In the midst of reading these three books, I find myself constantly checking ways which the methods described in them can be used to benefit my personal business. It is a challenge to not only absorb the valuable content from each piece of literature but to implement that knowledge in practical ways. I highlighted my favorite things from each book as soon as I finished reading them. Putting these concepts into practice is a challenge because it’s turning something from thought to intentional acts then automatic functions. A key point I took away from all of these books is how much control we have over how we think which conducts how we act, which determines our success. Thinking positively and with the right amount of optimism can drive actions, and produce positive outcomes. I am still in the early stages of putting these ideas to work inside of N.O.V.A. but have been practicing others in my personal life for a while now, for example not letting your emotional choice take precedence over the profitable or correct choice.
Communication
Communication is huge^ (pun intended). When we have poor communication inside of the business, important details don’t just get tossed aside, but people get upset and it puts another pothole in the avenue of communication. Now that I’m using concepts from these books I find that people are quicker to exchange critical information and cooperate with the goals of the team.
Before, there used to be less creative thought among all members, and fewer times where people took initiative on things that needed to get done. A great example: we recently received a new quote for insurance, and this form which normally would have taken me about a week to break down and understand was completely dissected by myself and one other team member in a matter of two days. We knew what questions we needed to ask, we motivated each other, and got a professional reply worked out and delivered in a timely manner.
Book Breakdown
I am implementing concepts from ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’ like paying yourself (the business in this case) first. Also asking questions like “How do we make this dream a reality? How do we afford this?” lead us to reform our business model and start seeking out Venture Capitalists to invest in our business. Before, we would have just tried to do everything on our own with even less unity.
‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’, reminded me to give more construction and encouragement before I give criticism. It showed me that generally what your first reaction or thought is, it is probably the opposite of what people need to hear. There are so many good takeaways from that book that I try to inject into my personality every day.
Finally, ‘Think and Grow Rich’, helped to show me how to use imagination as a constructive tool to build the world which you desire. Which I have begun to translate to my team, and promote a bigger picture. This is what I believe helped to spark the idea of collaborating with a venture capitalist.
This is the beginning of the most innovative, constructive, and defined times inside of Nest of Vipers Airsoft.