Why not both: successful and right? I don’t subscribe to “either/or” any longer; I now embrace the beauty of the AND which allows for possibilities to come into my life. However, when it comes to success and being right there is clearly an either/or. That is, being successful and being right do not mix, in the sense that those who seek to be right truly desire someone else to be wrong; and, in this scenario, there is no room for success. The need to be right becomes more powerful and it blinds us to possibilities, new perspectives and answers.
In my experience, many franchisees, especially at the beginning of their careers, are simply more interested on being right. They are not ready to accept that they may not know something or that which they are resisting is what may make the difference in their business. They also may feel so insecure in their new role that being right becomes more important.
Success is not about right or wrong. Success is about achieving what we desire and doing whatever it takes to get there. In most cases our success in new ventures calls for our transformation so we can achieve something different. Most successful people we admire had to undergo hardships before tasting success, and most of this adversity came from fighting their own personal dragons. This is always the same regardless of who you are. What’s different is how we react to the challenge.
When a franchisee is trying to prove that a portion of the franchise system or a procedure does not work, they are seeking to be right. The premise they use is not how a procedure or methodology can work, but why it does not work. At that point franchisees are more interested in being right than successful. The question is a challenging one and you will create unease when you ask it, but it is an important question: Do you want to be successful or do you want to be right?
The moment a franchisee realizes that they were seeking to be right, an opening is created. Even when they decide that at that moment they still just want to be right, the awareness created starts the process by which they shift towards success, personal growth and learning.
But the question is not just for your franchisees. Ask yourself the same question. Are you perhaps more interested in being right and don’t know it? If something is not working, what can you do to change it? Are you pointing the finger at your franchisees, the economy, or your franchise sales people? The question is as valid for you as it is for your franchisees. Success is all that really matters. Being right is irrelevant when you achieve success.
