If not, is your School DOOMED for Mediocrity (or Failure)?
Last month, my column explored the influence of our environment on our performance as entrepreneurs.
Picture Donald Trump making his way to the boardroom, but, in place of his regular staff of executives and experts, are a bunch of interns and mailroom employees. Now, I’m not taking a shot at the mailroom guys, but, given this situation, “the Donald” will be severely hamstringed and may not have the quality of information he’ll need to make effective decisions about his latest two-hundred-million-dollar building project!
You, the entrepreneur, are like Michael Jordan (in his prime) or Donald Trump, except EVERY DAY is game day. EVERY DAY, you have the opportunity to choose to be successful, mediocre or even fail. It’s important to consider who is on your team? Who is pushing you to be your best? Who holds you accountable? Who stimulates your creativity?
Do you have a group of highly skilled, motivated, experienced and entrepreneurial thinkers on your team or are you like most school owners, with a couple 20-year-old staff members (either paid or volunteer) that you are coaching and directing? Are you “hanging out” with highly successful business owners or are you surrounding yourself with other school owners who are doing about the same as you are?
When Andrew Carnegie sent Napoleon Hill on his famous “quest” for the secret to the Science of Success, Hill visited and interviewed many of the nation’s greatest entrepreneurial thinkers, such as Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Henry Ford, Elmer Gates, Charles M. Schwab, Theodore Roosevelt, William Wrigley Jr., John Wanamaker, William Jennings Bryan, George Eastman, Woodrow Wilson, William H. Taft, John D. Rockefeller, F. W. Woolworth and Jennings Randolph.
Hill is considered to have influenced more people to become successful than any other person in history. He has been perhaps the most influential man in personal success technique development, primarily through the classic book, Think and Grow Rich, which has made a HUGE impact on me personally, and tens of thousands of entrepreneurs worldwide.
One of the key principals Hill discovered from his interviews was the “Master Mind” concept. EVERY ONE of these super successful and influential leaders had created an environment of support and inspiration for themselves. They had very intentionally surrounded themselves with people who sparked their enthusiasm, stimulated their creativity and inspired them to push through the difficulties to achieve extraordinary (and in their cases, revolutionary) results.
Jim Rohn parrots Hill’s philosophy by stating, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” If this is true (which I personally believe fervently), then we all need to ask ourselves a few questions.
- Who are the vie people you spend the most time with?
- Do they understand what it means to own a business?
- Do they live the day-to-day challenges that you do?
- Who pushes you to the next level?
- To whom are you accountable?
For years now, I’ve been CONSCIOUSLY seeking those people who are more successful, more effective and, frankly, more wealthy than me. When you surround yourself with the thoughts and feelings that you have and the people and the things around you, then that is what your subconscious mind believes you want – even if you hate it.
Imagine a group of likeminded business owners whose sole purpose is to help you succeed; a group who knows your strengths, vulnerabilities and aspirations; associates with the skills to help you navigate to levels of personal and professional enrichment you hadn’t thought possible. A team who is entirely focused on your fulfillment!
The Master Mind Concept is supportive change. It is accountability with love. It is a powerful platform and forum to explore your deepest truths, both personal and professional, and to implement new ideas. One of the best ways to move toward more success is to upgrade your peer group.
Through my association with NAPMA, Mile High Karate and Stephen Oliver, I’ve been fortunate to be able to “hang out” with some of the most successful school owners, business operators and entrepreneurs in the martial arts industry; and, frankly, my business has made dramatic gains as a result.
I sincerely hope that you create an environment of support for yourself.
In fact, NAPMA is in the early stages of launching just this type of mastermind group. The “Peak Performers” group is designed to help school owners take aggressive steps to grow their businesses and surround themselves with the nation’s top school owners.
If you feel you and your business would benefit from this type of group, shoot me an e-mail at TobyMilroy@NAPMA.com, and I’ll put you on the list of interested school owners!
