The TV show MacGyver was an iconic show that grew beyond itself. It became a parody skit on Saturday Night Live (“MacGruber”), and the term MacGyver evolved from being a person’s last name into a verb. According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, it means: “To make use of surrounding materials to build a contraption, or to get out of life's crazy things.” In April, I was fortunate to meet Richard Dean Anderson, who played MacGyver, and it made me look back and see the effects his show had on me and my outlook on life.
MacGyver rarely had exactly what he needed to get out of the jam he found himself in. He had to make due with what he had on hand. As business owners, we do not have unlimited funds to just go out and buy everything we need. We have to, on a daily basis, use what we have at our disposal to get the job done. Take marketing, for example, it would be nice to ‘drop mail’ our marketing to every business within our area, but we cannot afford to do that. Sometimes, we strategically target and canvas an area, then drop off our marketing in person to select companies.
One thing that MacGyver did was ask a lot of questions. He asked enough questions to get to the root of the issue, so he could then figure out how to fix it. Many times, when I meet with new prospects, they don’t necessarily know what issues they have. It is my job to ask the right questions, and the right follow up questions, so that I can find the root causes of their problems. Every business owner needs to know how to ask the right questions, so that they can provide the right solutions for their customers.
If you have ever watched the show, one thing that you would have noticed is that MacGyver never gave up. This probably had the biggest impact on me when I was growing up. Just because someone says you cannot do something, does not mean it can’t be done. As business owners, we have to adapt, improvise, and overcome the obstacles that are in front of us. If we are not able to do this, we will not be in business for very long.
Who has had an impact on your life?
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