I just was watching a Stu McLaren presentation in his flagship program, "Tribe", being presented virtually this year.

Stu was recounting his journey on how he arrived to the point he is today and the success he has earned.  There is a very important lesson that he shared, which he learned from one of his mentors.   It's worth repeating here because of the power of the message.

Success doesn't come from who you know. It doesn't come from what you know.  While both of these may be important, to a degree, the real power comes from this:  Who knows YOU?

The power of that statement can't be overstated. 

Let's look at these statements:

Who do you know?

Perhaps a great follow up question is this.  Who cares who you know?  We have all met many people in our lives.  We know who they are, but unless there is a meaningful connection with them, they likely don't know you in the way that will make a difference in you life. Unless others think about you, who you know is meaningless.

What do you know?

Again, you may know a lot.  Most people know a lot about something. Some people know a lot about a lot of different topics.  But fundamentally if nobody knows what you know; If nobody has learned from you; If nobody sees you as the "go-to" person for that topic, does that knowledge help you? How can you capitalize on your knowledge, and...

I have been in committees for decades.  Yes, literally decades.  And over those years there are some interesting patterns of participation that I have observed.  Which are you?

The passive listener

...is the person who comes faithfully to the committee and listens.  Rarely if ever do they actively contribute to the content of the committee unless specifically asked a question. Then they surprise everyone with an often useful and insightful response.  My suggestion: Speak up a bit more. 

The non-engaged

,,,is the person who sits at the periphery of the meeting.  They are often seen "sneaking" a look on their phone. Texting. Or doing something else.  While they are not actively disruptive, they are passively disruptive because of the infectious quality of their non-participation.  My suggestion: Either commit to participating in the meeting for the time you are there, or ask to be excused from the meeting.  (If that means you are not fulfilling your job and responsibilities, consider that.)

The cautious contributor

...is the person who does participate in the meeting and provides periodic contributions to the content of the meeting.  This person can often be intimidated by other more active members of the committee.  My suggestion:  Look at your prior contributions and see how they have shaped the discussions and...

Everyone is going to die!

I don't know anyone with it.

Everyone catches it.

I am not worried about it.

What do all of these comments have in common?

They are all based on the experience of the person who said it.  Each statement is fundamentally incorrect.  Each statement has some element of truth.  And each statement can influence what the next person thinks.

Experiential Bias 

Sounds scary, 'eh?  But what is really means is this:  We are biased to believe what we experience.  

Right now, in this COVID19 pandemic (i.e. Wuhan Coronavirus), there are a lot of people who are telling others their experience with the virus.  When they communicate it, others think that what they are hearing is the whole truth.  It is truth, but the truth that is only limited to the experience upon which it was created.  

For a healthcare worker in the COVID19 in an ICU setting with everyone on ventilators in the final stages of respiratory failure, the statement Everyone is going to die! may seem to be an accurate representation of the truth in that setting.  That's based on that person's experience.  

For others in unaffected areas in the country, I don't know anyone with it, may be equally true.  It is an accurate representation of that person's experience.  Ditto...

Compromises

You try to live with zero disposable plastic.  Then Wuhan Coronavirus strikes and you buy food packaged in plastic with long shelf life.

You try to buy fresh food and eat healthily. Then you find yourself buying processed food that is easy to prepare and with a long shelf life.

You try to live with a direct connection with people, yet you have nearly completely converted to tele-conferencing.

You try to provide a safe secure job for your employees, yet you had to lay off and furlough many of your staff because of the lack of business.

Compromises Are Sometimes Required

It's not a question of if you need to make compromises to your principles, it's a question of when, and why.

So what defines the when? 

My thought is that many of the guiding "principles" that we have are not absolute.  It's a rare individual who will not enact prudent and necessary compromise when needed.  To "stick to your principles" is sometimes a very bad idea.

It's also about options. 

Is there a difference between furloughing your staff when there is no revenue to pay them compared to having them lose their job permanently a couple of weeks later if your business runs out of money after paying them during that time and then goes out of business?  You bet there is! These two options have a similar short term effect with workers...

How many times have leaders made bad things happen because they didn't know the truth of what their followers think?  All the time.

Not Knowing The Truth Is Dangerous.

These types of bad decisions and bad leadership happen all the time.  Some are nearly insignificant...

Hey do you want to go out to dinner?  Answer: Ok, (While thinking, 'No let's stay in').

Let's stay home and watch TV. Answer: Ok, (While thinking, 'I would rather go for a walk.')

But many are really bad leadership decisions and highly significant... 

Do you think we should pull these posts off of our platform we don't agree with?  Should we block the results of these searches?  Answer:  Sure, boss. (While thinking, 'No this is a bad idea. It's censorship. That's not what the 1st amendment is about...)

Should we force people to stay in their houses for another month? Answer: Sure, boss. (While thinking, 'No, this is a bad idea and has no scientific basis.  This is bordering on dictatorship. This will kill the economy and hurt more people than it helps.')

Should we invade Poland? Answer: Sure, Mein Fuhrer (While thinking, 'No you power-hungry idiot, you are going to get a lot of people killed.')

What's Happening Today?

There are many, many bad actions being put into place today by "leaders" because their followers are too...

Are you an Entrepreneur?  Are you a physician?  Are you a human? You may not realize it, but you have an extraordinary talent.  You are a juggler. 

