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"To succeed in business you need to work harder than anyone else."
This is the advice you often hear from those who have attained
entrepreneurial success. Success, they say, comes only to those who work,
work and work some more to reach their goals.
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However, you need not work so hard to achieve your dream. According to
Robert J. Kriegel, author of the book "How
to Succeed in Business Without Working So Damn Hard," this
strategy of working harder-and-longer is not the only way to achieve your
goals; in fact, it can even be detrimental for you. The key to success is
working smarter, not harder.
While working harder works, the stress resulting from this strategy is
enormous no matter how tough you think you are. It creates stress and limits
the quality of life. Worse, this work style also hinders performance,
productivity and creativity. The "run, run, rush, rush, race,
race" is a great strategy "for not having a life," according
to the new book.
Dr. Kriegel in his new book suggests some innovative strategies to help
you succeed beyond what you thought possible without working so hard. Below
are some of them:
1. Rushing
slows you down.
The obsession with speed is one of the causes of working too hard: speed to
grow the business, speed to go to market, etc. In the process, you tend to
rush things, and rushing slows you down. Why? Because you are more prone to
make mistakes. You do things before you had the chance to think them
through. You tend to make decisions too quickly. As a result, the mistakes
require you to do things over again.
According to Dr. Kriegel, "real progress come from innovation"
and innovation doesn't come from rushing. Innovation requires time for
incubation.
2. Think like a
beginner.
The author says that "learning to think like a beginner is one of the
most effective ways to reinvent your game." Adopting a beginner's
mindset allows you to spot new opportunities: you are ready and open for
anything. You understand that there are myriad opportunities out there for
you. As a beginner, you are not attached to how things are done or have
preconceived notions about any situation. You are more eager to try out new
things, and more importantly, you have the curiosity that is crucial for
innovation.
The author suggests that you question everything, be curious and listen
down. Sometimes the greatest ideas and opportunities are right in front of
you, but experience may have blinded you to them. Wipe the slate clean and
look at your business with a fresh set of eyes.
3. Flip the
rules.
Innovation, they say, comes from thinking out of the box. What does
"out of the box" mean? To get out of the box, you need to
"take a problem, assumption, or strategy and flip it 180 degrees."
This entails thinking creatively outside the safe confines of the
established parameters of your business or industry. List the basic
components, elements or rules of your business. Then give each a flip. If
everyone is doing it one way, consider doing the opposite.
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Peter Brown, a San Francisco chef started his Foursquare Catering
business. However, he had trouble attracting clients. His strategy was to
invite prospective clients for a lunch at his place to sample his
specialties. This was the same strategy employed by his competitors.
However, hardly anyone comes. No one wants to take time out from his or her
busy schedules to go to his place for lunch.
He then decided to change his strategy: instead of clients coming over to
his place, he went to his clients and offered them a special lunch at their
office. No one refused him, and his business grew tremendously! Giving his
strategy a flip allowed Brown to launch a hugely successful business.
4. Don't
compete; change the game.
Dr. Kriegel writes that the key to gaining a competitive edge is "to
use your head to get ahead." You need not play by the same rules and
assumptions as your business competitors. Those who succeed in business do
not necessarily aim to play on a level playing field; rather they make sure
to tilt it in their direction.
How? You reinvent what you do. You innovate, and not play catch-up by
constantly imitating the leader. You create new markets and reinvent new
ones. Reinventing also means teaming up with other companies and entering
into strategic alliances with others. Remember, just because you are small,
you don't have to think small.
5. Bulking up
the little guys.
With the right strategy, small companies can compete with the big guys.
Price competition, or lowering the price, however is not the way to go.
Small businesses can never win out in a price war, given that big companies
can buy in huge quantities and pay less for their products.
Instead, small businesses can win out by exploiting their natural
advantage: speed and innovation. A small company can more quickly put into
action a new idea. For a big business, however, different layers of
bureaucracy must approve a new idea and this takes time. Small businesses
can also thrive by offering personal services and creating warm environment
that larger companies are not equipped to provide.
The key for a small business to survive and succeed is to avoid going
head-to-head with the Goliaths. Competing with the big boys is a losing
battle. Instead, the author suggests that you "differentiate yourself
from these companies." You need to offer customers something that they
are not getting from your large competitors.
These are but some of the excellent suggestions found in Dr. Kriegel's
new book. By incorporating the recommendations outlined in the book, you can
have more breathing space and less stress in your work. In fact, you can
begin to enjoy work - and life - again.
About the Author:
-- Lyve Alexis Pleshette is a
writer for PowerHomeBiz.com.
Copyright for the book "How to Succeed in Business without Working So
Damn Hard" belongs to the author, Robert J. Kriegel
September 2, 2003
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