Main Idea
How old were you when you learned that Santa Claus was actually your parents? Do you remember who told you about Santa?
Expansion of Idea
I vividly remember the discussion with Tim Mohan who lived up the street. I was in fourth grade and I finally learned about Santa. (Either I was naïve or I am seeing who really reads this.) After Tim told me about Santa, I had to think about it for a while. I finally went to my parents to see if this was true. Of course, I was devastated.
This situation repeats itself in business whether you are an owner or an employee. Who are you getting advice from? One of the keys to improving our businesses or our lives is making wise choices as I discussed last week. The best way that I know to do that is to surround yourself with the right advisors and counselors. Family members can be a great start. Authors can also be your advisor. Peter Drucker is dead but I count him as one of my key advisors. We also need people that we can discuss ideas with and are not afraid of telling us we are wrong. Who has better advisors, Stan Musial or Tiger Woods?
This is not about getting the smartest people as advisors. It is about getting advisors that have the same core values that can help you achieve your goals. We have to be intentional about it. We also have to create the right atmosphere so that the advisors are free to tell you what they think. How many bad decisions are made by a group of people because no one will tell the leader that he is wrong? When we get advice from the right people, we gradually start heading in the right direction. And that shows up in creating a better and more enjoyable business.
Start by Asking Yourself these Questions:
Who am I listening to?
Who should I stop listening to?
Am I following the advice of the advisors?
Who should I listen to?