{"id":360,"date":"2020-05-21T15:02:18","date_gmt":"2020-05-21T15:02:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enlightadvisors.com\/blog\/?p=360"},"modified":"2020-05-21T15:02:18","modified_gmt":"2020-05-21T15:02:18","slug":"your-business-needs-a-hero-are-you-up-to-the-task","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enlightadvisors.com\/blog\/2020\/05\/21\/your-business-needs-a-hero-are-you-up-to-the-task\/","title":{"rendered":"Your business needs a hero&#8230;are you up to the task?"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\r\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"577\" height=\"432\" class=\"wp-image-368\" src=\"https:\/\/enlightadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/CowardlyLionenlight.jpg\" alt=\"Cowardly Lion - It Takes Courage\" srcset=\"https:\/\/enlightadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/CowardlyLionenlight.jpg 577w, https:\/\/enlightadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/CowardlyLionenlight-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 577px) 100vw, 577px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>In <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/hardthings.bhorowitz.com\/\">The Hard Thing About Hard Things<\/a><\/span>, Ben Horowitz tells a story about how he handled a delicate situation when he was five years old.\u00a0 He says it shaped his life.\u00a0 \u201cIt taught me that being scared didn\u2019t mean I was gutless.\u00a0 What I did <em>mattered<\/em> and would determine whether I would be a hero or a coward.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The COVID-19 outbreak is one of those defining moments.\u00a0 Ask yourself &#8211; are you a coward or a hero?\u00a0 The good news is if you don\u2019t like the answer, you can take action to change.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-left is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\r\n<p><em>\u201cEvery time you make the hard, correct decision you become a bit more courageous and every time you make the easy, wrong decision you become a bit more cowardly.\u00a0 If you are a CEO, these choices will lead you to a courageous or cowardly company.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Ask yourself these questions:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 class=\"has-text-color has-vivid-red-color\"><span style=\"color: #96b300;\"><strong>How do you respond to threats?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>A hero is fearless, composed and proactive.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li><strong>Fearless<\/strong> &#8211; Looks for, recognizes and acknowledges threats from the inside <em>and<\/em> the outside<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Composed<\/strong> &#8211; Defines the threat and distills the response into smaller parts that are easier to understand and actionable<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Proactive<\/strong> &#8211; Takes \u201cno regrets\u201d actions to mitigate threats and strengthen the company for the long haul<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>A coward says, \u201cOur product is better than these new lower-priced competitors.\u00a0 We don\u2019t need to worry.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>A hero says, \u201cOur products may be better, but we\u2019re seeing sales slippage since these cheaper alternatives entered the market.\u00a0 We need to understand what our customers think about the tradeoffs and how it changes our response.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\r\n<p><em>\u201cThere comes a time in every company\u2019s life where it must fight for its life.\u00a0 If you find yourself running when you should be fighting, you need to ask yourself, \u201cIf our company isn\u2019t good enough to win, then do we need to exist at all?&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3><span style=\"color: #96b300;\"><strong>How do you communicate with your teams?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size\" style=\"text-align: left;\" title=\"Read more...\" data-wp-more=\"more\" data-wp-more-text=\"\" data-mce-placeholder=\"1\"><strong>A hero is authoritative, honest and hopeful.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li><strong>Authoritative<\/strong> &#8211; Provides clear direction, even in times of uncertainty\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Honest<\/strong> &#8211; Admits what they don\u2019t know, anchoring on what they do know and control and providing honest performance feedback\u00a0<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Hopeful<\/strong> &#8211; Always builds a bridge from the current state to a brighter future\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>A coward says, \u201cI have no idea what will happen after our PPP funding period ends.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>A hero says, \u201cI\u2019m not sure what will happen after our PPP funding period ends, but I\u2019m doing everything in my power to make sure we can continue to operate.\u00a0 And I know the rest of you are doing your best, as well.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\r\n<p><em>\u201cCan the leader articulate a vision that\u2019s interesting, dynamic and compelling?\u00a0 More important, can the leader do this when things fall apart?\u00a0 More specifically, when the company gets to a point when it does not make financial sense for any employee to continue working there, will the leader be able to articulate a vision that\u2019s compelling enough to make people stay?\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3><span style=\"color: #96b300;\"><strong>How do you engage with your customers?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>A hero is open, accountable and adaptable.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li><strong>Open<\/strong> &#8211; Listens to customers and understands how the current situation impacts their life or business<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Accountable<\/strong> &#8211; Lives up to promises, doesn\u2019t make promises they can\u2019t keep and immediately notifies customers of issues<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Adaptable<\/strong> &#8211; Looks for ways to feasibly address customer needs, increasing opportunities and loyalty<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>A coward says, \u201cI\u2019m too busy trying to solve our quality and delivery issues to listen to more complaints from customers.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>A hero says, \u201cI will personally meet with our top customers to hear their concerns and let them know what we\u2019re doing to solve the problem.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Everybody faces challenges sometimes.\u00a0 The way you choose to navigate your challenges will define your customer relationships for years to come.\u00a0 Don\u2019t mess it up.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3><span style=\"color: #96b300;\"><strong>How do you invest your time?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>A hero is focused, disciplined and flexible.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li><strong>Focused<\/strong> &#8211; Understands the fundamentals of the business and focuses on what is most important to get right in the moment<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Disciplined<\/strong> &#8211; Understands the big picture and sees most of the challenges that are looming, but doesn\u2019t get distracted or overwhelmed<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Flexible<\/strong> &#8211; Learns from experience and knows when to refine the company\u2019s fundamentals<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>A coward says, \u201cI don\u2019t have time to think about the future because I\u2019m too busy putting out fires.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>A hero says, \u201cIn a crisis, the most important thing I can do is ensure we are focused on the things that will determine our fate and eliminate as many distractions as possible for my team.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Time is money.\u00a0 And in organizations, poor time management has exponential negative impacts on the business.\u00a0 If the leader is focused on the wrong stuff or overwhelmed, so will the team.\u00a0 Now more than ever, companies need heroes to keep everyone focused and aligned.\u00a0 If you\u2019re not sure what to do, narrow your team\u2019s focus to core functions while you consider alternatives and gather more information.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\" \/>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>So&#8230;are you a coward or a hero?\u00a0 Being a leader is hard work.\u00a0 And especially in times of crisis, it can be lonely work.\u00a0 It\u2019s not always easy to muster the courage to be a hero, but we all have it in us.\u00a0 <em>enlight<\/em> can help you stay focused or correct course&#8230;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.enlightadvisors.com\/contact\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"contact us (opens in a new tab)\">contact us<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The COVID-19 outbreak is one of those defining moments.  Ask yourself &#8211; are you a coward or a hero?  The good news is if you don\u2019t like the answer, you can take action to change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":368,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3,4],"tags":[13,21],"class_list":["post-360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-family-office","category-non-profit","tag-execution","tag-leadership"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/enlightadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/enlightadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/enlightadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enlightadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enlightadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=360"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/enlightadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":377,"href":"https:\/\/enlightadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360\/revisions\/377"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enlightadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/enlightadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enlightadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enlightadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}