This is the age of human sophistication as evident in every facet of our lives, even in business.

The way of doing business in the 80s, 90s and at the dawn of this century is different from what we experience today as business models have drastically changed and also advanced.

You can’t even use the method of businessing five years ago to match what is obtainable today.

Sometimes I wonder if the likes of Lee Iacocca and Jack Welch could successfully contain the challenges that today’s business climate brings as they did in their days. Indeed, a lot has changed.

It might interest you to know that doing business today is war! And in every war, the more sophisticated your weaponry; the more you are sure of victory at the war-front.

There are five main areas that you’d need the sophistication to match the challenges that today’s business tradecraft demands if we must survive and thrive. I represented them as 5Ms for business superiority, namely: your mind, machine, minute, money and men. Let’s quickly explore them.

Your Mind

The first place to sophisticate is in your mind. Business is principally a mind game. And the battle won in the mind is as good as won in reality. In life, it’s first mental warfare before any other.

You can’t achieve much more on the outside than what you have achieved and become on the inside. Those who can’t outwit their opponent mentally would hardly do so physically or by any other means.

What do you do then? Enlighten your mind continuously with up-to-date information on current happenings in your field. In other words, develop the ability to constantly acquire new and better forms of knowledge that you can use to your advantage at the war front. You and your business can never go any higher than you think.

How strong is your business mind to meeting the ever-increasing business challenges that we see daily in the marketplace?

For people to mind your business, you must learn how to use your mind in your business. Engage the services of experts, whenever and wherever necessary.

No one can do it alone in these days where specialization is celebrated.

And depending on the nature of your business you could also collaborate or form an alliance with great minds that you can leverage on to be ahead of the game.