Unless your business is literally a "one-man band," or you are truly irreplaceable, being successful in business means being able to work with many different people-employees, investors, customers, regulators, board members, and other stakeholders. I showed the clip of Robin Williams in The Dead Poet's Society in which he stands on the desk to demonstrate how a change in perspective changes one's perception of reality. Effectively managing people and seeing the wisdom of the alternative view come with an ability to change your perspective. Knowing where you are relative to the market and your competitors, as well as the trends and the latest developments in technology and science, comes with an ability to view your work from a distance. Perspective is what MBA students learn B schools teach you to think about all of the major outside risk factors that have an impact on your business.
Getting past an egocentric view of the world, your business, and your problem is crucial to success. My wife quoted fashion designer Donna Karan, who said of herself, "I have a passion for pragmatism." Pragmatism melts ego-a pragmatic person is not vested in a particular view but rather in what is best for the project and charting the right course for the current terrain. The tools of pragmatism are planning and auditing-the ability to set goals and test whether the experiment is working. Even worse, you will waste a lot of time, money, and organizational energy.
You can have all of the energy in the world, and embrace the "us versus them" mentality, and break down any wall in your way, but, without being pragmatic in your approach, you will get nowhere.
ANOTHER WORD FOR IMPORTANT TV
I showed the clip from Scrooged in which Bill Murray yells at the head of marketing after being told that a new TV commercial was successful because market research showed that "people want to watch the show." Francis Xavier Cross's response to Elliot Laudermilk is, "That isn't good enough they have to be so scared to miss it, so terrified!" Now, that's passion, and it will take you far. Pete Rose, who treated every pitch and play, no matter what the situation, as if there were two outs in the bottom of the ninth in a tied Game 7 of the World Series, is the epitome of passion. The desire to always do your best is rooted in passion. The ability to find ways to make it happen come what may, to lead with personal authority, to reinvent yourself, and to communicate a purpose all come from a burning passion for what you are doing.
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