Copyright
(c) 2008 Mark Silver
Heart Of Business
http://www.heartofbusiness.com/
On
a hot summer day in the early 1990's, I was standing in the middle of a California
freeway. Four cars were piled up around me, and ambulances, fire engines, and
the California Highway Patrol were arriving one after the other.
Our
paramedic unit had parked where the first-in unit had told us to park, and we
were working on the car that first medic on-scene had directed us to. Per protocol,
the first paramedic on-scene was the "incident commander" until a higher
ranking command officer or supervisor arrived.
Unfortunately,
that first-in medic was a rookie, and things got out of hand quickly. Ambulances
were blocked in by fire trucks. We didn't know which hospital to go to for fear
of overloading them. In short, the situation was a mess.
We
were just following the leader, into what was politely termed . . . Well, I won't
tell you what we called it, because, honestly, it's not actually polite.
It's
(Usually) Better to Follow Someone Else... Luckily, you are not the first person
to go into business, and most likely not the very first person to go into your
kind of business. It's all been done before, so it makes a lot of sense to just
copy someone
else.
You pick someone you admire, you watch
what they're doing, and you copy'em. I've followed many people at different times
myself. It works.
Until It Doesn't... Here's the thing about
business: just because someone is great at two, or three, or ten things, doesn't
mean they know about everything. And yet, because their business is working, it's
easy for outside observers, like you or me, to think that everything they do is
on purpose.
For the emergency personnel at that accident
scene, following the leader made a big mess, and potentially endangered people's
lives. That rookie medic was actually a great paramedic, and yet he didn't have
much experience at running a larger incident like that.
A
Business Example... When I first started a newsletter, back in 1999, fancy html
newsletters weren't really possible. Even by 2005, html newsletters with graphics,
formatting, and colors were having a heckuva time getting good delivery rates
compared to plain-text emails.
So, we decided to stay plain
text. And then I discovered, just a few weeks ago, that my email program, Eudora,
was old-school and simply ravaged all html newsletters. I switched to Apple Mail,
and wow . . . that's what html newsletters look like. I never knew.
Humiliating,
really. I mean, how out-of-touch can I be? It was a good decision that had devolved
into a goof, with the end result being that we're going to switch to an html newsletter
as soon as our new web site redesign is done.
But, in the
meantime, I know bunches of people who have copied Heart of Business and have
stuck with plain text emails into 2008, thinking I had some secret knowledge .
. . Oops. (chagrin)
The Way Out... When I had a spare moment,
I looked up from my patient in the car, and I saw a lieutenant from the fire department
talking to the medic in charge. After a few moments, I saw them both nod, and
the lieutenant took the command vest and started re-arranging the scene.
The
whole incident took probably 30 minutes longer than it needed to, but in the end,
all the patients were taken care of, the highway was cleared, and we were back
at the station eating lunch.
Sometimes you just really need
someone to follow--it's too hard to figure everything out on your own. And, yet,
you can't follow blindly. If that lieutenant hadn't stepped in, who knows what
might have happened?
Let me share with you some ideas on
how to follow someone's example without getting into too much of a mess.
Keys
to Follow-The-Leader.
* Watch first.
When
you've chosen someone you think you want to follow, watch them for awhile. See
what they do. Is what they are doing working for them? There are lots of folks
out there who are, as they say in Texas, "all hat and no cattle." Meaning
they have a lot of confidence, but not yet a lot of experience or a proven track
record.
Look for the track record. And wait and watch. Contrary
to popular business belief, there's no rush.
* Listen to
your heart.
I'm a little predictable with this one, being
the "Heart of Business" guy- but DO it. If you're following in someone's
footsteps, and after awhile you start to get the feeling that you're not so sure
. . . listen up!
Time to back up, take a breath, look for
alternatives.
* When in doubt, ask.
Even
big wigs are accessible. You'd be surprised how many people answer their own email.
So ask'em!
"I noticed, Mark, that you're using plain
text email and it's 2008. Would you mind giving me the two-sentence version of
why?"
Er . . . umm . . . because I'm stuck in 1999?
Following
the leader is an essential and inexpensive way to develop your business. And yet,
don't forget that no leader is infallible. You want to stay awake, ask questions,
and pay attention to your heart. The combination will really take your business
places...
The best of my business to you and your business,
Mark
Silver
