South Australia has a new battery, a really big one at 100 MW, and that’s enough to power 30,000 homes to keep people cool in the region’s blistering summer heat. Built by Tesla for storing wind-generated power, the battery went from planning to contract to completion in a phenomenally short time. In response to Mike Cannon-Brookes, another billionaire, Elon Musk said Tesla would build the battery in 100 days or the approximately $50 million battery “would be free.” Tesla met the deadline; in fact, it beat it.*
That’s the nature of entrepreneurial thinking. Given any challenge, just say, “Yes.” Given any problem, just say, “I can solve it.” True, any entrepreneur might fail—and many have—but there’s no getting things done the slow way, the sheepish way, or the bureaucratic way that has any better record of accomplishment. Probably, were we to run a check, we would find that the cautious way has a greater record of failure and definitely a greater problem with deadlines. Probably, also, we would find more cost overruns and fewer on-time completions associated with bureaucratic methodologies (too many cooks in the kitchen).
Elon Musk is one of those “yes”-sayers. And you can be one, too. Given any challenge, simply say, “Yes.” You might have to work hard and learn fast, but what’s your alternative? Want to know? Your alternative is to let someone else or some bureaucracy adopt the task. You gain nothing.
Do you risk failure by saying, “Yes”? Yes, but you also deny success by saying, “No.’’
Time for a parable. Read Matthew, Chapter 25, verses 14 through 30, for a story that is as much a psychological and entrepreneurial lesson as it is a religious lesson. It could just as easily be seen as a lesson in economics. A rich guy gives “talents” (think money, but the term obviously has a double meaning) to servants, and then leaves for a bit. When he returns, he asks for an accounting of what each did with the talents he gave. A couple of the servants doubled what they were given. One simply buried the money lest he lose it in some entrepreneurial venture that might have failed.** Two said, “Yes.” One said, “No.” You can guess (or read) the outcome, but it seems fairly obvious. Elon Musk—he’s not actually named in the New Testament—is one of those two that doubled what they were given.
Say, “Yes,” and figure out a way to overcome each challenge. The highways and byways of many industrialized countries are strewn with small enterprises built by “Elon Musks” who took up challenges without hesitation. True, there are many closed businesses and numerous empty office buildings; yet, not far from those that are closed are those that are not only open, but also flourishing, providing jobs because someone looked at a challenge and just said, “Yes, I can do that.”
With regard to opportunities, saying “Yes” offers no guarantees, but saying “No” guarantees failure.
* http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/tesla-powerpack-battery-south-australia-1.4416028
**Bible, New Testament, Matthew.
That’s the nature of entrepreneurial thinking. Given any challenge, just say, “Yes.” Given any problem, just say, “I can solve it.” True, any entrepreneur might fail—and many have—but there’s no getting things done the slow way, the sheepish way, or the bureaucratic way that has any better record of accomplishment. Probably, were we to run a check, we would find that the cautious way has a greater record of failure and definitely a greater problem with deadlines. Probably, also, we would find more cost overruns and fewer on-time completions associated with bureaucratic methodologies (too many cooks in the kitchen).
Elon Musk is one of those “yes”-sayers. And you can be one, too. Given any challenge, simply say, “Yes.” You might have to work hard and learn fast, but what’s your alternative? Want to know? Your alternative is to let someone else or some bureaucracy adopt the task. You gain nothing.
Do you risk failure by saying, “Yes”? Yes, but you also deny success by saying, “No.’’
Time for a parable. Read Matthew, Chapter 25, verses 14 through 30, for a story that is as much a psychological and entrepreneurial lesson as it is a religious lesson. It could just as easily be seen as a lesson in economics. A rich guy gives “talents” (think money, but the term obviously has a double meaning) to servants, and then leaves for a bit. When he returns, he asks for an accounting of what each did with the talents he gave. A couple of the servants doubled what they were given. One simply buried the money lest he lose it in some entrepreneurial venture that might have failed.** Two said, “Yes.” One said, “No.” You can guess (or read) the outcome, but it seems fairly obvious. Elon Musk—he’s not actually named in the New Testament—is one of those two that doubled what they were given.
Say, “Yes,” and figure out a way to overcome each challenge. The highways and byways of many industrialized countries are strewn with small enterprises built by “Elon Musks” who took up challenges without hesitation. True, there are many closed businesses and numerous empty office buildings; yet, not far from those that are closed are those that are not only open, but also flourishing, providing jobs because someone looked at a challenge and just said, “Yes, I can do that.”
With regard to opportunities, saying “Yes” offers no guarantees, but saying “No” guarantees failure.
* http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/tesla-powerpack-battery-south-australia-1.4416028
**Bible, New Testament, Matthew.
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