You Are What You Eat
A fairly dated quip. But descriptive, nonetheless.
Our bodies process what we take in. We become what we eat, so to speak. When we eat a lot of sugary, processed foods and a high carb diet, we can expect inflammation and a host of other health challenges. And, if we eat clean, healthy, whole foods with plenty of protein, we hope to fare better, God willing.
Similarly, our activity levels also influence our physicality. If we are sedentary and rarely move about, we become couch potatoes. If we are highly-active, and do all kinds of cardio and resistance training, we will become world-class athletes. Or, maybe just healthier and happier (hopefully).
What we eat and what we do influence our physical bodies.
The same is true in business.
We Are What We Do
The same is true for the organizational leader. And, it’s rather obvious when you read it. But, its simplicity is often overlooked.
Results follow activity. Additionally, things don’t just happen because we think of them. Whereas it’s important to first consider our path, we all must step out to begin the journey.
God willing, as a leader, your organization will reflect what you do.
The Leader In Transition
For most leaders, there is often the personal and corporate pursuit of getting to “the next level.”
At Blue Elevator™, our tag line is “business to the next level™.” That’s our focus. We are tasked with helping leaders and their organizations do just that.
And, there’s a rub:
To get to the next level, the leader has to change. If you are a leader and you want to get to the next level, you are probably going to need to change what you do – every day. You and your organization will become what you do.
The Basics – Keeping It Simple
Here are the basics. At Blue Elevator™, our slogan is Innovate, Accelerate, Replicate™.
- Startup. When you are in startup mode, you need to Innovate™ a new product or type of service. You build things. You implement things.
- Growth. After you have innovated a new business or organization, you Accelerate™ it. You figure out the right activity. And then, you do it to your heart’s content.
- Maturity. After some time (and it varies from leader to leader and organization to organization), things plateau. Results taper off. And, it is here where a lot of leaders find themselves. This plateau is no respecter of size. Results can plateau at all levels and sizes of organizations. In essence, it is here you need to Innovate™ again.
What Usually Happens
But, here’s what usually happens. To get off the plateau, a lot of leaders just try to dig in deeper.
In essence, they just try to Accelerate™ more. Like a pickup truck stuck in the mud, accelerating just spins the tires and sinks the tires deeper into the ground.
Here’s what it looks like. Some leaders work harder. Others work longer hours. And, some add work days to the calendar. Additionally, some leaders might try spending more money on marketing.
They may try the “silver bullet” approach. This looks like buying some sort of canned “accelerator” program from some fast-talking, silver-tongued sales types. They might fire and/or hire key executives.
But, if you’re on a plateau, chances are, a whole bunch of any effort might not get you the results you want. You need to do something different. Post haste.
The Next Level
And, it is precisely at this point where we would encourage you with some advice.
If you and your organization feel stuck or are on a plateau, it’s time to begin again. It’s really time to Innovate™.
Remember, You Are What You Do
As the saying goes, “If you keep doing what you’ve been doing, you’ll keep getting what you’ve been getting.”
You are what you and your organization do. And, if you keep doing the same, you’ll get more of it. More plateau. More sideways.
You need to change what it is that you do now. It’s time to Innovate™ again. This is how you scale your organization.
Get Started Today
There are moments in every business where we must see beyond the obvious, beyond our own imaginations and authorship to a place where fresh knowledge and energy is infused and the opportunities that lie before us can be realized.
That phrase is on the back of our business card. We hope you take it to heart.
APR
About the Author:
Ken Moll is the Principal and Founder of Blue Elevator®. With professional experience spanning four decades, Ken has a breadth of foundational business knowledge rarely found – making him part of an elite class of professionals. Ken's passion is helping clients of Blue Elevator® get their “business to the next level™.”