Trim Your Sails for Business Success

I recently ran across an important William Arthur Ward quote: “The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; and the realist adjusts the sails.” There is a close tie to this quote with one that is prominent on my website, by Lucius Seneca: “If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable.” Success in business starts with knowing where you’re going (your port). The only thing worse than not knowing your port is being in the wind and not trimming your sails for success.

By trimming your sails (to stay with the metaphor), you are being proactive against any “winds of change” that come up. Business owners and leaders shouldn’t complain (like the pessimist) or have unrealistic expectations (like the optimist). Instead, be a realist, adapt (trim your sails), and keep moving toward your port.

I am a member of a Mentor Protégé Mentoring Team and participating in delivering a series of workshops on the subjects of: Managing for Results, Building Accountability Into Your Culture, Management Fundamentals, and Leadership and Organizational Alignment. Learning about and applying these elements will ensure your business moves in the direction you want it to go.

Below is a brief overview of how to apply these success elements.

• Managing for Results: Learning the secrets that businesses, large and small, use to manage teams, achieve precise results, and intelligently execute business strategies focusing on three key areas: motivation, positive change, and optimized decision-making.
• Building Accountability Into Your Culture: Learning to model accountability to create trust among the members of your organization. Learn to develop accountability at the individual level, team level, and brand level and accomplish it by setting employee expectations, creating incentives, and aligning the practice of accountability with the values of the organization.
• Management Fundamentals: Managers drive their employees and their organizations to success by juggling a wide range of tasks and deadlines. They learn to effectively manage people, their performance, and the business itself. They help their employees achieve their potential and in so doing become a manager employees admire and respect.
• Leadership and Organizational Alignment: The first level of organizational alignment requires finding the right fit for the leadership position at hand. An aligned workforce begins with employees who are aligned with their job functions and know why they exist.

What have you learned in studies and/or workshops that have been most helpful for you?