Entrepreneurs must ABL Always Be Learning and the Kalief Browder documentary, one of today’s top news stories has 3 lessons for entrepreneurs.
Kalief Browder is in the news because at the age of 16 he was arrested for a robbery he did not commit and sent to New York City’s Rikers Island jail to await trial. During his confinement, he was beaten, abused and subjected to solitary confinement. As a result of the treatment he received while in jail, New York passed a bill known as “Kalief’s Law” to ensure that people who are arrested receive a speedy trial. Entrepreneurs should pay attention to this story because it has lessons that reach well beyond jailhouse walls. There are 3 lessons for entrepreneurs found in this story. These lessons are:
- First impressions are not always correct
- Decisions must be made in a timely manner
- When damage is done, look for a fix
First impressions are not always correct
Almost everyone has heard the expression, “you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.” The idea is that the first impression you give in a situation is the impression that will last and follow you forever. This is very often the case. It is hard to overcome a first impression. That is why it is important to always put your best foot forward and to do excellent work. However, sometimes first impressions are wrong. Sometimes people are at the mercy of a bad day, bad situation or unfortunate events beyond one’s control. A smart entrepreneur is aware of this fact. A smart entrepreneur will be mindful that first impressions may be wrong and will study current situations and not rely solely on past events. Sometimes the first opinion you get in a situation is wrong.
Decisions must be made in a timely manner
Much of business operates in cycles. Business has a life cycle. Indeed there are things that must be done at a certain time so that other things in the cycle can take place. For example at home, when you do the dishes, if you do not wash the dishes right away, the food gets caked on a simple wash job becomes a scrubbing nightmare. In a business when you are thinking about terminating an employee’s employment for poor performance, make the termination decision and move on. It is not smart to let a bad employee continue to do poor work and potentially damage your business. When a decision is made, do not delay unnecessarily – make it and move.
When damage is done, look for a fix
In business, sometimes things go wrong. That is a fact of life. Things will go wrong because entrepreneurs makes mistakes. Things will go wrong because of employee error. Things will go wrong because of reasons that may never be discovered. Often, the why things went wrong or how the damage happened does not matter. What does matter and what is well beyond dispute is the fact that when things go wrong, they cannot be ignored, a way must be found to fix the mistakes and to get things back on good ground. When things go wrong in your business and they will, look for ways to fix things. Do not hold mistakes and let them linger merely because they took a long time to make. When mistakes are made, look for ways to fix them and move forward.
As this story shows there are lessons for entrepreneurs everywhere if one, but takes time to look. So, the question for smart entrepreneurs this thrilling day is are you going beyond first impressions, make timely decisions and fixing things when damage is done?