Skate With Your Head Up

TweetThere is a saying in hockey — “Skate With Your Head Up.”

I learned this the hard way, I was laid out while skating at full speed and staring straight down at the puck.

Never saw it coming. Painful.

This is the last time I ever played full contact ice hockey. The truth is that I was never very good at hockey. I didn’t have the skill to skate well while handling the puck.

Why is it important in hockey to be able to skate with your head up while handling the puck?

Handling The Ho-Hum

For a skilled hockey player, handling the puck is second nature. It is the equivalent of the tasks that we carry out as tiny business owners every day. It is the Ho-Hum.

• Balancing Your Books
• Dealing With Vendors
• Fulfilling Orders
• Speaking With Customers
• Executing Standard Marketing Tactics
• Making Sales Presentations

But if these Ho-Hum business practices are not streamlined and executed seamlessly by the business owner – they will have to look down at the puck and take their eye off the game in front of them.  This is dangerous and can cause your tiny business a lot of pain.

Concentrate on your processes and make these standard practices as easy as possible to carry out. You cannot manage your business if you are constantly taking your eye off the game in front of you and looking down at the details.

Observing Changes in the Game

In hockey, and in business, there are ever-shifting threats and opportunities. The crushing “hip check” that will devastate your business could come in the form of new legislation, an obsolete product or service offering or the improper use of a marketing tactic.

Avoid the big hit. Keep your head up.

In a hockey game, there are windows of opportunity that are opening and closing second by second. A lane opens for the perfect pass to a team member in front of the goal – and just as quickly as the opportunity was opened — it is closed.

You have to react quickly to cash in.

In business, opportunities are opened and closed with the same speed. The Internet adds an extra dimension of speed to the game. Opportunities open (and close) quickly in the form of new business relationships and partnerships, the recreation of your business model or the emergence of new marketing tactics.

As a tiny business owner, you have to do it all. You are managing both the details and the “big picture.”

But keep your head up!  Your tiny business will win if you can manage the details while keeping your eyes and attention focused on avoiding that crushing hit and capitalizing on big scoring opportunities.

Leave a Comment!  How do you handle both the details and the “big picture” of your business?