Jackie Zach
July 29, 2024
Join Jackie Zach and Mike McKay as they delve into the surprising impact of boredom on business success. They explore how a perceived lack of excitement can actually be a sign of stability and effectiveness, rather than failure. Mike emphasizes that sticking to consistent processes, even when they feel monotonous, is crucial for long-term success. He shares examples demonstrating how impatience and the constant search for new excitement can lead to poor decision-making and subpar results.
The conversation also highlights the importance of maintaining discipline and following through with plans, using comparisons to Shakespeare’s timeless plays and successful businesses like Lexus and Tyson Foods. Jackie and Mike argue that embracing boredom and focusing on refining processes rather than chasing after immediate gratification can lead to substantial growth and success. Their insights encourage listeners to view boredom as an opportunity for improvement and to persevere through repetitive tasks for the greater good of their business.
Are you bored in your business? Take advantage of a complimentary business strategy session to discover the opportunities in your business! https://actioncoachwi.com/podcast-ask-a-question-complimentary-session/
Podcast Transcript
Jackie Zach: Welcome to the Tough Love for Business podcast. I’m your co-host, Jackie Zach, and today, we’re diving into the topic of boredom. What happens when business owners get bored?
Mike McKay: You make poor decisions.
Jackie: Exactly, poor decisions. Can you elaborate on that?
Mike: Sure. People often think that boredom is incompatible with business. They believe you should always be active, constantly doing something. But the truth is, a successful business can be quite boring. It involves repeating the same processes day after day, generating consistent, profitable results. Boredom is the opposite of frantic activity. It’s about sticking to the routine, not jumping from one thing to another too quickly. Many people abandon their plans or strategies too early, expecting instant results, and then they jump to something else, which often fails as well.
Jackie: Right. This constant need for excitement and change can definitely cause problems in your business. I’ve seen business owners constantly shifting from one thing to another, without allowing any strategy to fully develop. They panic if they don’t see immediate results and switch gears too quickly.
Mike: A classic example is a client who started a 90-day plan on December 1. By December 15, they were saying, “This doesn’t work. We need to do something different.” I reminded them the plan was for 90 days, and they were only on Day 15. They thought they could go from zero to two sales meetings a week in two weeks, which is unrealistic.
They stuck to the plan. By the end of the 90 days, they were averaging 1.4 to 1.7 sales meetings per week and reached three meetings per week by mid-March. The key was following every step of the plan, not just parts of it.
In our business, we see similar results when we stick to our 90-day plans. Consistency, even when it feels monotonous, pays off. For example, our networking efforts are starting to show results because we continue doing the daily work.
People often get impatient after a few attempts, but committing to the full duration is crucial. Boredom sets in with repetitive tasks like networking events, but if you want great results, you must do the boring work. That’s what leads to success through the law of precession.
Jackie: Exactly. You often reference Shakespeare. His works have been performed countless times over 500 years, yet the words remain unchanged. Actors may bring their own nuances, but the core content stays the same.
Mike: This also goes back to the scripting we’ve discussed in the sales process. You don’t go to a Shakespeare play expecting a random jumble of words. Every time someone tries to modernize Shakespeare, whether it’s a movie or a hip-hop play, it garners some interest but eventually fades away. Shakespeare’s original plays have endured since 1564. Actors can choose to be bored or to perfect their performance with the same words, using inflection, body language, and tone to create an emotional journey with a catharsis at the end.
Your business processes are similar. The goal is to make money by doing the right things and attracting customers. You can choose to be bored or to chase perfection, like Lexus with their tagline, “the relentless pursuit of perfection.” They make cars every day, just like Tyson Foods makes chicken. When someone at Tyson got bored and didn’t follow the process, it led to recalls. That’s entropy—deviating from proven processes.
Even in a $500,000-a-year business, if you get bored and stop doing what’s successful, things won’t keep happening on their own. Hope is not a strategy. You must stick to what works and continually improve it without changing the core process.
You can let your business crash, go through cycles of ups and downs, or you can stick to what works, improving it bit by bit until it becomes second nature. Test and measure your processes, and only consider changing them when they stop making money. Until then, keep doing what works.
Jackie: Indeed. Even if you’re bored, there’s always room for improvement in your processes. Use any feelings of boredom as a chance to focus on improving your processes or mentoring your employees. If you’re bored, try to grow and develop both yourself and your team.
Mike: You can see boredom as a sign of success. There are many things you can still do, so don’t lose sight of that. If boredom feels negative, remember it’s just the law of entropy creeping in, suggesting it’s okay to create problems and fix them later.
Jackie: Exactly. If you’re bored with your business, see it as a chance to choose not to be. Until next time, have a great one!