IT’S NOT PERSONAL, IT’S BUSINESS

I’m sure we’ve all heard that one before. I grew up on lots of war stories from ancient China, Greek Mythology, the Roman Empire and World War 1 and 2. For this reason, I couldn’t help but associate today’s business world with war tactics.

I don’t condone the violence, of course, but I can’t help but see how the psychology and the emotions that goes into war and business as being similar.

If we take for instance, training and leading the troops, we can translate that today to management tasks and how you’re leading your team.

When it comes to using artilleries, phalanx, your cavalry and infantry, we can translate that to marketing, tools and other strategies.

And finally, during your closing calls, or negotiations, there’s a lot of EQ and IQ that goes into it. The philosophy and psychology is prevalent and one can not deny the similarities of war to business.

So going back to how we’ve all heard the saying “It’s not personal, it’s business”, well for me, it is. It wouldn’t be if I was merely investing in a stock, a trade, a company startup or a piece of real estate. Those types of investment are just business and I agree, there's no emotions nor passion associated with those investments. However, when it comes to your own company, something you’re passionate about, it’s a bit more personal, wouldn’t you say?

I’m unable to detach my personal views or efforts regarding my own business, and perhaps, that can be a negative thing. But it can also be a very positive one as I channel my passion which often translates into powerful determination. It’s that little pinch of madness that helps drive my work forward day in and day out.

But we can talk about mindset and passion on another day. I want to share how I see business services, team and solutions mirror that of a military structure.

Like warfare, we have our troops, and in business, we have our teams.

“Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley.” - Sun Tzu

Closers and salespeople are at the forefront of the line of sales whereby they take on the calls. They are the first person they meet with inbounds and outbounds. Being at the frontlines, they are the ones with the sharpest skills and we count on them to close deals, for this reason, they are the CALVARY.

Next in line is the infantry. The foot soldiers. The ones creating compelling copywriting to increase awareness, to raise curiosity and to increase conversion through digital advertising. These are the ones driving the footwork through email campaigns, digital advertising, social media posts and so on. They are the ones putting in a lot of sweat in battle, they are the INFANTRY.

Third line are the tacticians, these are the ones MASTERMINDING every mission and every battle. They think and plan. They envision and lay down the paths. From mapping out funnels, email sequences to strategizing contents and more, for this reason, they are called the TACTICIANS.

Finally, every camp, and every military has its ARTILLERY. Arsenals for a marketing firm for instance can include video editing, video creation, chatbots, app development, website development, call centers, CRM, email campaign management tools, and more. These are the weapons, tools, hence, the ARTILLERY.

While I was conducting this in my mind, I envisioned an actual map and saw how I would move my troops into battle. Like a war General getting ready to go into battle.

“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win” - Sun Tzu

In other words, I am very visual in my head. Ever watched the movie "A Beautiful Mind", about the brilliant mathematician John Nash played by actor Russel Crowe? In the movie, John literally sees the numbers jump out, with cinematic effects, it looks like he's able to extract and work on the formulas, patterns and cryptic codes as he's scanning the numbers. I sort of do the same, without the cool movie effects of course. But I literally extract ideas, tasks, structure, and then compartmentalize them, after which I prioritize. And once prioritized, I tackle the list of things to do.

To summarize it, what helps me structure my work is I envision the work ahead, such as the military map shown above. I see how my work is outlined, I see its purpose and how it delivers. Then I extract tasks I need to do, list them out, prioritize and then tackle the list one by one.

Ever thought about how you envision and organize your work?