Busy entrepreneurs often have trouble carving out time for anything but putting out fires in their business. It’s easy to ‘walk into the office’ on Monday morning only to have to deal with a bunch of emergencies and a long to-do list! Can you relate?
But to stay top of their game, successful entrepreneurs and CEOs are always learning. They are learning about new concepts, theories, market trends, and of course self-development, and the list goes on.
It struck me this week that there are really two kinds of learning and no, I’m not an education specialist but let’s think about this today!
There’s the type of learning we do to improve a new skill. Malcolm Gladwell introduced us to the concept that it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert. Entrepreneurs like Warren Buffet don’t become the best at what they do by accident. They are constantly learning and improving their skills.
Last week, I participated in a workshop on how to increase conversion from masterclasses. Of course, to really become an expert at this I’ll have to spend lots of time focused on mastering that skill and I’ll need help from the expert! In this type of learning, I was the consumer – consuming other people’s information!
But what about the other type of learning?
The other type of learning is what I might classify as quiet, self-reflection or awareness. Successful CEOs spend time thinking! They spend time thinking about
- what they have done;
- how they can do it better;
- how they can overcome challenges; and
- how to come up with new ideas.
They successfully build this thinking time into their calendar daily.
Lately, I’ve been consuming the series Mad Men about Madison Avenue advertising men in the mid to late 1960s. You’ll often find the main character lying on his couch napping (never mind that he’s most often recovering from a hangover) but it’s evident that almost every time he gets up from his nap he has a great advertising idea. He has allowed his brain to take a vacation from the never-ending, ever-busy world around him.
When we take time to be quiet – whether it’s napping, a walk in the woods, meditating or perhaps even some creative endeavour – we allow our brains to rest and think!?
In quiet reflection, we can reflect on what we have learned or what has challenged us …. We learn from these reflections if we allow ourselves quiet time.
When and where do you get your BEST ideas?
What happens when you get a great idea?
You share that idea, right!?
When you share that great idea you then become a creator!
Notice the difference between being a consumer and a creator!
A consumer consumes other people’s ideas but a creator creates and shares new ideas for others to consume.
A creator becomes perceived not only as an expert but as a thought-leader – quite the difference! Over the years, I’ve watched several successful business owners grow and transform, I’ve seen them make a significant shift from being a consumer to becoming the creator. They have shifted into the thought-leadership mode!
Are you, the busy entrepreneur, taking time for quiet reflection to become a creator rather than a consumer?
Food for thought!
YOU CAN DO THIS
Diana
P.S. Whenever you’re ready… here are 3 ways I can help you GROW
1. Subscribe to the GROW Equation Business Podcast (Click here)
2. Join the Facebook group – Think like a CEO with Diana (Click here)
3. Become My Next Success!
If you want to work less, earn more, I’m working with a select few service-based business owners to help them create and implement a game plan so they can have more joy, more profits and more time away from their business. Schedule your call here.
