Sticktoitiveness: Moving Your Business Forward
Sticktoitiveness: Moving Your Business Forward Author: Eric Everson, MBA, MSIT-SE
Do you remember the 1991 hit movie, “What About Bob?” It may have been a while since you have seen it, but in a nutshell the movie explores the dynamic between a psychiatrist who gets humorously tracked-down while on vacation by one of his obsessive-compulsive patients . In the film, the psychiatrist character writes a book titled “Baby Steps.” The idea of this book is simple in that it is small, incremental actions that allow one to move forward.
In business, this is exactly what allows us to push forward, small, incremental actions. Facing the music, business leaders the world over are finding themselves in situations, especially those financial in nature, where they have slid down a mountain where they may have previously made such progress. The global economic turmoil has made many of us feel like the poor truck driver of an “Ice Road Truckers” episode sliding backward down a mountain even though our wheels are spinning forward.
As business leaders, there is something in us that no matter what, makes us stay focused on the future ahead. This is the spirit of sticktoitiveness and it is exactly what will separate the successful from the rest. Today, sticktoitiveness is barely even a “real” word, yet it is something that means so much to business leaders throughout the world. It means keeping your eyes focused on a brighter future by implementing the baby steps each day that are the foundation of moving forward.
It does not matter if you are a small business owner or if you are the Chief Executive Officer of the one of the biggest oil companies in the world, there are still some hard times ahead. Sticktoitiveness is what will get you through these times and on to a better tomorrow. It means accepting the reality of your current situation and putting together a strategic direction that will carry you into the future. As a technology-driven business leader, I find that turning to technology can often yield an innovative path that is capable of taking you and your company to that next level.
In the spirit of sticktoitiveness, plant your feet firmly on the ground, set your course, and start taking the baby steps needed to move forward.