The power of one mind can bring about amazing and brilliant ideas. The power of two or more minds can bring about something one mind cant: synergy.
We all know the concept of synergy. A simple math equation explains it best: 2 + 2 = 5. When you have multiple minds focused on the same thing, the whole thinking process will always be greater than sum of the parts.
Thats where advisors come in handy. We all need them. No “if” “ands,” or “buts”. Advisors can be anyone. Your dad who helps you think through your new ideas, your best friend who offers constructive criticism, or perhaps that one person who invariably rips apart all of your ideas and helps you to rebuild them and think in a new way.
Advisors are critical to your success and they should always be people who genuinely want to see you succeed and accomplish great things. If you think that you can do it all alone, without peoples input, then youd be partially correct.
You can go far, sure, but without someone to push you, to criticize your ideas, and to offer new ideas and suggestion, your concepts wont breakthrough into astronomical heights.
There are infinite possibilities, infinite ways to think about something, and ways to improve upon an idea. When you take the time to consult with your advisors, you are unlocking those possibilities. You are unleashing more minds, packed with more thoughts, to improve, refine, and stretch your original concepts.
When you start to trust in your advisors, accept their feedback, and incorporate it into the way you think about something, youll see your ideas begin to grow stronger. Advisors, my friends, will make you a much wiser person and will open doors that were once locked behind the mind of only one person.
…it can also get bureaucratic and slow – both anti-entrepreneur, when you have many “advisors” to consult/please etc etc
It’s a philosophy of mine that I always bring new ideas to successful entrepreneurs.
Not to show them off. At least that’s never the way things work out
Instead, I look at bringing talent into the fold as a quick and affordable way to flesh out the rough spots in a new idea. It eradicates muddy thinking. And it keeps me from losing my sense of reality with pie-in-the-sky expectations for revenues and business growth.
You’re right, Dave. A good adviser – one who cares about the venture, yes, but one who also cares about the entrepreneur personally – is well worth the time it takes to find him or her.
Lawrence, indeed it can become bureaucratic… that’s why you, the entrepreneur, have to decide for yourself at the end of the day. The advisors are just guides to help you get to your destination. You are the master navigator.
Brian, awesome method! I like “eradicates the muddy thinking.” So true. I find that that’s what happens with my ideas as well.
Another great post Dave! I added it to our Young Entrepreneur Links of the Day!
Evan.