I have what some people would say is a lot of dogs at the moment. A pack of five border collies ranging in age from the oldest at 17 ½ years old down to the youngest at 6-month-old. Going for walks can be a very different experience each day depending on who I walk with who.
The three middle dogs like to be off the lead, run ahead of me, ferret around in the bushes to see if they can flush out any rabbits to chase and coming back to check in with me to make sure we’re still all heading the same direction. The two girls are constantly watching each other to make sure neither is getting to far ahead or found something the other one missed.
When we take the pup with us, it becomes more like the Melbourne Cup and pup thinks she is Phar Lap. Running off ahead of everyone with no idea of where we are going or how far we are going to walk. The two middle girls get caught up in the hype and run faster and there is a lot of play growling as they race each other, all watching each other to make sure they’re still retaining their position in the pack. Sometimes the young one gets a clip around the ears from the older dogs for being cocky and that brings her down a peg…..for few minutes.
It reminds me of how some entrepreneurs run their business. They’re like the two middle dogs, they have a plan and know where they are going. Watching each other is like watching other businesses and what they are doing on social media. If one of them thinks the other is getting too far ahead of what they think they should, it makes them speed up or perhaps change course from where they were originally going.
Then baby Phar Lap comes along as a brand-new business, full of enthusiasm and new ideas. She’s revving on all cylinders and has a goal in mind and that is to be faster and better than everyone else. She’s posting everything on social media to get the whole world hyped because she’s determined to be the pack leader.
While she’s revving her cylinders and making lots of noise, the middle girls forget what their original goal was and think they have to stay ahead of Phar Lap. They change their plan and end up running the risk of forgetting what the goal was. Sometimes they pretend they are running in a different direction to suck baby Phar Lap into thinking someone else is going on and then doubling back to leave her behind. Or like social media, they have to stop and pee where each other has peed to prove they are better.
However, when baby Phar Lap goes out on walks with the old girl, it becomes a completely different experience for everyone involved. The young one learns that nobody cares about racing her. She has learns that stopping to sniff the bushes teaches you a lot about who has been there before us. She has learnt that stopping and watching the bushes can show you where the rabbits might be, rather than crashing on through at 100 miles per hour and letting the rabbits know you are coming. At the end of a walk with the old girl, she has covered less ground but comes home mentally stimulated having learnt so much and ready for a nap.
REMEMBER your business journey is just that – YOURS!
Comparing your stage one or two of your journey with someone else’s stage eight is going to do more harm than good.
Look at what your competitors are doing on social media with a grain of salt. What you are seeing might not even be the truth – like those people who post amazing family Christmas pics on Christmas day that make you laugh because you know its not the truth. We all have those “friends” on Facebook.
Find yourself a coach who like the old girl, has been there and done that. A coach will keep you accountable to your original plan. They will help keep you aligned to your values and goals. And if you need to change direction it will be after they have asked you lots of questions and helped you assess the situation before guiding you in that change.
Stay in your own lane and do what you love well without worrying about your competitors.
