I heard a story last week about Chuck Swindoll that really has an important application for all entrepreneurs. A number of years ago a small college here in the United States was led by a dynamic President and this college grew in prominence and stature in the community. One day without warning this highly regarded President left his wife, children and the college he was leading and ran off with his assistant which was many years his junior. This shocking turn of events devastated not only his family but the college and surrounding community. His adult son who had been groomed for leadership stepped into the role his father left and tried to put all the pieces back together. However, as you can imagine, the college was in disarray. Many members of the board left, students transferred, and the entire college was falling apart.
Chuck Swindoll flew into town for a conference and was met at the airport by this young President in the midst of this turmoil. As Chuck tells the story, he asks the young man how things are going, already knowing the answer but hoping this will open up a dialogue where the elder statesman could mentor and give advice to the young man in need. To his surprise the young man responded with a big smile, “Things are FANTASTIC!” Chuck was glad to see the young man had a positive attitude but was concerned that he was not really addressing the truth.
The next year Chuck Swindoll flew in for the same conference and things had gotten worse for this college. Attendance was down, administrators had left, and morale was low. Chuck once again was met by the bright young man full of confidence and optimism. “How are things going” he asked. The response was the same, “Things are FANTASTIC!” A bit confused and concerned Chuck again let it pass.
The following year Chuck Swindoll flew in for the same conference to be met by the same young man and the college had declined even further and was in a terrible state. For three years things had only gotten worse and he knew something had to be done. He asked the same question and once again received the same answer. This time Chuck looked the young man in the eyes and said, “Don’t you think it’s about time to be honest?” It was only then that the young man and the elder statesman were able to have an honest talk about the situation and start working on making changes to put the college back on track.
Life is full of difficulties and this will permeate through our personal and business lives. We will be asked many times in our life “How are things going” and only when we can be honest with ourselves and our mentors will we be able to make adjustments, self correct, and improve. As long as we lie to ourselves hoping for the best we will not be able to improve. I know we all have been taught to be positive and that is a greaat thing to do but we also haev to be honest with ourselves. I teach my children to be positive but if they are failing a class I want them to be honest about it as well and seek advice to figure out how to get different results. It’s okay to say things are terrible. It’s okay to acknowledge things are tough or that we failed. It is through that honesty that we are able to change directions in life.
Chuck was quick to point out that this did not mean that we should walk around telling everyone we meet all the messy details of our problems and being a negative person. There is a time and place for everything. Opening up and being honest with your mentors or those who can help is the right thing to do if you want to improve. This is why choosing your mentor(s) is so important. I believe it is critical to have more than one mentor from different backgrounds so you can get multiple points of perspective. The Bible says “There is wisdom in a MULTITUDE of counselors.”
Just remember to always be honest with yourself. It’s okay to let others know things aren’t going FANTASTIC. The biggest and best changes in my life have come after I made massive changes in direction due to honestly looking at the situation and taking action instead of hoping the future would change things. Sometimes you will have to take “The Leap” not knowing where it will lead. I've been blessed to have some great mentors in life from officers in the military to businessmen in the private sector. If you don't have a mentor I encourage you to think about it and find one who can help you in your journey by providing advice and encouragement.
In closing, I will leave you with a quote from my friend Josh Linkner. I had a great conversation with him yesterday regarding the launch of his new book Disciplined Dreaming and I will be posting my interview with him on Monday. He gave great insight on mentorship, success and failure, the fear of starting new things, why creativity right now is extremely valuable, and what he has learned from his failures in his business career. As a successful CEO, best selling author, and Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year his perspective is valuable to me. If you have not bought his book go to Amazon.com and check it out! Below is an excerpt from our interview.
"Our society is taught to be afraid of failure. The people who fail more, win more! I've made spectaular failures in my career but these all eventually helped me win." Josh Linkner
Really like this Bob, sometimes being honest with yourself if really hard. It takes a bit of courage to do so!
Posted by: G Brimmer | March 11, 2011 at 07:11 AM