You, The Juggler

So what does a juggler do?  The have a series of items that they are managing. They are managing to keep those various items moving.  But there is one catch....there are more items than hands, so they have to quickly move from one item to the next, giving each just a small critical slice of time. Just enough time to keep it moving and in the air.   Not a whole lot different from you, the entrepreneur.  The greater the skill of the juggler, the more items can be kept in the air.

What Are You Juggling?

Most juggler entertainers juggle items like balls, bowling pins and other harmless items like knives, fire and chain saws.  Yes, they are quite entertaining.  But you, the entrepreneur, juggle different things.  And it seems that you have more and more items that are added to the stream of juggled items as you move forward.  You worry about dropping one of those items.  What will it mean?  What will happen if I drop one?

You WILL Drop Juggled Items.

 Unlike entertainers, we are not typically juggling the same thing.  Each item is unique. Each it different.  And each has different ramifications.  Here is how I like to think...

We all do it.  If you say you don't, you just did.

Lies are for many reasons.  Some good. Some bad. But all are dishonest.

Little Lies

We sometimes lie to avoid making someone feel bad. We sometimes use other language to avoid saying what we really think...

Boy that's some haircut. Wow, that is a unique wall color. Sure, I know you like that station.

I would guess we all think that these types of lies are ok.  They help prevent unnecessary friction and maybe hurting other peoples feelings.

Big Lies

But there are other lies that simply shouldn't happen.

Sorry boss, my dog ate the report.

No, I didn't break that.

No, I really was sick.

No, I didn't back into the other car.

Who me? I would never say that...

There are a number of reasons that people lie.  There is a good summary article on Ideapod about why people lie.    It can give you some good insight into why people lie.  Maybe even why you lie to others. 

Regardless, there are many consequences to lying to others. Especially to those who have trust in you. Those who value your opinion. Those who look to you for honest answers.

The main reason that you shouldn't lie is this:

If you lie to me now, how will I ever know that you are not lying to me in the future?

There you go.  You have lost their trust.  

Is that worth lying about?

What Direction Are You Running?

Where are you going?

Are you going forward? Or are you going backward?

What Direction Are You Looking?

Are you looking at what you need to do next? Or are you reviewing what you just did?

Are you examining the horizon for opportunities? Or are you congratulating what you just did?

Are you looking for pitfalls in front of you? Or are you looking back at the ones you hit or maybe missed?

Are you looking at where you are going? Or where you have been?

What Are You Looking At?

When you drive a car, you look where you are going.

When you walk down the street, you look where you are going.

When you ride a bicycle, you look where you are going.

Why?  Because you want to see your destination and you don't want to lose your way or run into something and have an accident.

Leaders Look Forward

So if you are working on a project, running a business, fostering a relationship or anything else, why are you yourself looking back at what you did in the past? That's done. That's in the past.  The future is ahead of you.

Concentrate on what is in FRONT of you and how you can optimize the future.

Don't look back at what has already happened, which you can't change. Looking back will take your attention off of what is in front of you...and perhaps cause a future catastrophic accident.

Which way do you find yourself looking?  Forward?  Or...

What is more important? 
What you know? Or what you don't know?

It's nice to know stuff.  But it's even better to know what you don't know.

If I know how to cook a dinner, I can do it confidently.

If I know how to use a screwdriver, I can assemble a lot of things.

If I know how to use a pocket knife, I can whittle a stick.

If I know how to drive, I can pilot myself from one location to another.

If I don't know how to cook, use a screwdriver, a pocket knife or drive a car...then I can't do any of those things successfully.  Success is based on getting things done.  

But as long as you know about cooking, assembling items, whittling or driving, you can hire someone to do those functions for you.  If I don't know about those skills or tasks, then I can't even ask someone else to do them.  They simply don't get addressed or completed. 

You can't get something done if it's not on your "radar".

In many cases, I may not even know what I don't know...so that leaves me, not just with the inability to do certain functions, but perhaps it leaves me with the total lack of knowledge that such things can be done. It limits my potential.

What you don't know is a significant limiting factor in your progress.  Perhaps what you don't know is where your business's key to success is hiding.  

So what to do?

First, learn what you...

Nautical Directions

Lighthouses as navigational tools are indispensable for mariners who are guiding their ships. These guideposts help the captains of the ships avoid dangers that can result in the destruction and sinking of the vessels that they are piloting.

Sometimes the captain knows to go toward the lighthouse.  Sometimes they know to go away from the lighthouse.  It all depends on what their ultimate destination is and the course they are plotting to get them there, and the map that they have which outlines their safe, and unsafe, passageways.

If you have an ultimate destination, goal, objective or desire, then you too have a destination.  Likewise, you should have a map and a course that you have plotted your journey to get you to your destination.  And you too should have "lighthouses" and maps that help you avoid pitfalls and guide you safely to your destination.

What are your "Lighthouses"?

You should have specific goals and objectives.  Then when you are tempted to stray from the course you have plotted to achieve them, you should question yourself "why deviate from this course?".  That is your lighthouse for protection.

Sometimes it may be to avoid what you perceive as a pitfall.  Maybe it's the promise of smoother water.  Or "shiny bright objects" that often distract and tempt us.  Regardless of...