On Sunday night I watched two contestants get eliminated from the Amazing Race. It came down to the fact that one of the team members drank so much liquid she had to stop for a bathroom break on the final leg to the pit stop. Not a good way to go down.
This applies to business strategy as well. It is really easy to get caught up in the task at hand and lose sight of the big goals… causing you to lose everything.
On the show, one team member had to eat a bunch of deep fried creatures. In this case, the team member took a bite, then drank a big swig of water… polishing off 4 large water bottles in a short period of time.
This was a working strategy for completing the task. However, there was no thought beyond the task or the ultimate goal.
How many times do you put everything into the task at hand thinking once this is done, THEN I will worry about the big picture again?
As an entrepreneur (and leader) you must never lose sight of the big picture. Everything you do will either:
- Take you closer to the goal,
- Accomplish nothing for your goal, or
- Hurt your chances of reaching your goal.
Your most important job is to ensure that everything you do takes you towards your goal or at a minimum does not hurt your chances of reaching the goal. You must regularly do things to get you towards that goal.
Three other teams made better choices. They are still in the race.
Sometimes in business it is easy to knock yourself out of the race with one bad decision or lack of focus. Especially when stress and fatigue set in.
The prize goes to those who stay in the race and keep moving towards their goal until they achieve it. Other competitors may get there first sometimes, but if you continue to stay in the race you will eventually win.
Make sure you focus on your strategy; your amazing race depends on it.
