By Todd Woods-CEO Guerrilla Marketing Strategies

In running a franchise business, or any business, it is easy to get caught up reacting rather than acting. The successful leader and manager however, is proactive rather than reactive. Keep your eyes on the horizon while at the same time looking for pitfalls right in front of you. Your attitude should be that the future is all about change and you are leading that change.

Hen you adopt a proactive approach you will find it easier to identify opportunities. Keep your eyes open continually and plan for what you can expect and take corrective action when things don't go as planned. It's not just a worn out saying, but problems many times rally are opportunities in disguise.

Break out of your comfort zone. Most people prefer what they know and are comfortable with. Growth however generally only comes by getting out of that comfort zone; by stretching your mind and pushing to excel by reaching for new heights. Step away from that old and familiar. Very often, the unknown is not nearly as threatening as it seems. Once you take that step into the unknown, you can enjoy its rewards.

Most people are afraid and hesitant to jump out of their comfort zone due to the fear of failure. But remember, mistakes are often a critical part of learning. When Thomas Edison “failed” in thousands of attempts to invent the light bulb, he didn't give up. Each time he “failed” he got closer to success. When asked why he wasn't frustrated and discouraged that he had “failed” so many times, his reply was something like, “I haven't failed, I have simply found 2000 ways that don't work.” Because of his perseverance, you and I enjoy light.

You only fail by not trying or believing you have failed. My thirteen year old son came home from paying in a basketball game last night frustrated that when he tried to score he missed more times than not, so he started getting rid of the ball every time it was passed to him. I asked why he didn't take more shots and he said, “because dad, if I keep missing shots, the guys will stop passing me the ball.” I then had to explain to him how the batting average works out in baseball, and that even in the major league, good hitters still strike out most of the time. It's a numbers game. If you don't put the ball up, you have zero chance of scoring. The same is true with leadership and taking risk. Do grow and succeed you must get out of your comfort zone and “shoot.” Learn from your mistakes and do better the next time.

My grandfather taught me that there are 3 types of leaders when it comes to learning from others;

•  The first type (the ones with great big egos) make mistakes and doesn't learn from them.

•  The second type learns from the mistakes they make and tries to avoid making them again in the future.

•  The third type of person (the wisest in my opinion) learns from others mistakes and successes and makes the least amount of mistakes. They will of course still run across some things on their own that they don't anticipate, however, the business person armed with knowledge of what works and doesn't work will in almost every case be more successful.

So, be proactive. Determine your success. Don't wait because of fear of the unknown. Reach a little bit higher. Do a little better, and you will continue to enjoy success at a higher level than you are currently.