Business Theories vs. Knowledge Through Experience

           

Theories vs. Knowledge Through Experience

My commentary today is for listeners who are in business or would like to be, yet are overwhelmed by the vast numbers of books that want to tell you how to succeed. Do you really need to read all those books to be successful?  Just where do you begin?    As a businessman myself for many years, I've discovered one of the finest commentaries on business success I've ever read inside a book entitled, The Whole Truth by author Doug Marman. Now, this is not even a business book, but Doug Marmon's commentary about business is so simple and basic, yet powerful, that I'm going to share it with you today: 

"We live in an age where people are filled with theories, yet these theories are often mistaken for real knowledge.  Take all the latest business ideas on how to make a company more successful. The promises always sound so good.  They present such interesting facts and statistics to back them up, and they make sense, mentally.  They sparkle to the mind.  But hundreds of businessmen and women fail when trying to apply these concepts instead of working from what they know out of their own experience.

“I've seen dozens of companies where belief in business ideals was as extreme as any religious cult.  In fact, the mark of fundamentalism is people who seem so sure of themselves and at the same time talk fearfully about what will happen if you don't follow them.  They treat these beliefs as facts.  It can create a fervor of enthusiasm until sales don't materialize as expected, or profits start to fall.  Then there is general confusion over what went wrong.

“My experience is that most successful people act from what they know and avoid the barrage of faddish theories that come and go.  They don't put their hopes on concepts or processes to make things work.  They know that it comes down to people knowing what they are doing, choosing the right course, and getting the work done.  In other words, it comes from the subtleties and insights derived through years of experience."