The most spectacular successes are based not on perfect execution, but on consistent course correction. No one gets from point A to point B in a straight line — zigs and zags are the norm, not the exception.
Several years ago I was discussing the various zigs and zags of my business model with a good friend and former client — a gentleman I came to think of as “The Shaman Entrepreneur” because he is quite good at building businesses and he is also, literally, a shaman. Dave has provided some real gems and observations for me over the years, but one that really stuck in my mind was his response to me when I was lamenting a particular zag (or was it a zig?) that ended up costing me a good year and a half of time and resources to get back on track.
He said, “Doug, that’s normal. There are no straight lines in nature, nor do they exist in business. Of course, you need to have a vision for where your ship is headed, but on your way to your goals you can count on being off course most of the time. The trick is to know when you are off course, and make constant (hopefully small) course corrections. If you want to avoid big detours in the future, you just need to make sure you know when you are off course earlier.”
“My “ship?,” I asked?
Dave laughed, “I’ve used that analogy a lot and it has helped me keep a good perspective on progress toward my goals. When I say “ship” I’m not talking about an ocean liner, I’m talking about a rocket!”
Dave went on to explain how the first manned Apollo mission to the moon (Apollo 8) was almost scrapped because the engineers could not solve the problem of keeping the rocket on course. In fact, they could do no better than keeping it on course 20% of the time. The best scientific minds in the world worked on the problem and could not develop a way to maintain an accurate trajectory.
When you are trying to land a man on the moon for the first time in history, being off course 80% of the time is not a comfortable idea. The breakthrough came when the NASA engineers changed the way they looked at the problem. Instead of trying to stay on course all the time, they focused on developing superior measurement technology that allowed them to make constant small course corrections. End result, Apollo 8 was indeed off course 80% of the time, but they hit their target within 12 feet on their first attempt to put a man on the moon.
For an interesting read/listen on the topic check out Wayne Hodgin’s podcast and transcript Off Course – On Target: The Story
Since this conversation with The Shaman Entrepreneur, I’ve adopted this way of thinking and have found more success and less stress in my business life. Knowing that the key to less painful and costly course corrections is better measurement, I’ve also focused on creating better “instruments” for my ship.
Getting quick and meaningful feedback about how your business is doing is more than important, it is critical to being able to hit your target. In order to know where you need to be, you first need to know where you are.
This is why I have dedicated myself and my business to creating better measurement tools for Infopreneurs.
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