Pharaohs are Human Too!
The Pharaohs had a problem which made them extremely vulnerable…
Pharoah:
- Had immense authority,
- Surrounded himself with people who thought as he did,
- And his advisors focused on the same problems and shared perspectives,
- Was rarely challenged (it was too dangerous!
…and so, Pharaoh didn’t have the insight and support he needed to find novel solutions.
This is still problem for supreme rulers (and celebrities) today. They know that many of the people who want to get closer to them have a hidden agenda so they’re suspicious and they are comfortable with people who think like they do so they rarely get challenged. At the same time, they feel a natural desire for companionship so they invite people into their world and even involve them in decisions… whether those people are competent or not.
Anyway, back to Pharaoh…
Around 4000 years ago, Pharaoh had a series of bad dreams that caused him great distress. When he shared these with his advisors (mostly drawn from relatives, family friends, long-term advisors and descendants of advisors, priests, and magicians) he didn’t get any real insight because they all shared his perspective, his reliance on the status quo (the predictable behaviour of the Nile), and his assumptions.
Unfortunately, none of their placatory advice soothed his anxiety although you can be confident they did their very best to soothe him (an all-powerful ruler who is feeling threatened and anxious is not a safe person to be around).
However, it wasn’t until he talked to a man who came from a completely different culture and environment and who had a different perspective on life, security, and agriculture from any Egyptian, that he heard an explanation that made sense. Joseph’s experience of a quite different environment enabled him to interpret Pharoah’s dream and his independent political philosophy showed him a workable solution which he was able to sell to Pharaoh and which was proved effective later on.
Lessons for Entrepreneurs
Maybe you don’t have the wealth, power, and autonomy of Pharaoh, but the chances are you just as blinded by your background, skills, advisors, and experience when it comes to identifying and solving your business problems.
The social, political, and business silos we build for ourselves are extremely dangerous because they stop us from truly seeing other perspectives and solutions. These silos can even blind us to the life-threatening problems we’re heading towards.
Your employees, advisors, friends, relatives etc are well-meaning, but they usually share your point of view… which is comforting… until it isn’t! That is, it’s great as long as everything is running smoothly, but when you are faced with impending disaster it can be devastating.
So, What’s an Entrepreneur to Do?
Entrepreneurs need to surround themselves with people outside their own industry and organisation. People who understand business and the current environment, but have no vested interest in the decisions you make. That’s why masterminds are so popular with ambitious business people: they are an inexhaustible supply of insight, vision, solutions, and experience that you can draw on and learn from.
Unlike your employees, coaches, and consultants they do not stand to gain anything from your success or failure: apart from your gratitude because their income is in no way dependent on your success or failure.
No Need to Look Too Far…
The Melbourne Magnetic Marketing Entrepreneurs Mastermind Group meets monthly in Box Hill, easily accessible by train, tram, or car. Our goal is to provide Entrepreneurs with a safe yet challenging environment in which to discuss business and marketing strategies, ideas, and implementation as well as to get feedback on specific campaigns and collateral.
Our members come from a variety of industries and have a wealth of experience designing, implementing and refining every aspect of business and marketing to deliver the lifestyle and income we want. You are welcome to visit once and see if it is what you are looking for before you join.
To learn more and sign up for notifications visit https://memg.com.au.
NB: This is not a sales or referral meeting. Our purpose is to help each other reach our ideal clients, patients, and customers more effectively.