On a very hot and June Monday night in Valdosta GA, I delivered a motivational talk to the Entrepreneurs of Valdosta (EoV). Even more hot than the typical South Georgia summer was the energy in the room. EoV is an organization whose sole purpose is to encourage, empower and enlighten entrepreneurs, assisting those that have a vision, an idea, perhaps even a passion to see their idea to fruition. Led by Erica Hill, EoV provides an incubator type environment where people with experience can assist those with dreams. Periodically, they get together to share stories; war stories, ironic stories, funny stories and yes, success stories. This particular Monday, I was invited to be a guest speaker, to talk about my new book Grounded and generally provide encouragement for the group.
I thought about what I was going to share with this group. Some are seasoned entrepreneurs but most are at the beginning of the journey. While there are many great lessons in Grounded, it is really not a book focused on how to achieve success as an entrepreneur per se, so I decided to taka bit of a different tack for this meeting and share my thoughts on what it takes to become successful. Focused on the product and service we deliver, the people with whom we share the journey and specifically what it takes to be successful as a business owner, I titled my talk, “Its All About Ability”.
Yes, I admitted right up front to the group that talking about ability to a group of budding entrepreneurs seemed a bit of a “Captain Obvious” moment. I shared that our products and services have to be in step with innovation, that every facet of business and enterprise was faced with increasing opportunity if we are taking an innovative approach to what we build. With that in mind, I stated that they should look for the intersection of Viability, Possibility and Desirability in creating products and services. This means neither being too far in front of what technology will allow nor being too far behind what people want to consume.
Next, I discussed the people that we would bring along on our journey and how too often, we tap into family and friends, not because they are the right people to assist us achieve our goals but because of familiarity and convenience. That and the fact that the millennials that have now passed baby boomers in the workforce do not have the same work ethic or idea of what it means to work hard as their parents and grandparents had. I stated that business owners needed to focus on people who have Employability, Manageability and Accountability. Employability meaning not just having the requisite skill for the job but having common sense, being quick to understand the hidden meanings or agendas of interpersonal interactions and thinking quick on their feet. These skills are not generally a part of neither the education nor upbringing of many of today’s millennials. Manageability means that they can take direction, model good behavior or even more importantly, be mentored. And being accountable for their own actions, not blaming someone or something else for their mistakes, failings or lack of experience.
Lastly, I stated to the group that the successful entrepreneur would almost certainly obtain these 5 key abilities: Capability, Credibility, Adaptability, Durability and Culpability. I will cover these 5 abilities in more detail in a future blog post. But I closed with my 3 Grounded In and Grounded By anchors to wrap up the session. After a spirited Q&A session, I got a chance to chat with many of the attendees. In amongst the “Thank You”s and “Great Job” were those that said, “Your talk hit home with key concepts that I have been wrestling with, thanks for sharing it with us”. And therein lies the opportunity that anyone who has an experience, who has achieved whatever measure of success and has an opportunity to share that with others. It is not just a joy and privilege to do so, but an obligation. An obligation in honor of all of those that assisted us, recognized or not, who assisted us throughout our journey. I beg all of you, who reading this, realized that you have been given a gift along your journey and now its time to pass that on to others who are in great need of receiving it. Gift giving is fun and rewarding, so give freely and joyfully!
