If you grew up in Chicago in the 1970s and 1980s, you know all about the 1985 Chicago Bears and their ’46’ Defense.
It was one of the most dominant teams in NFL history, and the names from nearly 40 years ago are still just as famous as if we had watched them play last Sunday.
They had a dominant defense. They had several shutouts that season, including in the first two playoff games, which was unheard of.
No one could stop that defense, and for a Chicago fan, watching them sack the quarterbacks and put the fear of God in opposing teams was something beautiful to behold.
And yet today, the 46 defense, which was so innovative and dominant in the 1980s, has gone the way of CDs and is rarely used.
Why ?
NFL offenses have evolved and turned the tables. The 46 became vulnerable and fell out of favour.
It’s a shame, but that’s how the real-world works.
Like in business.
The fate of the 46 is a good lesson:
A system can help you succeed, but then when it’s no longer useful, it can become a distraction and a major roadblock in your business and to your life.
We too are following specific playbooks.
When we first started the business and had to make enough money to pay the rent and keep the lights on, we focused mostly on hustling and making sales.
We put in the hours, we made the calls, we mailed the packages, we did pretty much everything to put a roof over our heads and food in our mouths while we got the business off the ground.
Then we grew. We hired. We took on more business and things got complicated.
Soon we found ourselves working hard again, but unlike the launch, when it was the thrill for survival and getting things off the ground, it is often about plugging holes in leaks, putting out fires and answering the same questions.
Everything has to go through us, so we have to be in 35 places at the same time.
It’s exhausting and holding us back.
The business has grown and evolved, and like the offenses faced by the 46, we need to replace how we line up and go to work every day.
We need to replace the playbook, which has lost its usefulness and has long expired.
We need to replace hustling for a sale to driving a company to scale.
To put in place the teams, systems and processes that will free up our time to focus on growing our business into a thriving and valuable asset.
Becoming the quarterback of our own destiny.
Beating the competition
And enjoying the fruits of a business that works for us and not against us.
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P.S. My Book Roadblocks You Can’t Ignore: 10 Roadblocks Holding You Back From The Freedom You Deserve From Your Business is now available in paperback and Kindle on Amazon.com and other Amazon stores (not UAE yet).
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