About Social Media Today
Great entrepreneurs and business executives live their life with no plan B. Great achievement often happens when our backs are against the wall. Pressure can actually enhance your performance. When you have to meet payroll, or are scared to death that the check you cut for those desperately needed supplies will bounce, you know pressure. When this heat is on, you find ways to make things happen.
Great entrepreneurs or leaders are not made during the easy times; they are made when their backs are against the wall. It is when you think that you will not be able to feed your kids or face your wife, is when you find ways to make things happen. You start thinking outside the box and figuring out ways to make things happen. You start to use your most creative thoughts, not out of some deep think tanks but rather out of necessity. It’s this necessity that builds greatness.
According to a study by the U.S. Small Business Association, only 2/3 of all small business start-ups survive the first two years and less than half make it to four years. So why do so most start their own business? Maybe it’s the allure of making more money or being your own boss, but it’s certainly not the way to “play it safe.” But staying in the “safety zone” and coasting through life never made anyone great. Greatness comes from taking a risk.
Sure, it’s human nature to take the path of least resistance. But how boring is that? It’s like eating the same breakfast for 20 years, taking thesame drive to work for 20 years, having the same conversation for 20 years, and same way of thinking for 20 years. Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same things but expecting different results. Yet most people live their lives that way. Great entrepreneurs and executives know that true joy comes when they put some skin in the game and taking some chances. Yes, they start to experience more failure. But guess what? Success also starts to pay more visits.
Management “Guru” Tom Peters states: “Screw-ups are the mark of excellence.” If you are always looking for a back-up plan and not taking risks, you are not setting yourself up for excellence. Even great companies have had their share of failure. The big thing is they took the risk and now they are great. They did not spend all their time thinking about a backup plan; they spent their time thinking about how to make things work. Mark Twain made the point perfectly when he said: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than the ones you did.”
I think every entrepreneur and executive could learn from the great explorer Hernado Cortes. When Cortes landed on the shores of Veracruz, Mexico, in 1959 he wanted his army to conquer the land for Spain. Faced with a huge battle against a formidable foe, disease, and scarce resources, Cortex ordered one of his lieutenants back at the beach to “Burn the Boats.” By leaving no option but victory, Cortes knew that his troops would give it their best and fight to the death. By having no plan B, you are forcing yourself to give it your best, and by doing so, you bring out the best in you and your people.
Think about it: how hard would you work if you knew that failure just wasn’t an option? Great leaders are like diamonds and are formed under pressure. Great pressure that comes from having no plan B.
