"The 20 Mile March" Article by Tina Zawila

This week Steve and I had the privilege of attending the Growth Summit 2015 to hear some of the best business minds in the world speak about business and life. 

The headline act was Mr Jim Collins author of numerous best selling books including the legendary "Good to Great".  Amongst the many teachings from Jim was one he called the "20 Mile March". 

Jim's lifetime of researching organisations has revealed that the most successful ones are those that are focussed and disciplined, consistently and persistently. Often we think that it's one event, one killer product or one stroke of luck that separates the good from the great, however the truth is it is usually doing the right (seemingly small) things day after day.

He calls these things the "20 Mile March" and he used an example of two groups that set off to visit the South Pole...one that was successful and one that fell 11 miles short of returning. In essence the lesson was that the group that did the 20 mile march everyday, regardless of the circumstances or environment, was successful compared to the group that some days marched greater than 20 miles, and then they had days when they chose not to march at all due to the environment. 

He encouraged us all to find our own "20 Mile March". What is it that is within your control, that you must do every day, that will move you towards your goal? It doesn't have to be a big thing, small things done every day usually have a much greater impact than a big thing done sporadically. It's simply the law of compounding!

In business, it's easy for us to blame external factors for our success or failure, such as the economy, our competitors, our customers, our suppliers, and so on.  However, it is really what we do everyday that determines our fate.  

If you need help identifying your "20 Mile March" (or as business advisors and accountants like to call it - your KPI - key performance indicator), then call Sothertons Gladstone today on 4972 1300, we are here to help you.