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Accomplishing Important and Lasting Results in Your Business Try Employing Five Ancient Chinese Elements to Succeed at the Game of Business! Harvy Simkovits, CMC How satisfied are you with your top-team’s ability to get important results accomplished in your business? Could they be getting better results faster? In our highly "doing" oriented western culture, there is a belief that action is the key to "make good things happen". Yet, are your team’s actions in line with what is really needed to make your business succeed in the game of business? Do the same kinds of problems, issues or concerns keep on surfacing in just slightly different forms? Is progress really being made from our typical western attitude of "when the going gets tough, the tough get going"—which is limited thinking based on the notion that just "doing more" will generate the right results? I am continually amazed at how the ancients (especially the Chinese) have successfully addressed many of the challenges we face in business today. They have come up with great philosophies and wise leadership approaches that unfortunately are not effectively translated into the day-to-day thinking of our western corporate culture. Their more complete and holistic thinking, based on thousands of years of trial and error, and careful observation, can make a real difference to help solve today’s most perplexing and vexing business challenges. In order to make progress and get needed results, it is important for leaders to take effective action (the Fifth Chinese Element, "Doing"). Without aligned action there would be no great cities, industries or businesses. However, actions alone, without having a higher purpose and holding common values (aspects of the First Chinese Element, "Being"), would cause chaos, wasted effort and conflicting agendas (now, does that sound familiar in your world?). Nothing is more powerful than a unifying purpose to rally around, as well as a set of deep-seated values to act from. Higher purpose and values give people profound meaning in their pursuits, without which human energy and spirit cannot be fully engaged towards great and lasting accomplishments (just think of any of the Wonders of the World, and you will know what I am talking about). Thus, does your top-team have clarity and consensus about their purpose and values as both a team and a business? Can they fully identify with what makes your business unique and your products/services valuable in the marketplace? Do they deeply know and are focused on what matters most in succeeding on your business playing field? Is everything your top-team and business does evaluated against this core essence of your business? Taking effective action also requires having a sufficiently accurate "lay of the playing field" around you (the Second Chinese Element, "Sensing") in order to get the results you seek. Sensing involves getting a good handle on both what has transpired before and what is happening now. Any battle-ready general knows that intelligence about one’s battle field, and the enemy’s abilities and positions, are paramount to winning a war. Similarly, in succeeding at the game of business, having sound information about one’s outside marketplace (past, present and anticipated future) and inside capabilities, are a prerequisite to making well-assessed moves. Thus, does your top team sufficiently observe and study its outside and inside environment before figuring out what it needs to do next? Also, does the team allow for considerate exploration of both the thoughts and emotions present in the team itself as a part of its information gathering process? Taking action without figuring out the right strategies and tactics (the Third Chinese Element, "Thinking") could lead to suboptimal business decisions. Sound thinking is needed to analyze the data gathered and come up with useful insights and awareness, as well as sound recommendations for action. Sometimes, good thinking required breaking old mental models about how things work in one’s business or industry, and coming up with new paradigms for more effectively operating. Over the last 10+ years, the Internet has changed everything about how business operates today. If your team stays stuck in pre-Internet ways of thinking about business, your future success is certainly at risk. Thus, does your top team spend sufficient time thinking through its options and coming up with good choices for both the outside and the inside aspects of your business game? Are they continually challenging old ways and coming up with new, innovative methods and approaches? Figure: Chinese Symbol Depiction of the Five Elements  Taking action lastly depends upon getting others to rally around your cause (the Fourth Chinese Element, "Exciting"). There is an ancient saying that goes, "the difference between a vision and a hallucination is in how many people can actually see it." If followers cannot be properly engaged and fully energized about what they are doing, then leaders will turn around and see few people behind them. Great things happen only when people are excited about where they are going and fully engaged in getting there. The thought leader, Tom Peters, once said that "what is better than the right business strategy is a ‘good enough’ business strategy that everyone is fully embraced in and committed to." Thus, does your top team effectively gather or rally the energy of their followers in an aligned direction? Do they also do it in a way that brings forth the inner passion and commitment from your people rather than just asking them to follow the leader’s pace and enthusiasm?Thus, putting it all together, "Results = Being + Sensing + Thinking + Exciting + Doing." It is a simple yet profound formula that can yield extraordinary and lasting success for your business. To build your team’s effectiveness around these elements, consider both which parts of this formula your top team is good at, and which parts can they learn to develop more fully. Conversely, do they tend to overuse some elements that they might be strong at, and/or underuse others? It is not that every top-team member needs to be individually proficient at performing all of these elements, yet every element must be present in the team as a whole. Each element must be given its rightful place and attention in your leadership meetings in order for your team to succeed in the game of business. "Success will truly be yours if you can: sense with an open mind, think with a level head, excite with a passionate heart, act from a resolute gut, and be of great service." Harvy Simkovits, CMC Harvy Simkovits, CMC, President of Business Wisdom, works with owner managed companies to help them grow, prosper and continue on by offering innovative approaches to business development, company management, organization leadership and learning, and management education. He can be reached at 781-862-3983 or .
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