December 2, 2020

THE INNER GAME OF BUSINESS, Part IV Numbers follow. They don’t lead. Numbers follow the actions we engage in, those actions follow the decisions we make, and those decisions follow the thinking that led to them. If we want to change the performance of our company—whether it’s financial performance, operating efficiencies, or sales growth—we must start at the source to determine what the thinking was that led to the outcome. My work with small business owners has repeatedly affirmed that business owners live out our beliefs about money through our business. And our actions often contradict what we say with our words. In his book, Working Without a Net, internationally known change management consultant Morris R. Shechtman states: “There are no business problems—only business manifestations of personal problems.” In other words, when we’re experiencing a problem in our business, it does little good to address only its symptoms. Instead, we must investigate the root cause. In small businesses, this usually resides between the ears of the owner. Time after time I’ve watched companies operated by smart, hardworking people, that deliver great products and services in large, economically healthy communities, fall far short of their potential and suffer financially year after