TO LEAD YOU MUST KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING

In the book Alice in Wonderland by Louis Carroll, Alice meets the Cheshire Cat and has the following conversation.

Alice- Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?

Cat- That depends on where you want to get to.

Alice- I don’t much care.

Cat- Then it doesn’t mater which way you go.

Alice- So long as I get somewhere.

Cat- Oh you’re sure to do that if you only walk long enough.

That conversation is a most important business lesson. No business decision should be made unless the goals have been defined, stated, and all participants informed. To make a profit, grow, not fail, etc. are not goals that will gain the support of employees, venders, lenders, and the advisors necessary to survive in today’s business environment. Just like Alice if you keep going you will get somewhere. That is not what you started out to do. The entrepreneur is the key to a healthy economy. The entrepreneur starts with a dream and then must focus and communicate that idea with a clear statement of where he wants to go. That direction or goal is the beginning of all enterprise.

Many business owners/operators work hard and have great ideas. Still first year startups fail at 80% per year. The desire, resources, and energy are not enough. The control and management of these factors is what determines the success or failure to achieve the economic performance necessary to justify the investment of time, ideas, money, and resources. To manage and direct the resources available the entrepreneur must produce and communicate the goals. These goals are refined and modified as time and conditions change. This is the true measure of management skills.

Once a clear statement of goals has been produced and communicated the process becomes the solution of problems. The world is filled with smart people that can solve problems but do not want to risk. The business owner takes the risk and manages the resources to produce the goals and economic rewards. Leadership is simple if you know where you are going. Without a clearly defined goal the energies and resources are wasted in many directions. Leadership and management produce the focus for a team oriented efficient organization.

Ken Roys, CEO

BTF Management Consultants Inc

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