The first entrepreneurs were not afraid of sailing into unchartered territories to conquer new markets. Their taste for adventure lead to the discovery of several commercial routes and even continents. Then, throughout the Industrial Revolution, risk-takers visited unexplored countries with business in mind. Today, going to space is still a big project, reserved to only a few. So, how can you prove to yourself that you have it all to become successful? Well, the first place to explore is within. Today’s world is no easier for someone with an idea to be transformed into an economic activity.
Where to start
The first element of success seems horribly boring : discipline. Yet, without discipline, it is impossible to be organized, tedious, efficient. For example, one good idea would be to contact a junior deckhand agency to check the job offers. This position entails to be supervised, and to follow precise routines, in one word: to be disciplined. In this position, you have no choice but to commit, and consequently, you are going to verify if you are able to endure long term constraints. Because success does not happen in one day, and hard work with obligations to be fulfilled are included in the package. A great idea and good investors are not the only key to make good money. You need to be able to build trust with your business partners, and also with your own team. So, if you experienced and witnessed before how it can be done, this would help you to get to the point without less risk to fail. In the navy or aboard a yacht, a strong hierarchy with strict rules to be applied allow the survival of the people onboard. The analogy is quite easy to understand with the business world. The self-discipline of the leader is of paramount importance. If the leader cannot comply to existing obligations or deadlines, then the company will fail to comply as an entity. This implies the use of processes to clarify the expectations the leadership has towards the teams. Today, there is hardly any successful enterprise without the involvement of a strong team. So, if the leader has already worked under strong requests from a hierarchy, and understood all the importance of accuracy related to the context, the leader will be able to inject dynamics in the development of the company. Working on a yacht or a ship also teaches you that sometimes there is nothing to be done, and it is better to drop the project. If there is a tempest announced, then activities will be reported. Flexibility is a necessity, at sea like in business. Why ?
- it helps to find new ideas
- it ensures adaptation to new circumstances
- it helps to create sustainability.
Hence, the importance of discipline, to allow associating it with other inner qualities such as creativity and agility. It does not mean to lead a boring life, on the contrary. Discipline is like the canvas for developing organizational abilities, for the leader and the teams. Without discipline it is impossible to build a frame, to find anchors. Another maritime analogy!