One Step Forward

Reprinted from The Excellence in Business Newsletter: by Steven D. Huff

During operation Desert Storm, an officer stood before his three dozen soldiers and ordered them to attention. “Men,” he quietly began, “I need three of you for a dangerous buy very important mission behind enemy lines in Iraq. You will be dropped off at night, but we will be unable to pick you up until after we have broken through enemy lines. We do not know when it will be. It may be many days. You will be in danger the entire time. It you are willing to take on this perilous mission, step forward while I turn my back.” When he looked around, the ranks were unbroken. “What,” he asked, “would not even one of you step forward to volunteer?” All was quiet, then a female soldier spoke up, “Sir, we all stepped forward.”

Our men and women in uniform are known for their willingness and ability to step forward and get things done. Business and professional people can adopt the same “One Step Forward” approach to accomplishing their own strategic mission. If you career or business seems stalled, learn to take the first steps to get things moving toward your goals.

Here are a few ideas to get you moving forward in your business or profession:

Put The Past Behind You—It would be more accurate to say that the past is already behind you. That’s an objective fact. The challenge is to let it go. Make sure you learn from the past, but do not be limited by the past. Everyone has past mistakes, missed opportunities, and regrets. Don’t let them hold you back. Once the past is behind, you’re ready for something new.

• Begin To Challenge Old Assumptions—IBM’s Tom Watson once said, “I firmly believe that any organization, in order to achieve success, must have a sound set of beliefs on which it premises all its policies and actions.” The same is true for individuals buy we must learn to look critically at the core beliefs we hold. Never abandon what is right for what is convenient, but neither should you let invalid assumptions continue to chart your course.
• See Yourself Accomplishing Something Great—The optimist, as you know, sees the glass as half full. The pessimist sees it as half empty. The engineer sees the glass as being twice as big as it needs to be. Seriously, our attitudes are a reflection of how we look at things. Moving your career forward requires a “can-do” attitude. Remember, all that is necessary to break the spell of inertia and frustration is this: act as if it were impossible to fail.
• Decide Exactly What You Want—According to Dale Carnegie, “The man who starts out going nowhere, generally gets there.” Set your mission by determining what you really care about and what you really want to accomplish—then commit yourself to it. You can only hit the mark if there is a clear target to aim for.
• Take The First Step—It has been said, “Some people succeed because they are destined to, but most people succeed because they are determined to.” Take the first step forward.

Learn more about how we can help.