The problem for Allen Amason is that people think about business as sports. And for Amason, dean of the College of Business Administration at Georgia Southern University, sports metaphors translate poorly into business.
“We talk about winners, we talk about losers,” said Amason, “as if they meant anything.”
In business, the rules are not always the same and not everyone gets the same amount of opportunities, said Amason.
He spoke at the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce Small Business Council’s SMART luncheon, held Tuesday in the Savannah Morning News auditorium, 1375 Chatham Pkwy.
More than 100 people turned out to hear Amason emphasize that the game of business never ends.
“To win, the game must end. I know what it means to sell more, make more, know when my customer decides to buy from a competitor,” said Amason, “but the game does not end.”
He said thinking about winning causes complacency and satisfaction with success.
Amason, who specializes in strategic management and decision making, urged listeners to focus less about the finish and more about their position in the market.
According to Amason, business is a race where the race never ends but businesses can always improve their position.
For start-ups, this might mean engaging in strategic thinking.
“We want to think outside the box, but everyone asks for proof,” said Amason. “Data is retrospect, strategic thinking is forward...sometimes it takes a leap of faith”
As for sports, business is the treadmill that never stops moving.
“When you take your eye off where you’re going, you fall,” said Amason.
He said this is especially true when companies focus on competitors, not customers, even though companies must be cognizant of competitors and the market.
In the end, business is a game of position, not winning, said Amason.
“Even if you’re winning, you haven’t won.”