CEOs & Startup Leaders Advocate For Bold, Daring Action In Business: Here’s Why
Business leaders have had enough when it comes to timid half-measures and over-analysis in the industry. Now, a new school of thought is emerging, one that encourages bold, data-driven decision making.
The Way Of The Dodo
No, it's not just you: legacy brands really are dropping like flies. Kodak, Blackberry, MySpace, and even retailers like JCPenney once dominated as multi-billion dollar industry players, and are now either totally defunct or significantly reduced to the point of irrelevance. But how, you ask? What ties these names together? I'll tell you: A failure to innovate in the face of change.
Here's the thing, though. In a business setting, one where so many people are banking on the success of a given venture, the pressure is very much on to make sure that no rash actions are taken that could further damage or even sink the brand. It's a Catch-22 situation; robust change could mean the death of the business, but a failure to make changes will certainly result in the same outcome. What are those in the business world to do, then?
"Ready, Fire, Aim"
Thad Barnes, a business leader in the marketing world and creator of the "Ready, Fire, Aim" podcast, had plenty of thoughts on this topic that he was willing to share. He simplifies the situation thus: hesitation and overanalyzing lead to missed opportunities and tepid growth in the world of business. Those who succeed most often do so because of a willingness to take risks and make snap decisions, unhindered by the need for certainty.
A New Approach
Barnes and his contemporaries underscore the fact that perfectionism has been the death of many great up-and-coming businesses, especially in the tech space. Startups, however, are often in a unique position to move forward with new ideas even if they are not guaranteed to work, which they posit is why the industry is such a hotbed for innovation.
The idea is not to proceed without caution and take risks cavalierly and without thought, however; rather, Barnes encourages a data-driven approach to business, allowing leaders and innovators to make informed decisions on the fly. The ability to combine data and intuition, he suggests, is what makes a great business leader.
Learn From Experience
These ideas do not apply exclusively to senior-level leadership, but also to anyone who feels stuck in their careers due to a tendency to hesitate in the face of uncertainty. As such, Barnes and his guests seek to offer actionable solutions backed by examples taken from many different areas of the business world, though the specifics will be different for everyone.
As Barnes explains, his career as an industry-leading digital marketing specialist uniquely prepared him to speak on these topics, as in that time he was required to innovate in the digital landscape and adapt to new trends on the fly. Had he waited for conclusive analysis to come in before acting, he suggests that the business would likely not have been successful.
In the mind of Thad Barnes and many others in the modern business world, there is only one way forward: bold, confident steps, head held high aloft, eyes to the horizon. Now, march!
