There be beasties

Having lived in various cities around the world, I’m very good at finding my way around… Well, at least I think I am. My wife would probably tend to disagree and to her credit she is the one who tends to take the time to read the signs and pour over maps.

Too slow for me, I’m more a ‘hurry up we need to get there’ kind of guy. Needless to say, my way more often than not leads to dead ends, being late or getting more and more worked up as I go round and round in infuriating circles, (sometimes though it works, giving me a great sense of self satisfaction that makes me ignore the signs next time).

The way I go about getting somewhere would be so much easier if I just followed the signs or used a map.

The same scenario can be used for business, to get from A to B which may be from operating one store to franchising across the country. No matter what the journey is you embark on you need a strategy, which is simply a map to get you there.

Now a strategy doesn’t work for someone like me because of me, not the strategy. I need to slow down and read it, and then keep reading it to make sure I am keeping on track. No use reading it just once and then putting it in the bottom of my pack and embarking without checking my bearings again.

(So much for the theory that males have a better sense of direction than females because we have more iron in our body and so are able to point to north easier).

I need to supress the urge to take a shortcut and stray from the map because strategy is about keeping your eye on the final destination. Sometimes the plan will look like it is heading in the wrong direction, and it would be shorter to go as the crow flies, but beware there be beasties!

Take heed – to get your business to a successful destination get a strategy and follow it because the path can be dark and dangerous.