Business is slow: is massive action the answer?

The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone definitely is inspiring and worth reading.

The author’s main point deserves recognition: Most success comes after a LOT more investment of energy, time and resources than we expect at the outset. I’m reminded of Pat Summitt, the Lady Vols basketball coach; in one of her books she wrote something to the effect of, “We will win because we will out-work you.”

In my experience, an equally big question is, “How will you spend your time?”

You can work ten times as hard as your competition, but you can still suffer mediocrity when you (a) choose a goal that’s not in line with your strengths and values, (b) take action that will not lead you to your goal or (c) take actions that *would* lead you to a realistic goal but botch the execution.

The late Lynn Grabhorn, author of Excuse Me Your Life Is Waiting, warned against the danger of what she called “heigh-ho silvering,” dashing around taking action without reflecting on the purpose of all that activity. It is all to easy to mistake “keeping busy” for “accomplishing actions that lead to goals.”

I’d have expected Cardone to talk more about focus and setting priorities *before* entering into massive activity. Cardone hints at the need for identifying appropriate goals but focuses more on numbers and action.

In all fairness, this focus is reasonable. I’ve heard several coaches say, “Most people know *what* to do and how to do it, but they won’t take the actions they know they need.” Still, I’ve seen people fail because they’re totally inexperienced or naive about the “how” as well as the “what.”

Cardone points out that commitment to success includes a “whatever it takes” clause, but not everyone understands what that means. He suggests cutting out television, oversleeping, and similar activities, but there’s a finer line when it comes to working out or spending time on recreational activities to recharge your batteries. Some people work best as distance runners while others get there as sprinters.

Finally, Cardone emphasizes taking control of one’s environment. I strongly agree with his response to challenging situations. Ask, “What could I do to keep this from happening again?” and focus on how to respond. He offers some good suggestions for writing down goals – nothing really new, but requires some determination.

Some readers will be disturbed by Cardone’s approach to marketing. He says if you do an excellent job of increasing your customer volume, then good customer service will follow naturally.

We all know companies and services that market themselves brilliantly but fail to deliver at the same level. Sadly, some inferior products and services succeed because they were marketed so well; Cardone cites the common example of Apple vs Microsoft.

I definitely agree with Cardone’s suggestion to spend time with successful people, as it’s easy to get deflected by criticism and disparaging remarks. However, I was amused by his suggestion to ignore criticism.

Despite these comments, I am actively recommending this book to colleagues and Facebook friends. The author’s energy is contagious. His “take no prisoners” attitude to success will inspire many readers. Click here to order via my Amazon link.