The wisdom dropped by Randy Garn, a powerful, charismatic, entrepreneur are too good not to share.
This past week I was at the Shanda Sumter’s Zone Event, where I saw Randy Garn speak. Before I get into it though, the Zone Event is an amazingly inspirational, educational, and energizing event I recommend to all heart centered entrepreneurs.
Ok first, Randy Garn is like a record label for personal development legends. He is the man behind the brands who excels in turning relationships into revenue for emerging leaders and entrepreneurs. Beyond his role as a serial entrepreneur, New York Times bestselling author, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and Harvard Business alumnus, Randy Garn is most comfortable away from the spotlight.
Now let’s get into Randy Garn’s top 7 Key Secrets for life and business:
1. Continually Innovate on Your Strategy and Execution
This video show a pitstop from 1950 and in 2013. It was a difference of over 60 seconds in 1950, to just 3.5 seconds in 2013. Similar to the pit crew, you get to continually innovate on how you do your business and optimize your team accordingly. Speaking of team, stop trying to do everything on your own. People want to help you.
2. Possibility Mindset Vs. Probability Mindset
Possibility mindset is blue skying thinking of what’s possible, and that’s great for strategy. Strategy is essentially answering the question, how can I be different from everyone else? When you are looking to innovate your business or life, step into this mode of thinking, and don’t hold yourself back. Probability Mindset is thinking of what could go wrong. Exclude probability thinkers during strategy sessions, including the probability parts of your brain. Invite them back in when drafting contracts and working on the accounting, as that mindset can help protect your execution.
3. Get in and Stay in Flow
Flow is when your challenges are growing and scaling at the same time as your skillset. Randy told a story of being in over his head mountain biking with a group of CEO friends in Moab, Utah. As he rode through the rocky dessert he kept absorbing all of the shock, wondering how he was going to withstand the grueling conditions with his lack of experience and being out of shape. Then, after a more experienced biker broke their arm, a fellow rider told Randy to follow the line. Turns out there was a line all of the other bikers were following. That insight allowed him to follow the line to make the ride a lot more fun without struggling through it. This tip allowed his skillset to grow to match the challenge.
4. If You Don’t Have Your Own Goals, Someone Else Will Use You For Theirs
You should set a simple strategy for your life, and it should fit on one page. If you don’t take the time to articulate what you want and how you’re going to get it, no one else will. Period. Do you want to be used for someone else’s goals?
5. Never Be Boring Never Be predictable
People want to be around people who are fun, unpredictable, and confident. Another story Randy relayed was of a buddy who could not land a meeting with a CEO who represented a multi-million dollar account. Randy had the idea to send a baby goat to the CEO’s office to create a hilarious moment. They found out it was only $600 to send one, so they went ahead and did it, and knocked it out of the park! The baby goat made the CEO laugh, it got loose around the office making the office laugh, and local press even stopped by to cover it. Randy’s buddy got the meeting, and the account. Be unpredictable.
6. Indecision is a Decision
If you are stuck in indecision, you are deciding to stall, and that will cost you. Decide.
7. People Are More Important Than Things
People are more important than things. Always be kind, generous, and available for the people in your life.
YoThe five people you surround yourself with most are a reflection of you. Ask yourself, is my circle making me better? Are you actively making your circle better?
Write down the five most resourceful people you like and respect and get to know them.
Write down how you are going to meet them.
Who are the people that depend on you and your revenue? Think about them as your inspiration
Be 100% personal, as the little things mean everything. Remember birthdays, give gifts, send thinking about you texts. Randy has a habit where he writes five handwritten notes a day and sends his favorite book with them.
8. We are headed into an Experience Economy
People want experiences, not just services. See the book and HBR review article by Pine and Gilmore. Think about an Uber vs. Taxi. Both get you were you want to go, but people today value the experience of new car, a driver they can rate, and the experience of listening to their own music. In business today people want to know how you are going to transform them and make them feel versus passive consumption from the 80s and 90s.
9. When Someone Tells You It Can’t Be Done it’s a Reflection of Their Belief System More Than Your Ability to Achieve
Don’t let anyone tell you what’s possible for you, as they have no idea.