There are four things you need to have in order to make a successful business – in fact, in order to make a success of your life. This are:
- Knowledge
- Skill
- Attitude
- Behaviour
Taken as a group, these four form a necessary and sufficient condition for success. Let’s have a look at them in more detail:
Knowledge
There is no way around the fact that you have to know what you are doing. Even the most mundane tasks can be brought to life and be given an infusion of effectiveness if you understand more of the ‘back story’. For example, we all know how important it is to clean our teeth and all of us have at least some rudimentary knowledge as to why it’s important.
Skill
Following the example about, knowing why we need to keep our teeth clean, is not enough. We actually need to be taught the skill of how to best care for our teeth. It’s interesting to see how this develops over time too. When I was a little boy, we were taught to clean our teeth straight after breakfast. The latest advice I was given a month or so ago (when I last saw the dental hygienist) was that cleaning one’s teeth straight after breakfast is probably not the best idea, as the acid in fruit juice (commonly taken in the early morning) softens the enamel. The hygienist when on to say that the advice given now is to clean your teeth when you get up, or half and hour after breakfast. An interesting illustration of how new knowledge can update an existing skill.
Attitude
So far, so good. I understand why I need to keep my teeth clean and I’ve been taught how to keep them clean. This doesn’t mean that I’m actually going to clean my teeth though. I still have to want to keep my teeth clean – I need the motivation to put the skill into practice.
Behaviour
From time to time I’ve met very motivated people who still haven’t applied their skill. They might say that they’re motivated – and they genuinely believe themselves to be so – but the fact of the matter is that they don’t actually do want needs to be done. They don’t pick up their toothbrush and clean their teeth.
Nor do they don’t pick up the phone and call the prospect.
You get the picture.
Reflect a moment on this. Sit back and take a short break – make a mug of coffee or tea, or go for a walk in the garden. Score your knowledge, skill, attitude and behaviour each out of ten.
Now you know where to focus your effort.
This post was first published as one of Chris Davidson’s “Competitive Difference” emails. You can subscribe to Chris Davidson’s “Competitive Difference” (CDCD) Via the Active Presence website. You can also contact Active Presence Directly.
How’s YOUR Knowledge, Skill, Attitude and Behaviour (Issue 24, Vol 04)
Last week’s edition of CDCD suggested four attributes for success. They were
Judging by the feedback, many of you agree with me. I’d like to use this week’s CDCD to look more closely at these four attributes and tease out some additional ‘grist to add to your mill’.
Knowledge
For sure, you have to know what you are doing, so we’ll take that as a given. My questions to you here are:
□ When did you last assess your knowledge of your chosen area?
□ How often do you do this?
□ How do you gauge your knowledge, (for example, by some independent benchmark, or by peer comparison).
Each market/specialisation will have its way of addressing this area. For example, many professions have formal ‘continuous professional development’ systems in place and to this extent traditional professions, such as law or accountancy are well served.
If you work in less formally regulated environments, such as coaching, consultancy, speaking, or writing, it’s much harder for you to measure your knowledge. Consequently you may be in danger of forgetting how vital a foundation this is to your continued success. I’d urge you to allocate a budget (time and money) for the purpose of measuring and increasing your knowledge. It’s a sensible, long-term investment in yourself and your business.
Skill
The application of knowledge for the benefit of your clients/customers requires skill. I believe is these people – your clients/customers – are best placed to assess your level of skill. Questions:
□ How often do you survey your customers, on this specific issue?
□ Do you have an independent, third party do this on your behalf?
Only by knowing this can you hope to improve and measure that improvement over time.
Attitude
This is where the going can get tough. Having – and maintaining – the motivation to put your skill into practice can be easy one day and tough the next. While self-motivation is vital, I’ve yet to meet anyone who has enough of it to keep themselves going all the time. Everyone needs help from time to time – it’s part of the human condition. Asking for it can be tough though, as many people see it as a sign of weakness. Look at it another way – you’re just finding the quickest, most efficient solution to the problem. For example, let’s assume your car has just picked up a flat tyre and you’re stuck by the side of the road. Your choice (broadly speaking) is to change the wheel yourself, or have someone do it for you. If you have the knowledge, skill and materiel, you’ll do it yourself and carry on with your journey. If you’re truly ‘stuck’ for some reason, you’ll seek help.
Either solution is a good solution.
If you ask for help, the challenge is; who to ask? It’s this that is the trickiest part of being in business – who to trust – and I’m not sure that I’ve found the magic solution yet. What I will say is this:
□ Take your time
□ Trust is traded – don’t open yourself up to somebody who doesn’t reciprocate
□ Sound people out first through the opinions of others
□ Be prepared to move on if things don’t work out
□ You don’t a huge network of confidents – just a reliable one
Behaviour
If developing and maintaining the right attitude can be tough – then developing and maintaining the right behaviours can be doubly so.
Where to start?
With Albert Gray’s wonderful “Common Denominator of Success”, written in 1940 and as true now as it was then.
You can find the full text online quite easily, although some sites show edited versions and I much prefer the original. The version can be found here:
http://www.theintelligentinvestor.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/the-common-denominator-of-success.pdf
The basic premise is this:
“The common denominator of success – the secret of success of every person who has ever been successful – lies in the fact that he or she formed the habit of doing things that failures don’t like to do.”
I find this a hugely powerful and motivating message. It explains why so many New Year resolutions never get to see February, as Gray further explains,
“Any resolution or decision you make is simply a promise to yourself, which isn’t worth a thing unless you have formed the habit of making it and keeping it.”
Forming the habit of doing the stuff that makes you successful is the equivalent of the momentum built up in a huge flywheel. It’s not the rotation of the flywheel itself that’s impressive – it’s what that energy can do when attached to other machinery. So too with your success habits. It’s not the habits themselves – it’s what they allow you to achieve.
You get the picture, I’m sure. Being able to take on board the points raised in this issue rests on your understanding of how important Effective Communication skills are in the battle to win more business. Have you considered a Effective Communication course to help you improve these vital skills?
Reflect a moment on this. Sit back and take a short break – make a mug of coffee or tea – go for walk in the garden, or along the beach. Let it all soak in. And when it has:
Do it.
This post was first published as one of Chris Davidson’s “Competitive Difference” emails. You can subscribe to Chris Davidson’s “Competitive Difference” (CDCD) Via the Active Presence website. You can also contact Active Presence Directly.