Is it possible to coach yourself to more small business success? I think so, especially after one of my since-childhood friends shared a newspaper article about baseball great Cal Ripkin, who spoke recently in Nashville. (Thanks, Lou, for thinking of me!)
Ripkin, who played 2,632 straight baseball games for the Baltimore Orioles, attributes his success to his contrarian thinking. He is widely regarded as one of the best shortstops and third basemen ever. His book, Get in the Game, 8 Elements of Perseverance that Make The Difference, gives his philosophy of life and showcases his work ethic toward the sport he loves.
3 Ways To Coach Yourself To Small Business Success
In his Nashville speech, Ripkin said three things that stood out to me. These are sure-fire helps for any small business owner who is in it for the long term and who gets it that personal growth will never stop.
- Notice and stop yourself from becoming complacent. Ripkin says “Once you are at a certain phase in your life, complacency is the thing you have to fight the most.” We get comfortable with a certain way of doing things, a certain level of success. We start thinking “this is good enough.” Complacency inhibits growth, but worse than that it is a subtle downhill slide into sloppy customer service and half-hearted delivery of services. If you catch yourself thinking that “rinse and repeat” is good enough for your business you have become complacent.
- Analyze your weaknesses even more than you build on your strengths. Many business owners know their strengths and arrange their business operations to play to their strengths. Nothing wrong with that, but it's only half the game. Ripkin said, “A lot of people, I found out, weren't willing to look at themselves in the mirror with harsh criticism. But if you can, and you go out there and apply it, you’ll be a better overall player.” This is true for small business owners as much as for professional athletes. I've heard business owners say, “I'm not good at that, I hire it done.” Fine – but don't use “I'm not good at it” as an excuse – hire it done but also build your weaknesses into more strengths.
- Seek to gain control of things that are currently outside of your control. Acknowledge what you can't control right now, but ask yourself “who does control this, can I get to know them, and can I impact their control?”
I've been coaching and mentoring small business owners for a long time. I agree with Ripkin that it's easy to hit a plateau in your business and get stuck there. If you can coach yourself to watch complacency, identify your weaknesses, and get closer to those who control what you don't then you'll be staying in the game of your business longer, and racking up more profits and wins.
Have you analyzed your own weaknesses? I'd love to hear about it below. And if you need help getting started, consider working with me one-on-one for an hour to get yourself going.
Want more tips about personal growth for small business owners? Read 3 Ways To Be Ready For Anything in Business and then jump over to How To Be a Predictable Successful Entrepreneur. Would love your comments on both blog posts!
Sue,
Thanks for the solid tips. Timely reminders no matter what stage of business you’re in.
Write on!~
Lisa Manyon
Some sage advice from someone who obviously had a stellar career. I love the comment to “Notice and stop yourself from becoming complacent.” In any business it is so easy for busyness to takeover and complacency to seep in, which is why innovation and ideation – continual improvement is so necessary.
Good advice. I especially like the reminder to not become complacent. When things are going well it’s so easy to want to let things coast for a while.
A lot is to be learned and admired from those who have achieved long term success such as Cal Ripken.
I analyze my weaknesses, but I can’t say I used his philosophy. His work ethic and that he never missed a game always made him an outstanding athlete to me. I really like your 3 takeaways from his speech. I especially noticed that in number 1, I’d always looked at my business being mostly on “auto-pilot” as a positive, but he’s right, it’s made me complacent, and I plan to create an amazing plan to re-invigorate me and my clients for 2014! Thanks for the great post Sue!
Jessica,
I think systems are good for a business. But running them without evaluating them is sliding toward complacency. Good for you for plans to re-invigorate your biz in 2014.
I like those tips, Sue. They have a slightly different twist. I like to be in control, so I’m always trying to figure out who can help me impact areas outside of my controal. 😉 Also, I agree that is important to analyze your weaknesses because that is the only way to know how to minimize them.
LOL at “being in control” wishes. I think most entrepreneurs are that way, don’t you?
Oh, gosh YES!! I definitely analyze my weaknesses ALL THE TIME! In a recent video I posted, I tell the story of hiring a vocal coach because I knew I needed to work on some very specific things (like breath control) in my singing. When I need to get my body in shape, I work with a personal trainer. I recently worked with a make-up artist to improve my make-up application skills. I’ve always got energy and life coaches I work with. Whenever I find something I’d like to improve in my life, I find just the right person to help me make that improvement. LOVE Cal Ripken!! Great post! XO, Katherine.
Katherine C. H. E.
Author, Be True Rich
Thank you, Katherine. Good on you (as the Irish would say) for getting that vocal coach and pursuing your dreams.
Sue this is a very thought provoking post. Thank you for sharing and how exciting to get to meet such a great ball player. It’s wise to analyze what the greats do differently.
I love this post on so many levels! Great savvy advice for starters – mmmm I need to analyze my weaknesses!
And then I love how he used his expertise and success in sports to write a book on work ethic that would apply to anyone!
Trudy
Yes, Trudy, I agree that I could do a better job of analyzing my weaknesses. And that what he learned in sports carried over into other paths in life, as well.