There may not be any shortcuts in life, but there are certainly ways you can work smarter instead of harder, reports Entrepreneur. When you utilize some specific tools and systems, you can accelerate your journey to success exponentially.
Some of these tools are abstract and more mental in nature, while others are concrete and tangible, but all will help you in various ways. The best part about using these tools is that they will help you fast track your way to success in every aspect of your life, not just in business.
1. Embrace servant leadership.
Servant leadership is a timeless concept and one that many of the most influential figures in history have embraced. Great leaders are those who put the well-being of their staffs and communities above their own needs. Simon Sinek tapped into this idea with his popular book, Leaders Eat Last, but it was Robert K. Greenleaf who formally defined the term in his 1970 essay, The Servant as Leader.
“The servant-leader is servant first … It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served.”
All ships rise with the tide, and embracing a servant-leadership mindset that puts your community’s good above your individual desires will unlock unlimited possibilities for you.
As Zig Ziglar famously said, “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want."
2. Focus exclusively on value.
Value is of the utmost importance. This key to success is reminiscent of the famous John F. Kennedy quote, "Ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country."
In many ways value shares the attributes of servant leadership, but the idea with this key is that you provide value to a larger, less tangible audience.
Millions have been influenced, helped and inspired by Sinek’s “Start With Why” TED Talk, yet most have never met him. They received tremendous value from the effort and preparation Sinek put into that talk, and while he’ll never be a servant leader to most of those individuals, he is still able to create a tremendous impact on people’s lives.
Value is you focusing on how much you can give and how big you can serve your market and the world.
3. Automate everything possible.
Automation is something that can help you grow your business exponentially. With all the tools on the market today, you could automate huge chunks of your life by simply taking the time to set them up. Automation will likely be the entrepreneurial tool that revolutionizes today’s business climate.
Think of what Henry Ford’s assembly-line production model did to change industrialism in his time. Automation is that mass-scale production model for today, but it’s about your productivity instead. The more you can automate aspects of your business, the faster your business can grow.
There are highly automated CMS solutions such as Infusionsoft, easily set-up sales-funnel programs such as Click Funnel and other semi-automated online storefronts such as Shopify that can revolutionize your business. The list goes on depending on the solution you require, but automation software is there to make your life more efficient and to free up your time. Use it!
4. Get help.
Last but not least, get the help you need. This final key to fast-tracking your success is perhaps the most difficult for entrepreneurs because it requires capital. However, when you get the right staff, agencies or freelance help on your side, you will be amazed at the difference it makes in your productivity.
The growth will come fast and furious when you get the right resources for your business. People are certainly an invaluable and essential growth tool.
