Anticipate
My word of the month is ANTICIPATE. As I work with business leaders and owners, it occurs to me how underutilized this word is. It is the catalyst for growth and progress. Many times we find ourselves with our heads down playing the business version of dodgeball. It can be hard to find a quiet time to stop and think about the future.
When running our own businesses, it is important to constantly be scanning the horizon to anticipate where our industry is headed. We use this information to help us make decisions about future investments and resource utilization (time and money are our two most constrained resources). It is imperative the we have the appropriate products and services to create value in the marketplace.
When cultivating our team, it is our job to help them go through the same process of anticipating where they want to go in their careers and help them visualizing the needed actions to make sustained and consistent progress.
In the IT services business, when serving our clients, the greatest value we can provide is to help them anticipate their future technology-oriented business decisions. When done well, this is a slow, consistent, and timely education process that helps our clients feel comfortable and confident around their future technology investments.
Wayne Gretzky has a quote: “Skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been”. Success in life and business requires the same thing.
What do you see on the horizon?
Word of the Month: ANTICIPATE
What I am reading:
Professional: Crucial Conversations – by Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, Switzer – Amazon Link
Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High
Personal: The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan – Amazon Link
A New History of the World.