Welcome to part 16 of the MetroSculpters Consulting Actionable Business Advice Series.
Today we discuss “The Mastermind Formula”; that sequence of steps that, if done on a conscientious a consistent manner, can make one into a mastermind in whatever field one endeavors.
For one to successfully operate any endeavor, one must have the right type, right quality, and right quantity of applied knowledge. The acquisition, memorizing, and glib rendition of smart-sounding words we see in today’s business circles only lead to one having and expressing a hectic, shallow, ignorant attitude that eventually leads to confusion and failure.
There are two main differences between managers. There are those with the right type, right quality, and right quantity of applied knowledge, and there are those who had acquired, memorized, and glibly render smart-sounding words.
First, those managers with the right knowledge get things done without shifting or shirking responsibility, while the other gets nothing worthwhile done, but blasts blame on everyone and everything but themselves.
Second, those managers with the right knowledge always speak on behalf of their team, heaping praises and due benefits, but accept full responsibility for any shortcomings as their own personal failures; whereas, the other kind blames everyone and everything for their failures, and claims successes as personally earned.
With knowledge, comes something very difficult to accept and takes ownership of – Responsibility. Most people prefer that someone or something else is to be 'blamed' for failures. These types of people love to claim group successes as personally earned even when they did not contribute to even deserve a part of the claim.
If you have knowledge of something, say your company, whether or not you desire it, the responsibility for that knowledge is yours. Without taking responsibility for your knowledge (of people, vision, processes, tasks, etc.) of your business you cannot become a successful manager or business owner, or even a competent person.
The subject of Control is almost unknown in our culture and language, except when used in a negative light.
However, Control is the ability and willingness for one to:
1) start a thought, emotion, action, object, process, etc. in order to create, produce, maintain, or destroy something;
2) change the direction, form, condition, or substance of a thought, emotion, action, object, process, etc. in order to create, produce, maintain, or destroy something; and
3) stop the motion, direction, or condition of thought, emotion, action, object, process, etc. in order to create, produce, maintain, or destroy something.
Without the ability or willingness to start a process (or anything), continue it to completion, and stop it, one would not be able to achieve anything, but seem to be as stupid or insane.
An inability to start and deliver the product of a task lies in the unwillingness to control the task, the product, or its element.
In conclusion, a successful manager should:
1) have the correct applied knowledge (including of people, vision, process, market, organization, society, data, knowhow, etc.), not merely crammed smart words;
2) have responsibility (ownership and cause of everything and everyone within their group) for the knowledge;
3) have control over the knowledge and responsibility within their sphere of influence (the organization and its larger market and operating environment); and
4) combine the knowledge, responsibility, and control as a single element into a mastermind mentality with which to manage and lead every member, asset, and resources of the group to attain and deliver the product (vision, goal, task) assigned or assumed.
To advance this further, if all employees and stakeholders of your business learn, imbibe, and apply this mastermind mentality, and work towards attaining higher management and leadership competence yours will become a resilient and successful business.
Until next time, continue to strive to thrive!
Babatunde Odutola
MetroSculpters Consulting
(Pre-legal Documentation | Business Documentation | Joint Venture Advisory | PPP Advisory | Project Consulting | Corporate Structure Design & Implementation| Human Capital Enhancement Services | Revenue-Generation/Enhancement Services)