Lessons that will help your firm grow

Russell Bell PHOTO/FILE

Last week I got a little bit fired up by some ill-judged comments about Wanganui Collegiate which made the front page of this fine paper. In concert with the farcical X Factor-like beauty parade which is seeking a new leader of the Opposition (while promising moonbeams for the regions), we saw a senior opposition MP openly criticising one of our local economy's major economic generators.

I have long since given up trying to reconcile the politics of the left with good economic policy (especially for our region) - so it was almost with relief that media attention on Monday turned to local business owners being recognised for their achievements.

On the weekend, the region celebrated the best and brightest of the business community with the ANZ/Chamber of Commerce business awards. Congratulations to the winners and also to those who took the time to enter the process. Each of the winners said a great deal about the "green shoots" in the local economy and this is a testament to the drive and energy of their owners and our current economic direction.

Running a business comes with significant challenges and rewards, and it is important that the wider community understands the role that small to medium businesses play in maintaining and developing this community's wellbeing.

However, another topic has got me thinking this week.

Monday also heralded Liverpool finding themselves at the top of the English Premier League - this made even better by their beating Manchester United to get there.

Such has been Liverpool's decline over the years that friends and relatives ring me to celebrate their successes - and, because those calls are few and far between, I really appreciate them!

So, starting on a high, the week quickly became a non-stop roller-coaster ride of thrills, spills and lessons learned. And out of this, with the help of my mentor, came the return of a realisation that when you are in business it's the lessons you learn that provide the foundation for growth. So, in an effort to quickly pass on some of my own learnings (many are reinforcements of previous epiphanies), here are this week's highlights:

1. Trust your gut. It is quite amazing how often your intuition and insight into situations will reflect reality, especially where rational thinking might say otherwise.

2. Growth is not always good. It has to be the "right" growth and due diligence often bears these things out. If an opportunity, over time, begins to cost you more than the benefits it brings, walk quickly away. (See also 1 above.)

3. Eliminate distractions. Refine your focus.

4. Wisdom and knowledge reside everywhere.

In the case of the fourth point, I refer to a workshop which I ran on Tuesday with a group who reinforced for me why it is "I do what I do". So clear was their thinking and approach to their work, and the value they create for the community, that I was re-taught what I would describe as "lesson number 5" and also reflects the business awards above:

You do not need to look far to find inspiration.