An Ingredient to Success

To run a good company, you need to know the "craft" of business. To run a great company, you also need to practice the "art" of business. But to build a great business, you need art as well as craft. No, you don't have to know how to paint a picture or mold a sculpture, but the best entrepreneurs and managers add passion, creativity, and vision to their skill set. Much of what we do on a day-to-day basis is craft -- the workmanship of running a company. This is no small matter. You can't succeed in business unless you know how to keep your books, produce your product, supply your service.

Make no mistake, learning the craft of business is essential. Many decent businesses survive on craft alone -- by consistently doing the basic day-to-day tasks well. None survives on art alone. It's the difference between concept and execution, inspiration and perspiration. Even the most inspired business concept goes nowhere without hard-working execution. But if you want an exceptional business -- one that not only survives but excels, a business that provides you with exceptional rewards in both personal satisfaction as well as financial gains -- that's where the art of business takes over. When you put your passion and soul into your day-to-day operations, then you've become an artist as well as an entrepreneur.

Source: USA Today