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Brick No20: 'Can-do' or 'No Can-do'?
By Matt Weston, Tuesday 25 November 2003 All small business owners start off as 'Can-do' people. In the words of Anita Roddick, Body Shop Founder, 'Entrepreneurs are pathological optimists. Everything is possible for the entrepreneur' – at least at the outset. The factor that defines your business success is not just how 'Can-do' you are when you start your business, but how 'Can-do' you are in the face of adversity, failure and change. If you lose your 'Can-do' attitude, you lose your ability to react to new opportunities, learn new skills and respond to your customers. (1) Be 'Can-do' James Cagney famously said that if someone asks you if you can do something, always say yes. If you say 'I can' you'll get an opportunity you didn't have before and learn a new skill. Before he hit the big time, Cagney was asked if he could ride a horse. He'd never been on a horse in his life, but he said yes – and was cast in a role that kick-started his movie career. Just because you don't have any experience doing something, doesn't mean you can't learn. Experience and Ability are two very different things. I focussed on improving my writing skills because I needed to find a way of communicating my business ideas – it didn't put me off that I'd never been a journalist. And if you bend over backwards to fulfil your customer demands, you'll be sure that you'll get more business in the future. It all boils down to self-belief: The man who believes he can do something is probably right, and so is the man who believes he can't. Action: Never say never again (2) Stay 'Can-do' Your business depends on you keeping your 'Can-do' attitude, so keep getting back on that horse. Remember the four-minute mile. People, since the days of the ancient Greeks had been trying to break the barrier – running 3:59.4 minutes. Folklore says that the Greeks even had lions chase their runners with no success. For thousands of years, everyone thought the four-minute mile was impossible, a feat too far. Then on 6 May, 1954, one man, Roger Bannister proved all the doctors, athletes, scientists and lion tamers wrong. And would you believe it, the year after Roger Bannister broke the record, another 37 runners broke the 4-minute barrier. Bannister had undying self-belief. Those that followed could run just as fast, but had to see the 4-minute mile broken before they could think it possible. If you keep on believing in yourself, there's almost nothing you can't accomplish. Just don't wait for your competition to get there first. Action: When times are tough you have to force yourself to think positive. At the end of every day spend 5 minutes writing down 3 positives you've drawn from the day. Forget all the negatives, and start tomorrow afresh. (3) Keep Learning I enjoyed last weekend's Business Start-Up Show. For the second year running, Sir John Harvey-Jones stole the show. At 79, Sir John is a model for us all. His key message at the show was to never stop learning – that information and knowledge are paramount to business success. I live to learn. Like many entrepreneurs I've got an insatiable thirst for anything new – new skills, new knowledge, new people, new opportunities. I'm as curious as a 2 year old, so should you be! Action: Regularly, at least every quarter, resolve to learn about a new skill or hobby. It will give you a new perspective on your business. (4) Adopt a Positive Attitude to Failure Here's Tom Peters' take on the Silicon Valley revolution: 'Silicon Valley has elbowed its way into the planet's consciousness, largely courtesy of failure after failure after failure (and, along the way, more than it's fair share of successes – mostly by-products of the most exciting failures).' Don't be scared by failure. As Dr Spencer Johnson says in 'Who Moved My Cheese': What would you do if you weren't afraid? The worst thing that can happen if you adopt a 'Can-do' approach is failure, and every failure can, if you adopt a positive attitude, have positive consequences. At the very least you'll learn from your mistakes. Action: Re-evaluate your three biggest mistakes or failures, what lessons have you learnt and how have you acted on these lessons? (5) 'Can-do' is Infectious Wear your self-belief on your sleeve. 'Can-do' people are inspirational people. Think of successful people, and people you admire – they're all 'Can-do' people. And attitudes spread fast. 'Can-do' should be a passion that runs throughout your business, something you encourage amongst your employees and demand from your suppliers. But nothing spreads quicker than 'No Can-do' – the moment your suppliers start adding on extras and not bending over backwards for you, alarm bells ought to ring. And make sure you give your key employees enough responsibility to make 'Can-do' decisions. Action: Make sure 'Can-do' is a central pillar in your business vision. Tell all new suppliers and employees that your attitude is always to try to be 'Can-do'. Remember to sign up: back to top |
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