The place: NACE/CARS. October 2012. New Orleans Convention Center. Nearly 1,000 smart people in the room for the keynote address.
I recently asked a simple question to nearly 1,000 aftermarket executives and managers in a keynote address. With plenty of time for answers. But no one uttered a sound. That question was:
“How do you run a business?”
That question catches everyone off guard – and embarrasses them – because they think they ought to know the answer. And no one does.
That’s why the Job At The Top is done differently in every company. I say left to chance. And why it’s seldom done well enough. It’s why 90 percent of new businesses fail. It’s also why so many others are stuck at levels far below their potentials. Sound familiar? If so, you’ll like this series.
Straightforward talk about the greatest question never asked, “How do you run a business?”
If this were the start of a live presentation, right now I’d ask you to do the unthinkable. Skip to the very last page of the handout. Because that’s where you’d see:
Job At The Top? … It’s about two things:
1. Thinking
2. Character
Sounds simple, right? Wrong!
Thinking’s the hardest work we do. Quietly, alone, no distractions. Considering deeply how everything about our business fits together into a whole that makes sense in terms of how the world is changing around us. Or doesn’t!
So, we avoid it. Doing any thing else that make us feel productive. Avoiding our highest calling.
And what about character? You’re in charge. Who’s going to challenge your character? You must … continuously and assiduously.
Because your personal character – scrutinized in the most minute detail by your employees, customers and your communities – is your most potent tool for creating maniacal followership and commitment to your cause.
So, now you know the answer to The Greatest Question Never Asked.
“It’s about Thinking and Character.”
If someone asks you "The Greatest Question Never Asked" again before my next installment, simply give them those two answers. You’ll be right. And, in our subsequent pieces we’ll be backfilling with more details.
Also, in the meanwhile, shut your door for 20 minutes, three times a week, with no distractions and consider the question. You’ll start seeing a difference.
