They Shot 6 Missiles At His Plane! (And How Principles Are Always There For You)

In 1991 the combined might of the United States armed forces started the fight to liberate Kuwait.  You probably know some of the historical facts but some incredible individual heroics happened during Desert Storm.  Like the story of Air Force pilot Emmett Tullia, for example.  On January 19, 1991, he was one of the first wave of F-16 sorties that were tasked with destroying enemy forces.

While he was dodging anti-aircraft fire during his mission the Iraqi defenses fired not one, not two, but six surface-to-air missiles at his plane.  Incredibly, he dodged all six missiles even though his flares and chaff countermeasures failed to deploy even one time. 

Tullia credits his relentless training and commanding officers as the reason why he survived that day.  He summed up his entire experience in the war by saying: “When I saw actual leadership in action, it made a huge difference.  It was amazing.”  Although his heroics were personal, it was being on a team that saved the day.

It is good to remember that when things get dicey there are always principles and people you can rely upon.  In this way, you are never alone.

There Are Always Lessons

Desert Storm was a long time ago so it is a bit easier to examine it dispassionately to look for what lessons can be gleaned from it.  That definitely cannot be said for the craziness going on in the world right now.  Emotions are running high everywhere it seems.  One thing that I know for sure, however, is that things are a lot more complicated than the “experts” on social media make them out to be.  That is why I try to stay away from big controversial topics and focus on things I can get my arms around.

You don’t always need to be looking at the big “industry” picture all the time.  There are lessons to be learned when you can manage to keep things on a small team level.  If I keep my focus on my faith and my family, everything else seems to always work out.  If those things are working well then I have the bandwidth to handle anything else that comes my way.  One of the biggest mistakes I see new entrepreneurs make is trying to overcomplicate things, or take home run swings trying to be a market “disruptor”.

The easiest way to keep your eye on what is most important to you is to work on being a leader.  Why?  Because good leaders are always concerned with how their people are doing.  This keeps your focus on the team and the task at hand.

A Leader Is Always Thinking About Their Team

It is hard to get distracted by the newest shiny thing when you are constantly thinking about how to help the people on your team.  This is why I love boring businesses so much.  The very thing that makes these companies dull to most people is what gives you the biggest advantages.  Yes, they can be repetitive but that is what allows you the time to invest in your people.  This in turn makes the business more profitable.  

If you are always putting out fires on the operational side of things because of their complexity you won’t have the bandwidth to grow your people.  It is a very simple equation.  That is not a great long-term strategy.

The more skilled your people become, the more money your business makes.  This is a principle that translates across every business.  From accounting firms to car washes, leadership is a requirement for you to reach your goals.  It is also one of the best hedges against risk for your portfolio.

It can be fun to read about the latest trends in business but success always boils down to the fundamentals.  Leadership is a core need of your business that will never change.  Another one that people try to gloss over with hacks and shortcuts is good old-fashioned hard work.

“All Hard Work Leads To Profit.”

How do I know that hard work is one of the core principles of success?  Because it is referenced in one of the oldest and most influential books we have: the Bible.  Proverbs 14:23 says “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”  The world is filled with people who like to talk a lot about what it takes to succeed.  If they try to tell you there is a way to do it without hard work they aren’t giving you the whole picture.  Nothing worthwhile can be achieved without grinding it out.  This doesn’t mean that you have to be in the grind forever but there is no way to get what you want without putting in the effort (Yes, working smarter is a thing but note work never leaves the equation).

A lot of people don’t know that the Bible is filled with a ton of other business lessons that have stood the test of time.  I put a video together of six other principles that you may find helpful when thinking about your business goals.  You can watch it here:

A boring business based on the principles of leadership, teamwork, and hard work will stand the test of time as the world gets more complex.  You won’t need to be dodging missiles but you will be able to handle unexpected twists and turns in your business.  Count on it.  The good news is that if you keep your focus on things you can control you will come out the other side stronger for it.  This is one of the reasons that the Acquisition Aces I know are some of the most mentally tough people I know.  Something to think about.

Have a great rest of your week!

 As always, if you want to compress time frames and have me coach you on every part of the process of buying a boring business (or acquiring a portfolio of them), book a time to chat with me here: Calendar

Ben, I Want to learn more…

If you feel that you are constantly working "in" the business instead of "on" the business and feel that your goal of financial freedom has led you to a prison of your own design.

You are not alone, I used to be there as well.

I have 6 companies and counting and work less than 20 hours a week on them - COMBINED.

It is not rocket science and I can help you do the same for your business.

Choose a time on my Calendar and we will get to it.

Onward,

Ben

PS - Coaching compresses timeframes. If you want help on finding the perfect deal for you, book a time on my calendar here to explore becoming an Acquisition Ace: Calendar

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