Can't see the wood for the trees...

"Can't see the wood for the trees"












Well last night I did my 30mins on the orbital track...one think I have found since I started this job is that I have tanked on the weight and it needs to come off...when I was in the US it was a lot easier to keep healthy...It has been hard since I moved back here to Scotland..it wasn't so bad at first when I was trying to start our business with Callum...it was all go 24/7...meetings...conferences..investor pitches and roadshows…

I read a lot when I exercise…sometimes fiction… sometimes reports and business intelligence books…last night I spent the time planning today and what I needed to get done….I started a new Procurement manager yesterday so I need to spend so time with him…and we have a NPI to talk about with the Sales and Product managers…the one thing that did strike me was when was the last time you sat and thought about overall strategy and not just for the business but for myself, and my answer was not for a long time. There is a saying “you can’t see the wood for the trees” and that is a trap that many off us get into, we cannot see the big picture because we are putting out fires all the time.

The task off sitting back and looking at the big picture for yourself and the business is key to keeping balance to the work / play system, it is far to easy to become fully immersed in the work..and forget the play….I hear some of you saying that well I will have plenty of time to play later, I just need to get this company started ,profitable and an exit /IPO, you may not get the time. I always say to guys and I fail in it myself sometimes (like now) you spend a large part off your life working (9600 hrs a year for a light weight) so do something you are going to be happy doing.

When I look at companies for the Venture capitalists, and perform the operational due diligence, the question I always ask is why did you start your company, the answer to that question will give you all the information you need to make a call on wither the company will survive or not. I would say the same to someone interviewing with a start up, ask the question to the interviewer why did you join, or if it is the board why did they engage with this company, listen to the answers, you will know if you are meant to work with them.

Have a great day

Slainte

Gordon