I titled this post 1/4 inch about a year ago. After yesterday's panel on building a brand, I felt we could use a reminder.
This is a concept than anyone trained in martial arts -- three years of Karate-do for me -- knows well. If you played European football or volley ball, like I did, this idea applies there, too. It is the distance that can make the difference between a brilliant and effective move, and a near flop. A small adjustment in posture can and does make a really big difference in business, and in life.
I'm actually not interested in hard metrics today. I prefer for you to consider an adjustment in belief and your own behavior. 1/4 inch adjustments can mean:
- you becoming a savvier buyer who pools resources with other buyers and taking responsibility for better products by researching and demanding them
- developing shared goals for the outcome of a conversation, even better if it's a conference you're attending -- why not see it as an opportunity to join or form a community?
- building on the old axiom -- standing for something vs. falling for everything. What is your value proposition? Do you have one?
- respecting that others don't need to move at your own speed (especially if they're driving in front of you)
- making the final push to go from good to great -- taking a simple concept and making it awesome
- seeing, being aware of situations, and context
Take shifts in small increments and see how far you can really go.
[image courtesy of Wiki commons]