Be Confident, Aware and Realistic

I’ve been talking about the new economy for 8 years now, yet I still see some leaders waiting (hoping) for the business world to get back to how it used to be. I also am starting to witness some small business leaders jumping onto every bandwagon that comes along, trying to catch the next big wave. The one thing that has remained constant in business for the last 100 years, and will remain constant for the next 100 years, is the necessary balance of growth and stability.

Be confident, aware and realistic. Hyper-aggressiveness can cause recklessness and it’s easy to have the business run off the rails. How many times have we heard of a wreck occurring when the driver slides off one side of the road, only to over-correct and ditch the car on the other side of the highway? Over-aggressive business leaders in today’s climate can cause the same whiplash crash for their businesses. Flashy and first isn’t always the best. When you balance confidence with realism, incremental, solid growth will happen, and steady growth is more sustainable.

Sure, there are shooting stars that come out of nowhere (Angry Birds, Foursquare, Pokemon Go,) but they tend to flame out just as quickly. For example, how many people are still playing Candy Crush these days? Be careful to invest your time, effort and resources into a balance of optimism and realism. This will create the sustained growth you seek.