Remember the Scary Times?

Recently, I reread a book by Strategic Coach Co-Founder Dan Sullivan entitled the Scary Times Success Manual. The original version of this material was written for a group of entrepreneurs, following the 9/11 attacks. As Dan states in his book:

“As I was preparing for a special client event in New York City, I thought, ‘When something like this is happening, you have to forget about some things and focus intently on other things.’ I started writing and came up with a list of ten ‘forget about this, focus on that’ strategies, which turned into a four-page document that I called ‘The Scary Times Success Manual.’”

I thought it was so true that I wanted to share the ten points with you, because, interestingly, we seem to be in some scary times again with the advent of high interest rates, elevated inflation & falling commodity prices. The economics of business are changing, and we can either respond negatively or proactively to these challenges.

As Dan so accurately states: “While the shock and disruption of scary times can leave a lot of people feeling paralyzed to respond and act, entrepreneurs have some experience in dealing with scary times in their normal lives simply because they’ve chosen the entrepreneurial path and the challenges that come with it.”

Here are Dan’s 10 points:

·       “Forget About Yourself; Focus on Others” – When these scary times arrive, how can we help others? For example, what fears do your employees have & how can you assist them?

·       “Forget About Your Commodity; Focus on Your Relationships” – Stay in touch with your Vendors and Banker. You will definitely need them in the long term, so be sure to focus on the future and ask them what they think.

·       “Forget About the Sale; Focus on Creating Value” –  Motivation is key here, so be sure to key in on what you can offer to create additional value.

·       “Forget About Your Losses; Focus on Your Opportunities” – You must capture opportunities that arise by focusing on what is currently working and what might create more success in the future. What does the future hold and where can we grow & improve?

·       “Forget About Your Difficulties; Focus on Your Progress” – Treat this time period as one where you can make your biggest progress. Stay prepared, or you won’t be ready when your prices start to rise again. Instead, create a better you and as a result, better business outcomes.

·       “Forget About the Future; Focus on Today” – What can you do in the next 24 hours? Plan for positive results on everything. Send positive messages and always measure your outcomes, because if you measure something, you will understand it. If you understand it, you can better control it, and if you have more control, you can improve it.

·       “Forget About Who You Were; Focus on Who You Can Be” – Reinvent yourself and set bigger goals. Make the best use of technology to do so, especially with the advent of Ai.

·       “Forget About Events; Focus on Your Responses” – It is important to remember that we cannot always control the events that happen, but we most certainly can control our responses. When major events occur, a new normal will arrive, and you will be prepared for it.

·       “Forget About What’s Missing; Focus on What’s Available” – Recognize what changed. What areas do you need to clean up? Are there items you should simplify or change to set a new course for your business?

·       “Forget About Your Complaints; Focus on Your Gratitude” – Be grateful for what you do have and what you have been able to accomplish. Stay positive, because no one ever erected a statue for a pessimist!

I hope Dan’s 10 points help you as you move forward. Apply them as often as you can, and I believe your outcomes will be awesome!

 

“Don’t wait on perfect conditions for success to happen; just go ahead and do something.”

Dan Miller

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