team members for feedback and ideas consistently. Then think about ways you CAN apply the ideas rather than reasons they will not work. If you’re really daring, ask an objective outsider for their honest opinion of what they see in your business. You might just be surprised about how much opportunity is in your business even in the current economy.
