For the past 15 months I have been a father as well as a business owner.
I spend a lot of time watching my son grow, learn and develop and it has made me think about how his approach could be beneficial to the business world.
Many sectors are dealing with large amounts of disruption, driven by technology, an evolving workforce and changing consumer demands.
It can be hard to tackle those challenges when you are stuck in a mindset of "how things have always worked" or how you have done things in the past.
Check out your business with a fresh set of eyes.
Here are five things a toddler does that business owners could benefit from emulating:
-He takes risks. My son is one of the more cautious kids I know " he likes to think about things before he jumps in - but still, he takes risks, calculated and uncalculated. Sometimes these pay off and sometimes they don't but he never gets anywhere or achieves anything without taking some degree of risk first.
-He ensures he has a good support network. He is much more likely to take a risk when he knows that someone is there to help him if it does not pan out quite as he'd hoped.
-He is intensely curious and won't take no for an answer. Just because your business has systems in place, it does not mean they should not change, or be re-evaluated regularly.
-He is not a big fan of too much regulation and compliance. Too much red tape can stifle business success. Are there ways that your employees' creativity and innovation is being hindered by regulation?
-He is able to capture attention. You may not have the cute factor but it is important that people know about the good things your business is doing. Review your marketing strategies. Don't be shy about trumpeting your business success and making clear what you offer.