Where Can You Find Success? Just "READ"

While nobody knows your business better than yourself, exclusively looking inwards can restrict your ability to grow.

A couple of Echidnas were at Content Marketing World in Cleveland, OH earlier this week. Back home, we were watching the goings-on with interest -- especially some of the speakers and topics on hand. Yesterday morning, a comment by Shane Snow, shared by Martin Lieberman struck me as it's something we've talked about before, but it's important to keep in mind.

"Great storytellers are students of other storytellers," Snow said.

While the context of this related to content strategy and development, the lesson behind it applies to multiple aspects of your business -- both in terms of communication and in relation to growth and development.

After all, there's no shortage of aphorisms or idiomatic metaphors out there illustrating that point:

• There's no need to reinvent the wheel
• People who think they know it all have a lot to learn
• Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it

There are those who love to trot out some variation of "don't listen to critics, they'll only hold you back" but they miss the very real benefit of learning from experience, culling the best from other's ventures, and applying lessons to strengthen your own venture.

That's what I take away from the "great storytellers" quote. As a writer, I'm constantly searching out new sources and new perspectives on issues. I love to discover new writing styles, phrases, terminology, and messaging. Do I conscript them all? No. But by constantly evaluating and challenging my work based, in part, by what else is out there, I -- to use a hackneyed biz speak expression -- effectively 'sharpen my axe.'

From a business perspective, "no" should never be the sole end of your idea. But if there's a "why" behind the "no" then it's worthwhile exploring it. It's the difference between arrogantly pushing forward, ignoring the voices around you; and judiciously listening to the voices and exploring what, if any, relevant value and information you can glean from them.

"Because that's the way we've always done it" isn't enough. "That's the way we've always done it because we constantly evaluate our practices and this is still the best, most cost-effective, and efficient way to do it" is better.

In fact, innovation is aided by context. Understanding the challenges and realities of similar ventures or historical experiences can help you refine and improve your own offering for a better result.

So you want to be a better story teller? Or build a better business? Just READ:

Read

Read/watch/listen to everything. Competitors, colleagues, a cohorts are a good start. But look for inspiration elsewhere. Sports, the arts, other industry, fiction, non-fiction -- ideas and growth can come from everywhere. Broadening your horizons gives you the added advantage of a greater perspective.

Entertain

Would this work for me? Why wouldn't it? What are the advantages and the challenges? Why hasn't this been done before? Were the reasons valid? Are they still?

Entertain ideas and explore their potential honestly and with as much information as possible. Does it work for who you are and what you want to be? Why or why not? And don't dismiss it outright just because the idea comes from outside your comfort zone.

Apply

It's not enough to have an idea. If you have the resources and inclination, go ahead and test it out. Theory and extrapolation are great, but real-world experience is the true test. Sure, some ideas may not work, but if you've properly entertained the risk/reward analysis, those misfires won't devastate your business. And the potential for growth and success is there.

Do It Again

For those of us with experience in Kaizen, it's not enough to improve a process, but rather ongoing success comes from re-evaluating. Are there new, unforeseen pain points created? If we've optimized this, are there options to continue those improvements?

I'll leave you with this lyric from the intro to Schoolhouse Rock (and if you don't know what that is, look it up):

As your body grows bigger
Your mind must flower
It's great to learn
'Cause knowledge is power