The Way You Do Anything is the Way You Do Everything: The Why of Why Your Business Isn't Making More Money

Chapter 13

Mastery

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.

—Aristotle

Experts say that if you read just one business book a month, you'll know more than 96 percent of the people around you in a very short period of time.

The sad truth is that most people stop learning as they grow busier and busier. They settle into their lives or businesses, and are often content to know and do just enough to get by. We do very little to advance ourselves as time goes by, unless it's required as part of a professional licensing program or emerges from the sheer desperation to change something like our income. This negatively affects our happiness and limits our access to opportunities.

In his book Love Is the Killer App: How to Win Business and Influence Friends, Tim Sanders, Chief Solutions Officer at Yahoo!, says “The books you read today will fuel your earning power tomorrow.”

I think the mastery, practice, and learning you take on today will keep you present and profitable. There are three areas you must master in business:

1. Your craft

2. Your management

3. Your customer service

Mastering Your Craft

Of the three, this is the process and act most people enjoy. After all, very few people get into business because marketing excites them. We do it to spread our ideas, share our talents, or do something we love.

Here's the rub: We live in the technology age, when competency is no longer enough in business. You can't be merely good at what you do; you need ...