THE ART OF BUSINESS: IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF GIANTS

French writer and Nobel Prize winner Anatole France once said, “To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.” Many of us, especially those of us running small business, know how to plan and act. We make lists, we chase funding, we gather clients, and we bury ourselves endlessly in the avalanche of paper at our desks. We are, in fact, the marathon runners of action. No one can dispute the number of hours of sweat and elbow grease we pour into our business.

The question is, how well is that approach working for us? Hour for hour, small business owners and entrepreneurs earn less than most employees in the business sector. Oh sure, we may bring home a large paycheck, but when we divide that paycheck by the number of hours we put in, how much are we making per hour? More importantly, are we really living the dream we set out to dream? Was our dream big enough? Did we even have a dream?

It turns out that one of the main reasons we small business owners work really hard without getting very far is because we don’t have an inspiring long term vision that leads us, step-by-step, into the future of our dreams. Most of the time, we’ve either forgotten our dreams or didn’t have one to start out with. As Victor Hugo said, “There is nothing like a dream to create the future.” We need a dream, and we need to dream big!

In business terminology, the dream is typically called the Vision, and it defines the final destination of your business. The dream tells you where you are going and becomes, in effect, your North Star. If you’re not sure how to set your North Star, check out these quick start guidelines. Some of the most successful and spiritual companies in the world have visions that fall within these guidelines:

• FREE THE WORLD: The best visions from the great companies free the world of some limiting condition. These companies seek to somehow make the world a better place. Southwest Airlines wants to “free the skies” so more people can afford to fly. Grameen Bank wants to free the world of poverty, and Medtronic, with their medical implant devices, wants to free people from physical pain. How do you want to improve the world? 
   
• NOT IN THIS LIFETIME: The truly great companies have visions that cannot be achieved in one person’s lifetime. For instance, Southwest Airlines wants to free the skies so anyone who wants to can afford to fly. That might take a while! 
   
• NOT QUANTIFIABLE: Part of the reason that big visions cannot be achieved in a single lifetime is because they cannot be quantified. Medtronic’s vision is to “Restore people to full life.” The vision doesn’t say how many people they will restore to full life with their medical implant devices, or within what period of time. The vision is basically in effect as long as people who have suffered health issues need to be restored to full life. 
   
• LONG TERM INSPIRATION: Even though these great visions cannot be fulfilled within a single lifetime, they have to be so inspiring that generations of people will strive to achieve it regardless. When the founder of the company is no longer leading the company, the vision must remain as a beacon, guiding the company toward that same destination at all times. Despite its ever-increasing size, Southwest Airlines has managed to maintain a strong and purposeful culture in which every employee is still on a crusade to free the skies. No employee shows up for work just to “do a job.” The Southwest Airlines vision is so strong that every employee is a crusader of freedom. 
   
• RISK: Big dreams entail big risks. Southwest Airlines co-founder Herb Kelleher was willing to risk his career for four years (and his own money) while he fought in the courtrooms to get Southwest Airlines on the ground. Though the airline was formed in 1967, its first airplane didn’t take off for four long years, while other airlines and DFW airlines fought Southwest in the courtrooms. Yet Kelleher was willing to risk everything to “fight the good fight.” Why? Because he believed so strongly in the vision that nothing else mattered.

Pablo Picasso once said, “Everything you can imagine is real.” If everything you can imagine is real, and you can start the creation process simply by dreaming it, why not dream big? The truly great companies have shown us what it means to dream big, and how much you can achieve by expanding your horizons and lifting your vision to the highest degree.

If you’re not sure how to create your vision, or if you don’t know whether your vision is big enough, check it against these questions below:

• Does your vision liberate the world in some way of some limiting condition? (Remember, “making a buck” only frees you, not the world, of a limiting condition.) 
   
• Can your dream be quantified? (If it can be quantified, it’s not a dream but an objective or goal. A dream has to be so big that you can’t put a number or a date on it. That’s what keeps it always in front of you, always in your future.) 
   
• Does your dream last longer than you will? (A dream that will carry your company to greatness has to last longer than your lifetime, otherwise you’ll achieve it too quickly. If you’re dream can be achieved quickly, it’s not a dream—only a goal. Remember, dream big! Set your vision far into the future. Only big dreams can free the world.
• Can your dream inspire not just you, but all who follow you? (Since your dream will last longer than your lifetime, it has to be inspiring to everyone in your organization. Is your dream that inspiring? It doesn’t have to inspire the world, but it does should to inspire everyone in the organization. Does it create that “fire in the belly” - for everyone in your group?)
• Does your dream have risk involved? (If you’re working on a no-risk dream, chances are that not many will follow you, and your dream won’t last beyond your own involvement. Real dreams, big dreams, have risk, and they are also inspiring enough that people will join the cause for life.)

Ready to dream big? If not, take some inspiration from this poem written by John Turnipseed, Director of People Services at Southwest Airlines.

Dare To Dream
Some people only look at life through eyes that seldom gleam
while others look beyond today as they’re guided by a dream
And the dreamers can’t be sidetracked by dissenters who may laugh
for only they alone can know how special is their path
But dreams aren’t captured easily;
there’s much work before you’re through
but the time and efforts are all worthwhile
when the impossible comes true
And dreams have strength in numbers
for when a common goal is shared
the once impossible comes true because of all who cared
And once it’s seen as reality a dream has just begun
for magically from dreams come dreams
And a walk becomes a run
But with growth of course comes obstacles
and with obstacles come fear
but the dream that is worth dreaming
finds its way to the dear
And the dream continues growing
Reaching heights before unseen
And it’s all because of the courage
of the dreamers and their dream.