What's Your P/E Ratio?
Author: Nicky J. Davies |
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Categories: Business Fast Track
Now you might think I’m referring to your company’s price to earnings ratio that every investor wants to know.
Nope.
I’m actually referring to your personal ‘passive/excitement’ ratio; that “I’m reasonably comfortable where I am, thank you very much” feeling vs “this is slightly scary but I’m oh so excited” feeling.
So, what is your current P/E ratio?
If it’s skewed toward excitement, then you are probably living a Discovery-Driven approach to life.
Korn Ferry (2014), the world’s largest executive search company, found that what sets top executives apart from the rest is an insatiable curiosity and willingness to learn. It is a Discovery-Driven approach to business and life in general.
What might surprise you is that a Discovery-Driven approach embraces failure as a given; it’s not a matter of if, but when!
Unfortunately, we live in a world where being anything less than the best at all moments is tantamount to failure. But it’s totally unrealistic. Not one of us is performing at our best all the time, especially when we are doing something new or in a new environment.
But it isn’t failure itself that limits our dreaming or personal innovation. It’s fear of failing that does.
Fear of what people might think if we get it wrong.
Remember how it felt at school when you got the answer wrong in front of the whole class?
You were probably publicly shamed, felt embarrassed or humiliated.
But if we can take shame out of the equation, we can be more daring and weight our P/E ratio much more in favour of “slightly scary but oh so exciting!”.
We can really put ourselves out there and learn from the experience. Discover new things about ourselves.
The downside of a Discover-Driven approach is it’s often a lonely place.
You can find yourself surrounded by people who are weighed down by the P-side of the P/E equation; striving for the illusion of safety and security.
You can find it challenges your sense of identity as you no longer fit any regular label that society would like to give you.
People around you question the decisions you make, are keen to point out the negatives, or even ignore you!
But the more you do take a Discovery-Driven approach, the easier it gets and it becomes exhilarating and energising.
You gain momentum and success requires momentum. Suddenly you can find that you have made a quantum leap in your performance and your life.
I myself have a heavily skewed P/E ratio to the “slightly scary but oh so exciting” side.
I’ve had some spectacular failures; my high-priced lesson in start-up investing I gained from the incorrectly named as it turned out, Success Magazine business. My foray investing and working with a Pharmacy Group where strategic business skills were wildly lacking at the Board level. Oh, and the years of investing and supporting Hydrokinetic Energy Projects in the US and Central America that ultimately got legislated out of business.
Great lessons learned from these experiences. Painful at the time, but such rich learning applied to my leadership development company.
So, if you recognise yourself here – let’s talk! I would love to help you gain momentum in your business and your life, and make that quantum leap in performance.
Here’s the link and look forward to our conversation: