What Watching Grey's Anatomy Taught Me About Business (+ How You Can Use It In Yours)
I have a Q for you - What do you focus on when you are binge-watching your favorite show on Netflix?
Do you focus on just the show you watching or are you learning something from various characters as well?Don't get me wrong-- some of the shows are pretty addictive, but ultimately you ought to also focus on the CONTENT! The "intelligent" stuff!
What Watching Grey's Anatomy Taught Me About Business (+ How You Can Use It In Yours)
+ Don't be a sucker for rules - So many times, we get caught up trying to do everything by the book when in reality, you need to throw the book away (sometimes) and follow your intuition.
+ Standing in Superhero Pose - It has been scientifically proven that if you stand in the superhero pose for 5 minutes before a job interview, presentation or difficulty task, you will not only feel more confident, but you will perform measurably better. Here's the video by Social psychoilogist Amy Cuddy that talks more about this study - Your body language may shape who you are.
+ Be Creative - Most episodes on Grey's Anatomy talk about groundbreaking research, surgeons coming up with a solution that's never been tried before or modifying an existing surgery, they are always coming up with diverse ideas to solve their patient's problem. Being an entrepreneur is quite similar. You've got to be creative in order to stand out from your competition. It can be done by developing new products or services, analyzing the market trends and filling in the gap or just setting a new trend in the industry you belong to.
+ Take Risk - I'm guilty of not doing this more often but taking risk is an essential part of being an entrepreneur or simply living an exciting life. I don't remember how many times I've heard the word inoperable tumor in the show. But the doctors have always found a way to operate even if it meant taking huge risks. This risk for you can mean applying for the course you've been wanting to but too scared to do so or going after a retailer you've been too scared to approach to keep your products. Whatever risk looks to you. You may have a lot to lose by taking the risk but if think the result outweighs the risk then go for it.
+ Push your limits - Every doctor or intern working in the hospital find themselves working long shifts, back to back surgeries and pushing their limits by little sleep and lots of coffee. It's not good for health but it's what's keeps them going. I'm not asking you to work 36hrs, but pushing yourself and having a little healthy competition (just as the interns have amongst themselves) can be good for your business. I've been struggling to complete my book since a very long time because I lost my passion for writing. But when I decided to go for it, I gave myself a deadline, small enough to let me push myself and big enough to not rush and write just to complete it. Your commitment and dedication will go a long way through in your business.
+ Know your patients aka your tribe - The reason as patients we are asked so many questions when we go to see the doctor is to ensure they can provide us with the best care. Similarly, when you running your business, it's essential to know your customers so you can provide them with better services. or find solutions to their existing problems.
+ It's okay to make mistakes - So many times we've seen doctors making mistakes in form of the wrong diagnosis, missing a piece of information or just being negligent. It's okay to make mistakes because it teaches us to be more careful in future. The same applies to us in our lives and businesses. It's okay to make a mistake or not know something when a client asks us. You can always find out and get back to them with more information.
+ Dance it off - This is my personal favorite. There's nothing a dance can't solve. Feeling stuck, dance! Can't think of a social media post? Dance! Put n your favorite song and dance. Applicable in both personal and professional life. So many times we feel stuck, have a creativity block or not motivated enough to work through another day of being an entrepreneur (keeping yourself motivated 24*7 is not an easy task), we need to find ways to keep the energies high and nothing beats dancing on your favorite Beyonce tune.
+ Never stop chasing your dreams even if it seems impossible - One of the tragedies that happened in Grey's Anatomy was a plane crash where one of the surgeons lost her leg. But that did not stop her from chasing her dreams even if it seems impossible at that time. She got her legs amputated and is now the head of a Paediatric department in the show. We'll have our own set of crashes in our business, losing money, unsuccessful launch or not making enough money when starting out; but that should not stop us from chasing our dreams.
A lot of these characteristics and points come from the fact that the surgeons know their strengths and are confident in their abilities, which pays off when they are taking risks.
Their colleagues and patients believe in them and have confidence that they would pull it through. Therefore it's important to know your strengths and believe in yourself. The rest will follow.
"When we follow our hearts; when we choose not to setle. It's funny, isn't it? A weight lifts. The sun shines a little brighter. And, for a brief moment at least, we find a little peace" - Meredith Grey (Grey's Anatomy)