How many times have you said or thought this in the last week, "No problem. I've got this"? Come on. Be honest.
I’ll bet at least one of those times you really had no expertise in the area and you were counting on your intelligence and a little luck to get you through. Some of the time this works out. The rest of the time you waste precious hours and resources (read: ‘money’) fixing the mess you made. We’ve all been there.
My Trip to the Northern Lights
On a family vacation to see the Northern Lights, this phrase was brought home to me in spades.
I brought along two cameras, a portable tripod, etc. You get the idea: I was READY to take some photos!
When the big moment came, my pictures kept turning out blank. Nothing. No "oohhhs," no "ahhhhs". Just darkness.
Eventually a woman who had been there the night before mentioned they had better tripods available, noticed my camera and began to tell me how to change the settings, pointed out the guide who was a wiz at getting great pictures, etc. This was not the time to be prideful. I needed an expert if I wanted to have even one picture as proof of our adventure, so I started seeking out a person who knew my camera’s capabilities. People were more than glad to help and, ultimately, the pictures turned out great.
Expert Business Advice Gained From My Northern Lights Experience
When you think about your business, taking a stab at a solution is never good enough; particularly for a critical or strategic issue. Instead, you want to search for an experienced advisor you trust; someone who has “been there, done that” and knows the potential issues you’ll face.
You want to explore a diverse array of options, talking to experts with differing backgrounds and experiences. Look outside your normal circles of friends and business partners to find the one who is the right fit for your need.
This solution-provider often won’t fit the stereotype you carry in your head. Bringing in someone with a different perspective and background can often help you think about your business from a much more strategic and valuable perspective.
A critical misstep in the life of many businesses is failure to hire experience. At many stages and through critical changes in your business, you will find the higher expense of an experienced expert will provide tangible returns - even above your typical return on investment target. A more difficult shift might be admitting that you will be much better off if you seek out help rather than trying to figure it out on your own.
Like me, you may not have the luxury of time or resources to use trial and error to navigate through new and trying situations. Who knew that a gray-haired grandma would be best able to set up my complicated, new digital camera? If I hadn’t asked for help, I wouldn’t have known either.
About the Author
Kim Denney is an experienced Houston area leader with a record of solving top-level problems as an executive with broad responsibilities in the Chemical, Petrochemical, Energy, and Manufacturing industries. Contact or learn more about Kim here.
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