In constant pursuit of improvement
Most successful entrepreneurs are constantly seeking ways to improve their product, their marketing, their communications, their company culture, and the like. Most entrepreneurs are also typically open to criticism, even when it is not constructive, and many entrepreneurs are constantly mulling over how to improve, even when the world loves what they do – there is always a next step.
Some choose to informally ask contrarian voices for their opinion in an effort to broaden their horizons, others choose to do endless focus groups, while others rely on the wisdom inside of their own company. No approach is wrong or right, they are just different means of business decision makers forming opinions.
Weighing the options
Imagine if in 1937, Walt Disney had listened to his brother Roy who said, “He’s passé. Nobody cares about Mickey anymore… I think we should phase him out.”
Just picture that – if Walt Disney had gone a different direction, who knows if the company would ever be the multi-billion dollar conglomerate it is today? Imagine if Walt had not trusted his gut instincts and continued on his path toward what has become an empire?
As a decision maker, you are forced to take action every day to improve your company from every angle, but the most important metric of all is your own gut instinct formed after absorbing as much information as possible. Your gut feeling will likely conflict with another’s opinion, but as the leader, it is your gut instincts that steer the ship, while everyone else simply paddles.
