Just imagine how you could boost your business if you really became objective about all of your weaknesses and then did something about them.

To me it’s all about the ‘F-word’ for focus. If you find such a word offensive, let’s call it the ‘P-word’ for passion.

Creating a great business or career is about watching your P’s and F’s. The Ian Thorpe’s of this world don’t happen because a guy with big feet jumps into a pool each day and swims 14 kilometres.

There’s a whole bunch of swimmers doing a Thorpe routine but there is only one Thorpe and around the world there are only a handful of swimmers who give him any competition.

High achievers put in the hard yards
High achievers are 24/7 performers and they don’t let distractions get in their way. You don’t have to be one of these types, but what you do have to remember is some of your rivals will be Thorpe-like and it’ll mean you’ll have to settle with a lesser prize.

Someone who’s trying to build up a business but has a number of factors that take them away from business success goals will find difficulties in business. If your passion is golf and you play golf on a Monday then if anyone talks to you on a Monday you’re going to be more focused on your golf handicap than you are on your business handicaps. That’s fine but always remember that you will succeed in whatever you are passionate about.

This guy was waiting for a marketing drive driven by his partner to start in order to see the leads come in, but he hadn’t researched his local area for business groups, networks and associations. He hadn’t gone to business breakfasts to hand out cards. He hadn’t even talked up his business at the golf club!

You can’t just cruise if you want high levels of success – there is always the trade off for those who choose to have multiple passions. In a sense, he was a part-timer distracted from the main game and that’s why the results weren’t coming.

Someone like him should have been reading every marketing book he could get his hands on, such as Seth Godin’s Purple Cow to 350 Ways To Grow Your Business, so he could build up his arsenal of weapons that he took to business each day.

People behind business success stories don’t only live and breathe business. When he was swimming Thorpe had some life beyond the pool but when he had a choice between a beer and water at party when he was training, it would have been water.

You have to give to receive
It all gets down to priorities. Is building the business the most important goal to be kicked? That’s the question you have to face everyday. Some people need to be reminded of why they’re in business so they put the reasons on a noticeboard, their screensaver, their diary or even on their fridge.

What follows could upset some people but the reality is that anyone living with some kind of failure has to accept their role in the poor performance.

Woody Allen in his film Match Point examines the importance of luck and it does play a role in many of our endeavours — but too many people, too often, use it as a cop-out to stop them taking a long hard look at their own efforts.

The bottom line is everything you do in business defines your business. If your effort is second rate that’s what you business will be — second rate.

By Peter Switzer, published on 21/10/2008

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