We're already halfway through the first decade
of a new millennium.
Things are moving fast and change is coming even
faster.
Everyday it seems we hear that old rules just don't
apply anymore.
So if the old rules don't apply, what does, and how
can we discover and apply them in business?
Shortly before old rules are swept away, we see
unorthodox thinking and ways of being.
Most importantly, people's willingness to simply break
the old rules and try something new shows up practically
everywhere from staid corporations suddenly willing to
experiment to individuals who leave a paycheck and start
up their own enterprise.
In times of uncertainty and at the beginning of new
eras, suddenly people are willing to try things on the
fly and modify and correct along the way. Simply put,
this is called "ready - fire - aim."
In other words, today's competitive business climate
calls for a minimum of tinkering before a product or idea
is brought to market and a swiftness in actually getting
it out in people's hands so the market can give the
critical feedback needed that takes a product or idea
from good to great.
We often hear people complaining they are held back
from implementing their future or dreams due to lack of
money. What is really true a lot of the time is simply a
lack of drive and imagination. One old rule really does
still apply - where there's a will, there's a way. The
truth is, lack of money is just an excuse. Find a need
and fill it. Creating something from nothing has only one
real rule. Get out there and try something!
Another old rule that no longer applies is you need a
college degree to be successful. If you want to see what
kind of success a college degree will buy you these days,
simply walk into any fast food restaurant and you'll find
most of the people behind the counter will have one.
Yet, some of the most successful business people out
there today never finished or even went to college
because they we're too busy succeeding in business and
finding out how to do it as they went.
While securing knowledge you need is important, there
are many ways to do it and many don't call for sitting in
a classroom for a minimum of four years.
Resumes are another area that artificially holds
people back. While a good resume can be a valuable
employment tool, an individual with drive will win out
almost every time over a resume. Employers today are
hiring and looking first and foremost for people with a
need to succeed. It really is true that a foot in the
door created by a drive to succeed will often trump a
good resume.
All of us have some kind of expertise, but most of us
don't think of it that way. We think that just because we
know a lot about something, so does everyone else.
Wrong.
Don't undervalue your knowledge. What is common
knowledge to you may not be to a lot of other people.
Don't undersell yourself. Charge what you're worth.
What do you know you could be the best at doing? What
do you know you could make money doing right now? Don't
let yesterday's rules hold you back.