“Never follow anybody who hasn't asked "why".”

- Aniekee Tochukwu Ezekiel

Burn the Boats:

I listen to a ton of audiobooks. If I’m honest with myself and you, I’m pretty addicted to it. There was a story I’d heard more than a few times about a general and his army going to war. The General in the story would order his crew to burn their boats which left them no choice but to fight. Whether it’s Alexander the Great, the Spanish Captain Hermán Cortés touching down in Mexico, or you and I. We have to be willing to burn our ship on the road to our “where”. Why?! Because oftentimes, if we give ourselves an “out” we’ll take it.

Writer Tom Peters coined the phrase CDO, Chief Destructive Officer. In this context, you should be your own CDO to make sure you can follow through on your “why”. Commercial janitorial has been a big part of my business life. Before taking the leap into my entrepreneurial journey, I spent a few years working for a janitorial company. I remember the day I quit my job to walk on the proverbial waters of entrepreneurship.

Before quitting, I’d recently texted my boss to request time off from work. He reluctantly agreed to my request but not without telling me that the next time I requested time off through text he’d fire me. That was the fuel I used to burn my boat. You see, I knew that if I quit via text message, there was no way he’d hire me back. So, I picked up my last check, dropped off my work shirts, and sent the text. I let him know that I had an opportunity that I could not pass up and thanked him for allowing me to work for his company. Talk about nerve-wracking. I went two months and fell flat on my face. However, because of the way I quit my job, my pride wouldn’t allow me to go back. So, I got creative and found a way to get back in the game. Now, more than seven years later, I’m still on the road to my “where”.

Break Your Clock

Let’s talk Parkinson’s Law. Parkinson’s Law in short says, if you have time you’ll take the time. However, when you adopt a burn ship mentality, you soon discover that time isn’t necessarily on your side. You develop an all-or-nothing mindset. I remember quitting my job and thinking, I just flipped an hourglass. I was no longer on my boss's time, I was on my time. Not only was I on my time, but I also had no guarantees outside of my own hustle.

In this leg of the race, you’ll need the ability to make solid decisions fast. Being able to make solid decisions fast allows you to remain fluid and to do that, you’ll need to be able to draw on information fast. That’s why we talked earlier in the blog series about the number of books read by the average CEO. Their pay isn’t as much based on their position as it is their decisions.

This aspect of the “why” conversation is last in the “why” series. Why? Because it's important to know and understand that before burning your boats and flipping the hourglass that you know “where” you’re going and “why”. By now, you should have a pretty clear picture of both, if not a viable framework.

Until next week my friend. I look forward to jumping into the “What” of things with you.

Chris Chaney

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, do more, and become more, you are a leader...”

- John Quincy Adams

5.29.22