Tips from Survivors in Business and in Life: Plan, Action, Faith

I’m reading a fabulous new book that I received as a Christmas gift called The Survivors Club by Ben Sherwood.  Sherwood sets out to find common denominators in people who have survived incredible odds…from mountain lion attacks to plane crashes to a knitting needle through the heart.  It’s a page-turner filled with unbelievable and well-written accounts of regular people who have faced the unthinkable and survived.  Sherwood’s goal is to figure out to what factors these individuals credit their survival and provide tips on what the rest of us can learn from their experiences.  I’m halfway through the book and can’t wait to devour the rest.

The biggest thing I’ve taken from the book thus far reminds me a lot of risk management.  Have a plan.  And no matter what, act.  Apparently there are a lot of people that perish due to inaction or inability to formulate a plan. And, of course, looking ahead to 2010, it reminds me of my own business planning.  Pete Wright recently wrote a compelling blog entitled People who dream, people who execute, and people who inspire us to create. His point was that many of us dream but not many of us execute those dreams.  Those who do are truly inspiring.

The other major take-away from the book has to do with a healthy dose of faith.  Those who survive all possess this mindset, whether it was in tact before their experience of because of it.  Perhaps it’s this faith that allows people to take those calculated risks necessary and to act when it really matters.  This reminds me of some of the most successful business people I know personally.  They have a plan and aren’t afraid to act but they also have a great belief that it will turn out the way it’s meant to turn out.

Since I’m standing on the brink of a new and unknown endeavor, these points are especially relevant to me today.  Sometimes it seems like there’s so much to learn.  So much to develop, so much to think about that analysis paralysis sets in.  But apparently survivors in life and in business have one thing in common.  They have a plan. Then they act, trusting in their faith to navigate the best course to survival.