Eric asks the questions that make us wrestle together with the ‘big picture’ issues.
Smart Dogs Run Ahead of their Prey
Several weeks ago, a friend and I were cycling on the country roads in Southern Illinois. We turned onto a long road that stretched out for at least a quarter of a mile. To our left was a huge field that recently had been high with corn, but now was just a huge expanse of dark dirt.
Suddenly, we heard the barks and howls of farm dogs. Off in the distance, we saw four dogs running at a complete gallop through the field. The strongest dog pulled ahead to lead the pack, and the others followed. He was not running at us. He was running on an angle, aiming to arrive at the point in the road where we would be in about 60 seconds. In other words, he was not trying to catch us; he was trying to get ahead of us, so that he could then turn on us. This was one smart dog.
Fortunately, we could get our bikes moving up around 30 miles an hour – so we outraced them. If we had been running rather than riding, it could have been a very interesting confrontation.
Performance Principle: Smart people, like smart dogs, run ahead of their prey. This dog was not born knowing how to work the angle of attack as well as an NFL cornerback. But after enough unsuccessful chases, he learned that it is always better to cut off problems rather than run after them.
Questions to Consider:
What is one problem that you and your team need to cut off rather than chase? This could include:
- Weeding out poor sales people before they get hired, because you recognize the huge costs that poor salespeople have created for you.
- Raising your fees because you realize that your value warrants a higher fee and the perception of your team’s value is hurt by lower fee levels.
- Improving relationships on your team, because you know that if you stop trusting one another, there is no way you can compete effectively.
- “Becoming a leader rather than just one of the boys, because my people will not reach the next level if I don’t take them there.”
- “Achieving more balance in your life, because you realize that you are no good to yourself, your family, or your company if you are unhealthy.
