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When Following-the-Leader Gets Your Business in Trouble
Copyright (c) 2008-2021 Mark Silver
(See This Article in its Original Format.)
On a hot summer day in the early 1990's, I was standing in the middle of a California freeway. Four cars were piled up around me, and ambulances, fire engines, and the California Highway Patrol were arriving one after the other.
Our paramedic unit had parked where the first-in unit had told us to park, and we were working on the car that first medic on-scene had directed us to. Per protocol, the first paramedic on-scene was the "incident commander" until a higher ranking command officer or supervisor arrived.
Unfortunately, that first-in medic was a rookie, and things got out of hand quickly. Ambulances were blocked in by fire trucks. We didn't know which hospital to go to for fear of overloading them. In short, the situation was a mess.
We were just following the leader, into what was politely termed . . . Well, I won't tell you what we called it, because, honestly, it's not actually polite.
It's (Usually) Better to Follow Someone Else... Luckily, you are not the first person to go into business, and most likely not the very first person to go into your kind of business. It's all been done before, so it makes a lot of sense to just copy someone else.
You pick someone you admire, you watch what they're doing, and you copy'em. I've followed many people at different times myself. It works.
Until It Doesn't... Here's the thing about business: just because someone is great at two, or three, or ten things, doesn't mean they know about everything. And yet, because their business is working, it's easy for outside observers, like you or me, to think that everything they do is on purpose.
For the emergency personnel at that accident scene, following the leader made a big mess, and potentially endangered people's lives. That rookie medic was actually a great paramedic, and yet he didn't have much experience at running a larger incident like that.
A Business Example... When I first started a newsletter, back in 1999, fancy html newsletters weren't really possible. Even by 2005, html newsletters with graphics, formatting, and colors were having a heckuva time getting good delivery rates compared to plain-text emails.
So, we decided to stay plain text. And then I discovered, just a few weeks ago, that my email program, Eudora, was old-school and simply ravaged all html newsletters. I switched to Apple Mail, and wow . . . that's what html newsletters look like. I never knew.
Humiliating, really. I mean, how out-of-touch can I be? It was a good decision that had devolved into a goof, with the end result being that we're going to switch to an html newsletter as soon as our new web site redesign is done.
But, in the meantime, I know bunches of people who have copied Heart of Business and have stuck with plain text emails into 2008, thinking I had some secret knowledge . . . Oops. (chagrin)
The Way Out... When I had a spare moment, I looked up from my patient in the car, and I saw a lieutenant from the fire department talking to the medic in charge. After a few moments, I saw them both nod, and the lieutenant took the command vest and started re-arranging the scene.
The whole incident took probably 30 minutes longer than it needed to, but in the end, all the patients were taken care of, the highway was cleared, and we were back at the station eating lunch.
Sometimes you just really need someone to follow--it's too hard to figure everything out on your own. And, yet, you can't follow blindly. If that lieutenant hadn't stepped in, who knows what might have happened?
Let me share with you some ideas on how to follow someone's example without getting into too much of a mess.
Keys to Follow-The-Leader.
Watch first.
When you've chosen someone you think you want to follow, watch them for awhile. See what they do. Is what they are doing working for them? There are lots of folks out there who are, as they say in Texas, "all hat and no cattle." Meaning they have a lot of confidence, but not yet a lot of experience or a proven track record.
Look for the track record. And wait and watch. Contrary to popular business belief, there's no rush.
Listen to your heart.
I'm a little predictable with this one, being the "Heart of Business" guy- but DO it. If you're following in someone's footsteps, and after awhile you start to get the feeling that you're not so sure . . . listen up!
Time to back up, take a breath, look for alternatives.
When in doubt, ask.
Even big wigs are accessible. You'd be surprised how many people answer their own email. So ask'em!
"I noticed, Mark, that you're using plain text email and it's 2008. Would you mind giving me the two-sentence version of why?"
Er . . . umm . . . because I'm stuck in 1999?
Following the leader is an essential and inexpensive way to develop your business. And yet, don't forget that no leader is infallible. You want to stay awake, ask questions, and pay attention to your heart. The combination will really take your business places...
The best of my business to you and your business,
Mark Silver
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Mark Silver is the author of Unveiling the Heart of Your Business: How Money, Marketing and Sales can Deepen Your Heart, Heal the World, and Still Add to Your Bottom Line. He has helped hundreds of small business owners around the globe succeed in business without losing their hearts. Get three free chapters of the book online: http://www.heartofbusiness.com
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