He’s one of the most iconic fictional characters in the world. The globe-trotting British spy that foils every evil mastermind he comes up against. While that might not seem a perfect place to glean business advice from, 007 actually has a lot to offer in that respect.
Having A Variety Of Skills
Bond has an impressive array of abilities ranging from hand-to-hand combat to piloting advanced vehicles. There’s very little he can’t do and so, when he comes up against a problem, he usually has a way of dealing with it. He’s got this way through rigorous training and it means he’s nearly a one-man army when it comes to storming evil headquarters. Whether it’s abseiling or hacking computers, Bond knows what he’s doing.
Obviously you’re not going to need such a diverse range of skills, but the point is that, when you can, you should be trying to learn new things. Whether this is getting to grips with SEO, learning how to build websites or even picking up a new language, it can all come in handy in the future. If you can start to do things yourself, it’ll save you money, but it also helps you to understand the roles your staff undertake too. It’s a great way to keep your brain active as well. There’s plenty of free resources out there too (such as Duolingo, Code Academy and Coursera to name a few), so there’s no excuses.
Precaution and Precision Planning
Despite Bond’s impressive arsenal of skills and weaponry, he doesn’t just run in guns blazing and hope for the best. When he needs to get access to somewhere or someone, he plans ahead and uses caution. He wants to plan everything down to the second so he can slip in and slip out without being noticed by a single person. It makes his job much easier that way.
While you’re not trying to breach a castle in the mountains, planning is still an integral part of business. You shouldn’t just take the year as it comes. Make sure you’re looking ahead and keeping notes of relevant events (certain holidays, tax deadlines) so that you’re prepared. By doing so you can better use your own resources and time to ensure you get the most out of them.
Using Your Initiative
Of course, even with the best planning in the world, things can still go very wrong (the films would most probably be quite boring otherwise). Bond ends up getting captured, people die and villains nearly ruin his suit with lasers. It’s in these situations where Bond has to take the initiative and find a solution to the unique situation he’s found himself in. As per usual, he finds a way and, by the skin of his teeth saves the day.
Despite all your planning and preparation, sometimes things are going to go wrong in a way you just won’t expect. There won’t be anything you can do to stop it, you just have to deal with it. It can be hard not to let the stress get to you and for you to panic, but that’s not the way. Keep calm and focused and figure out a work around. Even if your idea seems far-fetched, it might just work. In the end, you’re just going to have to try everything, but for the most part, there’s usually a solution out there somewhere.
Joshua Danton Boyd is a copywriter for online accountants Crunch.
Image courtesy Dave McLear
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