"Successful business people stand on ground that is crumbling beneath their feet" – Joseph Schumpeter
I don't know about you, but I’ve encountered this quote several times over the years and I don’t think I really ever understood what it meant.
For some reason, I paused when I saw it recently and gave it some thought.
What does this quote mean? I think the answer could be different for everyone, depending on what your circumstances are, but in general, I think it means to continually move forward because today’s material success doesn’t usually last long.
To me, today, it means having urgency to grow personally, not just professionally or physically. I can’t remain the same person tomorrow that I am today and expect to get better results.
For example, there is someone that works for one of my clients who is not responsive. Rather than going to their boss or being disrespectful to them, I’m working on myself first to hopefully influence them to be more responsive to me on their own.
I imagine it’s more satisfying and long-term to influence someone else with who I am and how I treat them to increase their responsiveness towards me rather than resorting to things I could do for a quick solution to the situation.
What does this ‘crumbling’ quote mean to you? What are you doing to grow personally, professionally or physically to keep you moving forward?
This article was last modified on October 11, 2022 .
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