Why You Need to Dream Big to Succeed
by Raymond and Stephanie Yeh
French writer and Nobel Prize winner Anatole France once said, "To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe." Many of us, especially those of us running small business, know how to plan and act. We make lists, we chase funding, we gather clients, and we bury ourselves endlessly in the avalanche of paper at our desks. We are, in fact, the marathon runners of action. No one can dispute the number of hours of sweat and elbow grease we pour into our business. The question is, how well is that approach working for us? Hour for hour, small business owners and entrepreneurs earn less than most employees in the business sector. Oh sure, we may bring home a large paycheck, but when we divide that paycheck by the number of hours we put in, how much are we making per hour? More importantly, are we really living the dream we set out to dream? Was our dream big enough? Did we even have a dream?
It turns out that one of the main reasons we small business owners work really hard without getting very far is because we don't have an inspiring long term vision that leads us, step-by-step, into the future of our dreams. Most of the time, we've either forgotten our dreams or didn't have one to start out with. As Victor Hugo said, "There is nothing like a dream to create the future." We need a dream, and we need to dream big!
In business terminology, the dream is typically called the Vision, and it defines the final destination of your business. The dream tells you where you are going and becomes, in effect, your North Star. If you're not sure how to set your North Star, check out these quick start guidelines. Some of the most successful and spiritual companies in the world have visions that fall within these guidelines:
- Free the World: The best visions from the great companies free the world of some limiting condition. These companies seek to somehow make the world a better place. Southwest Airlines wants to "free the skies" so more people can afford to fly. Grameen Bank wants to free the world of poverty, and Medtronic, with their medical implant devices, wants to free people from physical pain. How do you want to improve the world?
- Not in This Lifetime: The truly great companies have visions that cannot be achieved in one person's lifetime. For instance, Southwest Airlines wants to free the skies so anyone who wants to can afford to fly. That might take a while!
- Not Quantifiable: Part of the reason that big visions cannot be achieved in a single lifetime is because they cannot be quantified. Medtronic's vision is to "Restore people to full life." The vision doesn't say how many people they will restore to full life with their medical implant devices, or within what period of time. The vision is basically in effect as long as people who have suffered health issues need to be restored to full life.
- Long Term Inspiration: Even though these great visions cannot be fulfilled within a single lifetime, they have to be so inspiring that generations of people will strive to achieve it regardless. When the founder of the company is no longer leading the company, the vision must remain as a beacon, guiding the company toward that same destination at all times. Despite its ever-increasing size, Southwest Airlines has managed to maintain a strong and purposeful culture in which every employee is still on a crusade to free the skies. No employee shows up for work just to "do a job." The Southwest Airlines vision is so strong that every employee is a crusader of freedom.
- Risk: Big dreams entail big risks. Southwest Airlines co-founder Herb Kelleher was willing to risk his career for four years (and his own money) while he fought in the courtrooms to get Southwest Airlines on the ground. Though airlines and DFW airlines fought Southwest in the courtrooms. Yet Kelleher was willing to risk everything to "fight the good fight." Why? Because he believed so strongly in the vision that nothing else mattered.
Pablo Picasso once said, "Everything you can imagine is real." If everything you can imagine is real, and you can start the creation process simply by dreaming it, why not dream big? The truly great companies have shown us what it means to dream big, and how much you can achieve by expanding your horizons and lifting your vision to the highest degree. If you're not sure how to create your vision, or if you don't know whether your vision is big enough, check it against these questions below:
- Does your vision liberate the world in some way of some limiting condition? Remember, "making a buck" only frees you, not the world, of a limiting condition.
- Can your dream be quantified? If it can be quantified, it's not a dream but an objective or goal. A dream has to be so big that you can't put a number or a date on it. That's what keeps it always in front of you, always in your future.
- Does your dream last longer than you will? A dream that will carry your company to greatness has to last longer than your lifetime, otherwise you'll achieve it too quickly. If you're dream can be achieved quickly, it's not a dream-only a goal. Remember, dream big! Set your vision far into the future. Only big dreams can free the world.
- Can your dream inspire not just you, but all who follow you? Since your dream will last longer than your lifetime, it has to be inspiring to everyone in your organization. Is your dream that inspiring? It doesn't have to inspire the world, but it does should to inspire everyone in the organization. Does it create that "fire in the belly" for everyone in your group?
- Does your dream involve risk? If you're working on a no-risk dream, chances are that not many will follow you, and your dream won't last beyond your own involvement. Real dreams, big dreams, have risk, and they are also inspiring enough that people will join the cause for life.
Ready to dream big? If not, take some inspiration from this poem written by John Turnipseed, Director of People Services at Southwest Airlines.
Dare to Dream
Some people only look at life through eyes that seldom gleam
while others look beyond today as they're guided by a dream
And the dreamers can't be sidetracked by dissenters who may laugh
for only they alone can know how special is their path
But dreams aren't captured easily;
there's much work before you're through
but the time and efforts are all worthwhile
when the impossible comes true
And dreams have strength in numbers
for when a common goal is shared
the once impossible comes true because of all who cared
And once it's seen as reality a dream has just begun
for magically from dreams come dreams
And a walk becomes a run
But with growth of course comes obstacles
and with obstacles come fear
but the dream that is worth dreaming
finds its way to the dear
And the dream continues growing
Reaching heights before unseen
And it's all because of the courage of the dreamers
and their dream.
http://www.theartofbusinessbook.com
Raymond Yeh, PhD, is a senior research fellow at IC2 Institute at the University of Texas at Austin. He taught at various universities for 20 years and led two Computer Science departments to top ten national rankings. He was also the Control Data Corporation Distinguished Professor at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Yeh co-founded and was CEO of three successful software companies over a 15 year period. He also co-founded two professional societies. He has been a management consultant to many nations and works with executives of many leading edge global companies such as IBM, GTE, AT&T, Siemens, NEC, Fujitsu, and Hitachi, as well as with founders of many start-up companies. In addition to being on the editorial boards of many journals, Dr. Yeh has published ten technical books and the highly acclaimed business book titled, "Zero Time: Providing Instant Customer Value—Every Time, All the Time!" He currently lives in Texas and California.
Dr. Yeh is a fellow of Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and Society for Design and Process Science (SDPS). He was an honorary research fellow of Fujitsu from 1978-1985. Dr. Yeh is a recipient of the Pioneer in Information Technology Award from the government of Taiwan, IEEE Centennial Medal, and the SDPS Gold Medal, among others. SDPS created the Raymond Yeh lifetime achievement award with him as its first recipient. He held honorary professorships from five leading universities in China and Taiwan. He has been in Who's Who in America since 1974. He was featured several times by the media including Baltimore Business Journal, Austin Business Journal, Austin-American Statesman, several daily newspapers in Taiwan, and People's Daily in China.
Stephanie Yeh has spent many years in the business world in marketing, sales, consulting, and training. She has consulted with major corporations around the world, including Fannie Mae, Acer, Tatung, Children's Hospital of Dallas, and Intergraph on human resource management, process reengineering, and technology assessment. She has also coached numerous corporate executives and small business owners on business strategy and management. She was editor of "Zero Time: Providing Instant Customer Value—Every Time, All the Time!" and currently publishes several weekly electronic magazines. She is founder and president of the Esoteric School, a profitable online small business, and president of Zero Time Publishing. She currently lives in Colorado. Access her work at http://www.shamanschool.com.
| DISCLAIMER: The content provided in this article is not warranted or guaranteed by Developer Shed, Inc. The content provided is intended for entertainment and/or educational purposes in order to introduce to the reader key ideas, concepts, and/or product reviews. As such it is incumbent upon the reader to employ real-world tactics for security and implementation of best practices. We are not liable for any negative consequences that may result from implementing any information covered in our articles or tutorials. If this is a hardware review, it is not recommended to open and/or modify your hardware. |
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