Digital Marketer had an anniversary lately, and Ryan Deiss the founder published a series of great blog posts about what he learned in the first five years of running his business.
The first two were filled with practical advice (that you won’t find in business books) about getting your business started.
The third post was all about finding and communicating your vision, and why it was important.
As it so happened, I was reading post number three in my tent at a Boy Scout NYLT (National Youth Leadership Training) course, on which I’m an adult staff member.
At this course, the adult staff coaches our youth staff who teach the youth participants how to be effective leaders.
The participants are 13 to 17 years old and the youth staff is 14 to 19 years old.
At this course, the youths are taught what it takes to be an effective leader. Then they get to practice it as soon as they learn it.
At the beginning of the week, everyone starts out as strangers. But after spending the week camping in the woods, the goal is for them to evolve into an effective team.
The first day it’s all about teaching the boys about vision – what it is, how to develop one for themselves and their patrols (Boy Scout lingo for teams), and learning the tools to communicate it.
They are challenged to make a vision big enough to stretch them, but yet realistic. After all, they only have six days to achieve it.
During the week as challenges come, we ask how this is getting them to their vision. This helps them stay focused on what’s important and moving forward.
This process also helps them experience what it’s like to work with other people and what it takes for a group to be successful.
If every one of the boys is going off on his own and trying to do his own thing, nothing works for them and the patrol struggles. To succeed at the course it takes teamwork.
Some of the boys struggle with the concept. They feel that they can make everything work by their skills and the strength of their personality. As the challenges get more complex and difficult, they find that they and their patrol are falling behind others.
Other patrols are more successful. Even though they may not have one boy who is as skilled as the ones who try and do it alone, they work together combining their strengths and thriving as the challenges grow.
The skills the boys learn at NYLT gives them a head start on many people. As I encounter scouts who were in the program several years ago and see how they’re doing now, it’s encouraging how many of them credit NYLT with helping them succeed in school and beyond.
If only Ryan Deiss had attended an NYLT course when he was younger, he could have saved himself some challenges as he is growing his company. Luckily, it looks like he is learning fast and Digital Marketer is a successful company on the right path.
If you’re looking for leadership in order to navigate the waters of building your business, feel free to check out our newly redesigned website for more helpful tips and articles. And if you’re ready to take the next big step, CLICK HERE to schedule a FREE consultation call with me to review your social media strategy!
Have a great week!