As a business coach, I run across a lot of theory, white papers, and general thought processes about business and how to do it. With the age of information, we have access to so much data that it can literally find us now! We have Reader, RSS feeds, etc... it's a GIANT fire hydrant of information hammering us daily. This brings up something that I want us all to be aware of. It's a sickness that creeps in silently and quietly before we even realize what it is. Once contracted, it is very difficult to get rid of. It's called B.I.B.S. (Business Information Bulimia Syndrome). In short, it's definition is as follows: A condition in which a business owner, executive, salesperson or general layperson (in other words, ANYONE...) has an insatiable need for information. The information is gobbled up in such large portions that it is never effectively digested in order to be used by the brain, and thus is shot through our system and exited... well, you get the picture... Now, don't get me wrong, information is GOOD. But like all things we ingest... moderation is key. Does it really matter how much information we've scurried over or does the real test become how much we retain and use to build business muscle? Ever heard of things like "KISS" (Keep It Simple Stupid) or "Less is More"; "Waste not... want not"; or "Back to the Basics"? What these theories are trying to teach us is, "don't over analyze and look for a magic bullet... just do it!" (Thanks again Nike for your slogan... for some reason it always fits.) Listen, if I gave everyone a 2 day warning that they would have to give a power point presentation to their colleagues/friends/employees/employers etc. on "the way" something needs to be done and the steps involved, 80% of us would pass this test with flying colors! But when it comes to implementation of it all, we scrap our presentation and go looking for more information! Why? Are we that unsure of our abilities or are we just that lazy that we dream of that perfect, magic bullet?
Challenge: The next time you go looking for "information" to help you in your business, before you do so, commit to this... "I will actually digest (commit to) ONE piece of information that will be an ACTION item." In other words, don't even look for new information unless you plan to do something with it! If you don't, you will find yourself with a bad case of B.I.B.S. and believe me, that is not healthy for you or your business.
