Lessons learned over tea with ____ _____.
- 1-year plans may as well be no year plans.
- You can’t be everyone’s cup of tea.
- You can’t start, finish or change fast enough.
- Identify scarcity. Provide value.
- 5-ball juggling is as difficult as MMA.
An hour with a mentor is a cryptic, Russian nesting doll experience. The answers are there, but they were there before you started to talk. Listening in these circumstances forks off into: Are you are looking for confirmation to get you through the day/week/year/event or are you declaring that you are ready for action? Being open to change is very different than looking for someone to hand you an answer – especially one that you may or may not use.
Before you hire an agency or consultant, ask yourself:
- “Am I looking for confirmation or action?” – Do I want someone to agree with me or help me effect real change?
- “If I do get the confirmation I was looking for, am I willing to do what it takes to put something into action?” – A new coat of rusty paint is rarely good for your organization or for an agency/consultants reel.
Doing nothing is always an option, but in my case I’m likely to not get invited over to chat again unless I take action and do something amazing. In your case, customers will simply go somewhere else — somewhere where action takes precedence over confirmation of a problem you both see clear as day.
I’m excited for the challenge and primed for action. How about you?
-Ian
