The Clarity to Solve Problems

I’m 30,000 feet in the air, journeying from San Francisco to the Big Apple. Five and half hours is an absolute eternity for someone like me to simply sit and watch time pass. I’m thoroughly enjoying Bryce Clayton’s The Power of One and the eclectic sounds of Jason Mraz’s “We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things.” An introvert at heart, I can’t help from getting somewhat prophetic as I spend hours alone with my thoughts and petty distractions of the airplane environment.

My business is in strategy; the strategy to grow a new digital business, or to examine how a current business is operating in the digital space, and then provide recommendations from the resulting insights. The most interesting part of this endeavor is that I work for a burgeoning business as well, and we constantly find ourselves face to face with hurdles, not unlike our clients. So it got me thinking, how do you solve problems? Or how do you have the foresight to prepare for a potential hurdle?

1) Think about where you want to be in 3-6 months, and then think about what you have to do tomorrow to start getting there.
I find regularly that people are so interested in the big picture, that little steps get overlooked. This outlook makes every task seem colossal, and can often keep you from completing the small steps en route to your goal. Make small attainable goals for your business. NASA didn’t get to the moon in a day.

2) Constantly re-evaluate how you got to where you are.
Hindsight is an unbelievably powerful tool, and rarely does the knowledge hit us right when we need it. In the spirit of progress and development, be sure to learn from your own business’ history. Track your steps, highlight your successes, and learn from your mistakes. Those who don’t know their history are doomed to repeat it. Simultaneously, the best thing about the past is that it has passed. Digest your learnings and move on.

3) Know your strengths, but don’t be bound by what’s always worked.
Every successful business is exceptional at something, hopefully many things. Be an expert at what you do, but don’t be afraid to improve upon that working solution. Do it once, do it twice, and then do it again. Once you’ve mastered your core business offering, you will be able to spin it to be so much more. If you can devise a way to execute your strengths in different and interesting ways, your business can have unbound successes. New and improved are two of the most powerful words, not just in advertising, but in all business.

I’ve unintentionally just rehashed lessons from two of the greatest teachers I’ve ever had. Not necessarily teachers in the classroom alone, but teachers along my journey as a person. I’m fortunate enough to have regularly contact with both of them. One of these teachers is now one of my bosses. The other is an extraordinary individual who guided me through an athletic career, at a collegiate and professional level, that was filled with endless uphill battles and tribulations.

Hopefully this altitude induced rant has allowed me to impart some of my learnings upon you. Whether you apply these lessons to your business world alone, or to your personal life as well, I only hope I did some justice in the passing on of these lessons.