Castles Protect What Is Valuable
Let’s use a picture of a castle that we all saw in history. Castles were built to protect what’s valuable. They had massive, high stone walls, moats, drawbridges, watchtowers, gatekeepers, and teams of people along many inner rooms. What is so valuable for you to protect within your business, team and destiny? How can you build a castle system to protect your vision, focus and thinking? A great first step to consider is taking inventory of the thinking that got you this far. Then ask, what thinking or mindsets will it take for you and your business to grow, scale and set new records?
“Diversification is protection against ignorance. It makes little sense if you know what you are doing.” ~ Warren Buffett
Building Reinforcements
To answer this question, what thinking or mindsets will it take to grow your business to the next level, breaking records? Have you ever noticed castles have moats built around them? Many historians have written about the castle drawbridges. Drawbridges are lowered only to let inside the castle what they choose. The moat was a protective way to keep villains away from the castle walls. Negative thinking or pessimistic mindsets are like those villains. What could be your constant emotional moat? In other words, how can you rest in your castle knowing the moat is your first line of defense? In business, your moat could be systems, processes, gatekeepers, secure access points, core values, and trainings.
“Interdependent people combine their own effort with the efforts of others to achieve their greatest success.” ~ Stephen Covey
Lowering the Drawbridge
Lowering the drawbridge in business can have many meanings like hiring the right people, taking on the right clients, or even what you and your team read and listen to. To build a large castle is a massive investment. They built castles because what was inside was very important to protect. Many times, it was the very destiny and future of that kingdom.
There is typically a watch tower to see who is waiting to enter the castle. What is your business watchtower? What are the early warning business indicators that are giving you feedback? What could be put in place giving you real-time feedback? Think of a dashboard that measure your business rhythm. When a person starts out with a business, many times it is a one-person operation, but as the business grows, having people in your watchtower and operating the drawbridge will protect your business’s synergistic rhythm. It’s important to have a great working drawbridge system. Trusting your team with interconnected systems will foster growth outside the castle.
“Whatever we plant in our subconscious mind and nourish with repetition and emotion will one day become a reality.” ~ Earl Nightingale
The Gatekeeper
The castle has a gate to approve the final entrance into the castle. Back in the day, there were many bandits trying to access castles to do harm. What is the castle and process protecting your mindsets, beliefs and thinking? Who are your gatekeepers? What is your gatekeeper training system? The royalty in the castle had a team of gatekeepers so they could be about the business of the day. What are the attributes of a gatekeeper you desire? How can you protect the emotional state of your mind with gatekeepers, systems and culture? Gates are access points; not everyone who wanted to come in the castle was a friend. Not every person who asks you questions is your friend. In other words, have a gatekeeper who knows your business culture and heart. This gatekeeper can protect your time and resources so you can stay in your zone.
“When a gifted team dedicates itself to unselfish trust and combines instinct with boldness and effort, it’s ready to climb.” ~ Pat Riley
The Gate
Castles have many gates of access to enter many types of rooms. Gates can be places of transition into greater growth for your business. What are your business gates? For example, sales can be a gate, as can employees, customers, and other financial systems. What are your current gates that bring the most challenges to your business? Look at the adversity as a great opportunity to strengthen the gate. Remember that over time, some gates simply need oil or repairs.
“Be willing to transition at every stage of your life. If your heart is open and you have an open mind, the blessing will flow.” ~ T. D. Jakes
Gates Open Opportunity
Maybe your business needs new gates of opportunity. What ideas are deep in your heart, but perhaps you are not sure how to take action and pursue them? What opportunities do you hear your team and clients talking about? Think for a moment about the power of the internet. It’s a gate of opportunity with massive potential. As I have worked with technology experts, I have learned they have robots working as gatekeepers protecting the computer’s castle. How could you open the online world to grow greater access to even more gates? Like many industries, the online world is changing constantly. How could you prepare your business castle for the renaissance of all the new technologies? Through all the various gates of opportunity, how can you steer the business rhythm?
“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” ~ George Bernard Shaw
Actions to Consider
1. How would you define your castle?
2. Who are your gatekeepers, and what are their roles? Do they understand their roles?
3. What are your business gates? What gates need some repairs or need to be completely closed up?
4. Who are those who operate the drawbridge to your business, and what are their roles?
It would be the highest honor to be a part of your leadership development and transformation journey.
You were born for greatness,
Ed Garner