Goals for Success – Huston Spencer at NACUE

This was probably the most inspiring talk of our NACUE Leaders Training Weekend. Huston Spencer got the audience, 100 of the most enterprising students in the UK, to start thinking "outside their heads". See if you can too – what I wrote on the day is in brackets.

First, write down two goals. One for the next year, one for the next 5 years.

1. "Build Fish on Toast to 100 active members next year."
2. "Run a business with £1,000,000 turnover by the time I am 27"

Second, write down in one sentence what you are going to change about your world (the bit of the world you can definitely influence in the short term).

"I'm going to change people's view of entrepreneurship at the University of Southampton for the better."

Now write down your target to make these goals and change happen.

"People who come to fish on toast because they "belong" to an amazing group of inspiring people."

What are your three greatest strengths?

1. Critical Thinking
2. Inspiring others through public speaking
3. Selling and Idea to myself and others

What are your three greatest weaknesses?

1. Arrogance
2. Not meeting enough new people
3. Late for everything

Make sure you set yourself

BHAG

Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals (it's pretty American but I like it.)

This is a brilliant quote by Max DePree:

"The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant."

Adaptive Management

Most managers only respond to technical challenges – these require knowledge and keep businesses running effectively.

Entrepreneurial managers respond to adaptive challenges. They see that our REALITY is changing before others can. This is where timing comes in and it is what makes all the good stuff happen. Check out my earlier post where the legendry Bill Cain tells us how to make money in a recession.

This also requires you to recognise when your strengths may no longer be useful. And perhaps that your weaknesses are no longer so bad.

This is Humility and you'll need it if you're ever going to be successful in business. It's recognition of the virtues and talents that others possess – it's how to build an incredible team.

Humility vs Hubris

I couldn't have defined hubris and I doubt many others in the room could. Luckily, Huston was well ahead of us. Apologies if any of the following facts are dodgy, it's all from memory!

Hubris comes from the incredible history of the Greeks. In fact, Xerxes, Emperor of Persia was hubris personified. Following The Battle of Marathon – a devastating loss for Xerxes' father, he had returned to Greece with an army of obscene proportions. He gathered all of his finest engineers and tasked them with building a bridge across the Hellespont. That fact that they achieved it at all is incredible. Soon after it's completion, a huge storm destroyed their months and months of work. The bridge was shredded and the ships smashed.

Xerxes was outraged. He called all the engineers together again, this time to cut off their heads. Finally, he sent his priests out into the water where they whipped the seas for days as punishment!

This is Hubris:

"Arrogance so great, that NOTHING is beyond you."

To be an incredible entrepreneur, you need both Hubris and Humility in equal measure. If you don't, you have limited what you can achieve.

You need VISION, and the contacts and inspiration to make your vision a reality.

Youth is a virtue. Use it.

BE BOLD!

It's the big ideas that change the world. And remember, you're young – so if you get knocked down, just get up again.

I'm pretty sure those are lyrics from Tubthumping but I'll let him off. He's an awesome speaker and incredibly inspiring. I haven't done him justice!

Set yourself some goals. Get on it.

Big Fish.