One of my kid’s favorite stories was Richard Scarry’s The Best Mistake Ever! It tells the story of a cat and a worm whose mistakes eventually worked out for the better.
Who of us wants to admit a mistake? Who of us wants to admit a grandiose failure? As business owners, if we can’t admit mistakes or failure, how will we ever grow?
Isn’t fishing a series of mistakes leading up to a win? You cast the line, reel it in, check the bait and repeat. Sometimes you get a glimpse of success with a nibble. You reel in the line, readjust or change the bait and continue. Finally, you catch a fish and forget all about the multiple failed attempts.
To fail with a product or a service is part of the game. If one does not admit failure, then they might keep casting that line, the bait now long gone, hoping for a miracle. Failure and mistakes allow us to readjust, check our bait and sometimes switch it all together. If something worked last week, it may not work this week. Being ready to switch tactics (lures) shows a great deal of wisdom.
In our industry, the fish are getting harder to catch and we have to contend with the big companies that have bigger boats and bigger nets. The trouble with large boats is that for them to change direction takes time whereas a small boat can be very nimble.
I made the biggest mistake ever. I entered into a partnership with a bigger boat that in the end wasn’t the right fit for both my customers and I. Was the bigger boat to blame? No. In the end, I came to the conclusion that I preferred steering a smaller boat that was nimble and I caught more fish that way.
Admitting a mistake is hard, but accepting that you made a mistake is a deeper journey. I admitted my mistake, and I jumped ship. I was able to get my old boat back, but it needed some TLC. I took action and changed direction but accepting that mistake and owning it was a much longer process. There I was, rowing away from the ship in a state of mild shock. I was going through the motions and I simply kept rowing. Eventually, paused, looked out into to the calm water and appreciated where I now was. At that point, I realized that this was the best mistake ever. I also realized that I needed a new direction and I had to keep fishing. In the end, I picked up some great fishing tips from that big boat which allows me to now catch bigger fish.
Questions:
Are you still catching fish with your bait?
Are you adjusting to the needs and wants of the fish?
Do you have enough new lures to attract the big fish?
IT Revolution (partner of VAR Office Suite) believes there is a revolution in the industry and the customers lead it. Our old bait no longer works. Let us work together and look inside your tackle box and see you need to catch more fish.
Get a free 30 minute strategy session to deep dive into your business goals and tackle box. Let’s book and appointment today!
Call now 514.576.5516 or email randal@itrevolution.ca
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