One of the most successful strategies for success for executives follows the Occam’s Razor concept of simplicity – keep an eye out for opportunities. It is amazing how often vast opportunities pass us by because we are deep in execution and not looking at what is going on around us. Instead, remain vigilant on keeping your eyes open for trends, issues and opportunities you and your business can leverage for success.
For example, many of the great innovations in history came from places such as unexpected successes, unexpected failures, market changes and the like. None of these would have occurred if the innovator had been unobservant. Think about each event that occurs as an opportunity. Is there a way the process could be improved? Did it open doors for a completely new way of doing something? Instead of getting caught up in what didn’t work, think about how you can use these experiences as an opportunity.
So how do we do this? There are several strategies that can lead to success; however, here are a few of the top ones to try out: 1) Plan a certain amount of time into your day to walk around and observe. Pay attention to what’s going on. 2) Ask questions and listen. You might gain a goldmine of information. 3) Look at everything that happens as an opportunity – good or bad. What can you learn from the situation or leverage from the situation? You never know when the next BIG idea will occur. 4) How can you combine things differently for a better result?
As they say at the DMV, keep your eyes “on the road” – look for opportunities.