Connecting intrigues me. And connecting in a way that really matters compels me.

Throughout my career it is the one question that, well, uh, mattered. Peeling back the layers of time (not so easy for an old guy like me) it becomes clear it’s what my parents attempted to teach me by not just giving me work, but giving me work that mattered and explaining to me why it mattered. It’s what Bill Wallace tried to ingrain in my head as I lounged in his Current Events class. “You’re not a bump on a log so stop acting like one! Do something that matters!” he continually chanted. The image of him stalking the classroom aisles, demanding participation, expecting excellence, extolling the virtues of knowing what was going on in the world so we could make a difference in the world is imprinted on my mind.

Our ability to connect the dots as business owners is one of our greatest challenges. Take a moment and reflect on your work. Can you clearly make a connection between the work you are doing today with your defined strategic objectives? What about everyone else in the company? If you can’t connect those dots then your daily tasks likely don’t really matter. The connection appears to be an elusive one for most companies to make!

The following statistics are presented by Ascent Global in their booklet “Executing The Work Itself.”

100% of workers need a systematic process to help them execute strategy.
73% of workers do NOT think their organizations goals are translated into specific work tasks they can execute.
56% of workers do NOT clearly understand their company’s most important goals.
69% of workers do NOT think employees should be trained on how to execute organizational goals.
87% of workers are NOT satisfied with the results of their work.

Creating & communicating your company objectives is important but ensuring every worker’s daily tasks are aligned with objectives is critical!

I was on some entrepreneurial forums this morning reading over some concerns that people have as they maintain a full-time “job” while startin’ up a startup on the side. Most of them spoke to sleep (or lack thereof), commitment and effort they are able to give their day job, and enough focus and energy for their venture.

As I was perusing the comments and wondering what my experience offered by way of an answer I overheard Rich telling Shanna a story about his kids. Rich has always encouraged his children to become business minded. As a response to their Dad’s success with websites Rich’s sons started 2tieatie.com with the intent to learn how to generate a profitable website. The profits will go to a couple of places, mainly their college funds and their family’s humanitarian effort in Nepal. As they reviewed their traffic this weekend they were a bit disappointed by the results. When Rich asked them what to do his eleven year old said,

“Let’s growl at it!”

Well, in Christiansen language “growling at it” means buckling down, gritting your teeth, and MAKING something happen. And that’s what they did. They had a meeting to discuss strategy. Rich’s sons came up with things that Rich would never had thought of, include chain emails and youtube and every other internet related option at a teenagers disposal. The traffic has more than doubled.

So many people are right on the cusp of starting their own business or finally being free from their corporate ties- but how do you make sure that your plans come to fruition? Well- growl at it! There are solutions! One post I read said that a man moved closer to work, saving him about 3 hours every day. Now that might not seem like a lot to you- but when you work a 9-5 and then go home to your venture to find a full inbox- 3 extra hours is looking pretty good.

Look at the resources available to you- maybe it really is as simple as going viral on the internet. Maybe you need to schedule a lunch with a solid contact. Maybe you just need to put in a little more time. There are more opportunities waiting for you than you realize. You just need to hunker down and give it a good growl.