“Are you all in?” is a great, thought provoking question to consider, particularly if you’re struggling with business success or your personal life. We hear this question a lot these days, and not just because the World Poker Tour is in full swing. It’s also a question that’s asked frequently in a spiritual context. However, let’s focus on the commitment required to be great and to build a great company.
Are You All in for Business Success?
I recently had the opportunity to attend the Master Networks CONNECT 2017 event in Allen, Texas along with 225+ other entrepreneurs and business leaders from across the country. It was an excellent two-day conference with a lot of great content and inspirational speakers including Chas Wilson, the co-founder and president of Master Networks.
During his talk, Mr. Wilson posed the “All In” question to the general audience and this became a somewhat consistent theme throughout the conference. The All In question essentially boils down to accountability and commitment. Are you doing what it takes to be successful in your business and your personal life, or is something missing?
What Are You Promising to Do That You’re Not Living Up to Today?
As I mentioned in a previous article, a Kauffman Foundation study revealed that 93% of the business owners surveyed cited “not putting in the time and effort required” as the second most common barrier to entrepreneurial success. However, if you polled most entrepreneurs today, they would probably say they are All In, even if their actions do not reflect this level of commitment.
Adopt the Components of Business Success
So, a better question to get at the issue might be, “What does it mean to be All In?” Here are my thoughts. In order to be “All In” you must …
- Meet your commitments.
- Walk the talk.
- Stay fit – body, mind and spirit.
- Relentlessly pursue excellence.
- Maintain high standards.
- Continuously learn and grow.
- Invest in others.
- Sacrifice to succeed.
- Leave your footprints.
You must also learn to accept the fact that there will be missteps, disappointments, and failures in your journey. This is part of the process. I don’t believe you can truly reach that pinnacle of success in business, or in life for that matter, unless you have failed many times over. However, this reality should not deter you from pursuing your goals. Perfect failures help us grow and in this fast-paced world of ours, failing more frequently helps to accelerate learning.
What Are You Willing to Give Up in Order to Go Up?
Building a great business requires a major commitment of time, energy, resources and most of all, sacrifice. Despite acknowledging this, many business leaders struggle with accountability and the commitment required to be successful. Specifically, they fall short most often in the areas highlighted above. However, you cannot cut corners, miss commitments, approach things half-heartedly, or creatively avoid the tough stuff and expect to succeed.
7 To-Do Tips for Business Success
So, how do we overcome the barriers preventing us from going All In and being our best? Here are some suggestions that should help.
- Just do it! Identify the self-improvement areas to work on to be your best. Make the commitment (chips on the table) and get started today!
- Time block to make effective use of time, prioritize critical meetings and events, and increase productivity.
- Related to #2, convert to Zig Ziglar Time so you are on time for critical meetings and don’t miss commitments. “If you’re not 10 minutes early, you’re late.” Make a habit of under-committing and over-delivering on what you promise.
- Set aside at least one hour of Me Time daily to work on your self-development and growth goals.
- Commit to continuously learning. Attend at least 1–2 conferences, training sessions, college courses or workshops annually. Read a book per month.
- Enlist the support of an Accountability Partner, Mentor or Coach to help you stay on task and meet your goals. Schedule monthly checkpoint meetings.
- Hire a Personal Trainer to help you map out a diet and exercise program to meet your fitness goals. Exercise at least 30–45 minutes daily.
Business Success Means Doing Your Best
Are you doing what it takes to succeed? When we give less than our best effort we not only limit our success but hurt those around us. If you want to be great and build a great company … go All In. Make a conscious commitment to be and do your best every day, and stick to it. You will be amazed at how much your life will change!
Are there areas where you are holding back and not going all in for your business?
