Game ready
A professor of mine who also serves as CIO of a major federal government agency once said that, beyond having the right academic pedigree and an extensive network of contacts within the industry with whom to bounce ideas, one of the most important pieces of career advice he could provide is to show up game ready day in and day out. He added that we all know people we work with who take on any project or task with vigor. They may not necessarily agree with every decision or direction in which their organization moves but, like a good player in any team sport, they know that the extraordinary energies of a few star players rarely can replace the momentum of an entire team of players each doing their own part as best they can.
Some people may look at this statement and think of the proverbial company man, the guy who does what he must to maintain job stability and not rock the boat, depending upon tenure and seniority to climb the corporate ladder. Many believe this notion is dead because of the rapid pace at which business must move today and the decreasing loyalty both between employer and employee and vice versa that has resulted.
I think, however, that the game ready attitude can apply in an entrepreneurial setting, too. The energy it takes to build a business when the path ahead is rocky and untrodden is different and requires something more than just showing up in good form, but showing up ready to play still has to be part of one's ethos in order to bring a business into its own.