Newsletter No. 4 | Poolside Inspiration | Why Discipline Matters

Whoever knows me knows I pride myself on discipline, even when the summer sun tempts us all to take it easy. A friend of mine always jokes, “Tomorrow, we will start…” I understand the sentiment, especially in established businesses where perceived stability can lead to complacency. But can you guess my answer?

What if tomorrow never comes?

One Insight from Me

In business as in life, waiting for the perfect moment can mean missing out on opportunities to transform and grow. Why? While I don't want to provide excuses, several cognitive biases sway us away, luring us to the poolside:

Present Bias: Prioritizing immediate rewards over future benefits often leads to delaying necessary action.

Status Quo Bias: A preference for maintaining the current state of affairs can hinder the recognition of the need for change.

Normalcy Bias: Believing that things will always function as they have can prevent us from recognizing and responding to urgent situations.

The thing is, compared to innovating in startups, innovating in established businesses encounters two major challenges: 1) a natural resistance to change and 2) a complacency and convenience mindset. While I don't claim to have a complete solution to this problem, I do believe that driving change often benefits from bit of a push.

One Question for You

From a scale from 1 to 10, how disciplined would you rate yourself today vs. at the beginning of this year?

One Opportunity for Us

Understanding that we're all trying to enjoy summer while still inspiring you with some nudges for your business, I thought I'd share one of my recent favorite reads: Good to Great by Jim Collins. This book explores how good companies can transform into great companies by focusing on three key ingredients: disciplined people, disciplined thought, and disciplined action.

Why This Book?

It emphasizes the importance of having the right people in the right roles, which is one of my core principles.

It discusses creating a culture of discipline and urgency. Yes, you guessed it, another core principle of mine.

It offers practical examples and actionable advice on transformation journeys that can be applied to family businesses and SMEs.

Discipline is key to innovation because it’s not just about keeping things as they are—it requires that extra effort, that commitment to push beyond the status quo. So while I’m not trying to make you leave the pool, why not make your time a little more valuable? At least read a good book and get inspired.