Looking Back, Looking Forward

The Major League Baseball season is nearing its apex with the World Series later this month. Right now there are 12 teams vying to be the next world champions of baseball. Many more started the season with hopes of making it into the playoff series.

For the rest of us, the third quarter has ended and now we look forward to the year's end. How has 2023 gone for you and your business so far?

Did you and your team achieve the results that you set out to accomplish? If not, what have you and they learned? Is it possible to meet your goals with a fourth-quarter push?

Go the distance. - Field of Dreams

One of my favorite all-time movies is Field of Dreams. I can't say for certain that the "build it and they will come" strategy always works ( at least not 100 percent), but there are some things that I know are true.

There are some things that are certain. Some absolutes do not change with the circumstances. Like discipline and commitment.

Discipline and commitment lead to success. First, you have to choose. Then be disciplined enough to not chase shiny objects, a.k.a. the next trend or new idea that seemingly will pay off.

But even before discipline and commitment, you need to have a clear vision or goal of what you want to achieve. And if that vision includes your purpose, the level of commitment is even stronger.

Want to Be Great?

Good is the Enemy of Great - Jim Collins

Jim Collins identified it as he researched and wrote, Good to Great. Collins identified several significant factors that made the companies he studied great.

We learned of "The Hedgehog Principle" and the simplicity of knowing what your company is really good at, "A Culture of Discipline" and "The Flywheel", among others.

Master the Essentials

Focus on what is essential for success. Collins and his team found that great companies focused on the answer to three essential questions. What can you be the best in the world at? What drives your economic engine? What are you deeply passionate about?

Discipline Matters

Collins recommends building a culture full of people who take disciplined action relentlessly. That requires that you set expectations high and cherish freedom and consistency.

The Breakthrough

The best transformation happens organically. The great companies were patient and disciplined. They focused on the essentials and built momentum like a flywheel until breakthroughs happened and extraordinary results were attained.

Great companies found that tremendous power exists in continued improvement and consistently delivering results - The Flywheel Effect.

Bottom of the Ninth

Collins asked a great question. He wrote in 2001:

What do the right people want more than almost anything else?

They want to be part of a winning team and they want to contribute to its results.

I believe that still holds true today and will do so for the foreseeable future.

Until next time.