What should you do if you have just purchased a business and are taking the place of a beloved founder? The answer can be summed up in four words

Starting a successful business is hard. Curiously, the same goes for buying an already successful business, especially when it comes to replacing a respected, even beloved, owner whose relationship with employees is both professional and personal. /p>

Of course, the foundations for success are already there.

But how do you put yourself in the shoes of an icon?

Good question, a FOX broadcaster Joe Davis is uniquely positioned to answer. Although he is not strictly speaking an entrepreneur - although, like all of us, he is ultimately in his own business - Davis knows exactly what it is.

He first took over as long-term (long-term, think 67) and recently deceased Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully. Widely considered the greatest broadcaster in baseball history, Scully is the very definition of "iconic".

This year, Davis has become the lead baseball play-by-play announcer for FOX, calling the Baseball Night in America network's signature games on Saturday nights, and will be the first person besides Joe Buck to call a World Series game on FOX for over 20 years. (Not to mention the possibility of calling MLB Game 2 at the Field of Dreams on August 11, held at the site of the classic "Field of Dreams" movie.)

So yes: Davis kinda knows how to take over from longtime, respected and even beloved personalities that people have come to rely on and trust.

Conventional wisdom says you don't want to be the successor to a legend; you want to be the successor to the person who followed the legend.

Everyone said, "Hey, are you sure?" But I looked at it from the other side. Becoming the person who followed a legend was one of the main reasons for taking the job. Part of what makes Dodger's work special is the person I was following. The greatest ever to have held the chair for 67 years. I saw it as an opportunity to occupy a legendary seat.

The same goes for FOX. I grew up listening to Joe Buck.

In any field, the seat is defined by the people who sit there.

What did you learn from following Vin?

It's tempting to try to "replace" the person: to talk like them, function like them, or, in the case of a business leader, lead like them. It's human nature, but people can quickly tell when you're trying to be something you're not.

Instead, and I know this is easier said than done, just be yourself. This way you turn any external pressure you might feel into an internal sense of responsibility, which is much healthier.

It's okay to take inspiration from people you admire, but not so much that it changes who you are.

This does require a good degree of trust, however.

That's true, but if you're buying a business, hopefully you've set up enough relatively unhurried reps to feel ready.

In my case, it was called minor league baseball. There was no better place to get reps every day. I was able to explore who I was, who I wanted to be, and settle into "me".

But keep in mind that I don't think it's about developing a "style". It's not an active thing; it's a passive thing where you allow yourself to pass...instead of forcing a "style".

The same goes for leaders; authenticity results from time and experience.

And constantly trying to improve.

When I played minor league baseball, the next day I read...