“You should be a two-star general by now…”

With two young kids in the house, I don’t often get to sneak away and see movies unless they have some type of fairy princess with a magical castle or a singing koala bear. But I made it a point recently to see one of the first movies in a long time that really needed to be seen in theaters to do it justice – TOP GUN: Maverick.

The movie was fantastic and is one of the few movies where I’d debate the sequel might actually be better than the original. But hey, they only had so much they could do with cameras filming F-14 TOMCATs in 1986. I’ll try not to give away too many spoilers, but as I sat and watched the story focus on Tom Cruise’s character, Maverick, he had lost some of the shine I remembered him carrying from the original.

When I was growing up in the 80s everyone wanted to be Maverick – the cocky, bulletproof, daredevil with no respect for authority. He threw the training book out the window, pulled off awe-inspiring stunts, rode a crotch-rocket with no helmet, and always got the girl. He was the personification of the wild, free-spirited, living-on-raw-talent attitude that dreams are made of – until (as the movie’s deeper theme pointed out so well) you realize how often in life talent is wasted when no one is there to help guide it and reign it in.

Maverick’s abilities should have propelled him to a decorated military career, but he sabotaged himself time and time again with unnecessary risks due to lack of discipline and self-control. Interestingly, after all his failings, the only reason Maverick was still able to fly at all was due to help from his old rival, Iceman. Iceman’s character was the polar opposite of Maverick. He did everything “by the book.” He studied, worked hard, and followed orders. He took only well-calculated risks and relied less on instincts and more on technique and logic. Iceman had a stable career with far fewer peaks and valleys, but at the end of the day, I never knew anyone who pretended to be Iceman as a kid. These two personalities, the brave risk-taker and the careful calculator, needed each other to find the most success in their careers.

As a marketing coach, I find an odd mix of personalities during my consultative calls. Some contractors call me at wit’s end, finally admitting their conservative ways will always leave them lagging behind and stagnant. They need massive amounts of encouragement to try something new, step out of their comfort zone, and break some tendencies, but getting them to take even nominal risks is like pulling teeth. Others have seemingly tried it all, usually ignoring good advice and conventional wisdom in the process. They jump on every new, flashy trend, ride the wave until it eventually crashes, then they’re off looking for the next adrenaline buzz.

What’s odd about these two personality types is they both usually find a degree of success, but can you imagine what they’d find if they each came a little closer to center?

Can you picture if one of these old, established contracting companies were a little lighter on their feet and willing to take the occasional needed risk without a three-month or more period of indecision and red tape? I’m not talking about being unwise or adopting a “shoot, ready, aim” mentality, but how about just finally making a move you know should have been done long ago? I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to talk to contractors season after season about website improvements or implementing a customer retention program and they still eventually decide to kick the can down the road. The problem compounds with each passing day, but their reluctance to assertively make a call holds them in limbo.

Or can you imagine if one of these brazen risk takers actually took the time to get a solid marketing plan together that’s worth investing in long-term? Instead of putting temporary (and often needlessly expensive) Band-Aids on their marketing just because the solution is advertised as quick and easy, what if they listened to some conventional wisdom, mixed it in with some of their cavalier attitude, and patiently gave it the TIME necessary for good, sustainable growth? Iceman and Maverick both had plenty to learn from each other, and when they teamed up, that’s when magic happened.

To push this TOP GUN theme one last time, you need a good wingman that you can trust in this business – one that will help reign you in when you step out too far and give you a needed push when fear is holding you back from necessary action. Do you have a marketing coach you can trust to help you get the most growth potential out of your business or are you just flying blind? If not, call 800-489-9099 or email [email protected] today.