Running a business can sometimes feel like an epic journey. 

There are unexpected obstacles. Competitors plotting against you. Employees who need direction. Customers who must be won over. And occasionally, something appears on the horizon that looks suspiciously like a six-headed sea monster. Okay, so maybe not that last one, but you get the point.

That was essentially the working environment for Odysseus, hero of The Odyssey, the ancient Greek epic attributed to Homer. His trip home following the Trojan War was supposed to be relatively straightforward. Instead, it took ten years and involved storms, monsters, sorceresses, shipwrecks and one very unhappy Cyclops.

Three thousand years later, his adventures still offer some surprisingly useful lessons for anyone trying to navigate the business world.

Set a Clear Business Direction

For all the detours in The Odyssey, Odysseus never loses sight of one thing: Ithaca. That's where he's going. Circumstances may change how he gets there, but not the destination itself.

Businesses need a similar sense of direction. Markets change. Competitors emerge. Technology disrupts carefully constructed plans. A strategy created three years ago may no longer make sense today.

The ability to adjust course isn't evidence of poor planning. It's often evidence of good leadership.

Know where you want the organization to go, but don't become so attached to the original route that you sail directly into a storm.

Avoid Costly Business Distractions

One of the epic's most memorable episodes finds Odysseus sailing past the Sirens, whose irresistible song lures sailors to their deaths.

Odysseus wants to hear them without suffering the consequences. So, he orders his crew to plug their ears with beeswax and tie him to the mast, with strict instructions not to release him regardless of what he says.

It's an extreme version of something modern business leaders encounter all the time.

There will always be tempting distractions: hot trends, new markets, competitors' strategies and technologies everyone insists you absolutely must adopt immediately. Curiosity is valuable. Chasing every shiny object isn't.

Sometimes good strategy means deciding in advance what you're not going to do—and creating enough discipline to stick with that decision when something seductive comes along.

Choose Your Business Battles Wisely

Odysseus defeats the Cyclops through cleverness rather than strength. It's one of his finest moments. Then he makes a mistake.

As his ship escapes, Odysseus can't resist revealing his identity and taunting the Cyclops who happens to be the son of Poseidon, god of the sea. Subsequently, dad makes Odysseus' journey home considerably more complicated.

The lesson to be learned here? Winning is usually enough. Businesses can waste enormous amounts of energy creating unnecessary battles—with competitors, critics, former employees or difficult customers. Before engaging, ask what victory actually accomplishes.

Sometimes the smartest response is to solve the problem, get back in the boat and keep rowing.

Build a Strong Team and Culture

Odysseus may be the hero, but he doesn't make much progress without other people. Neither does a business leader.

Strong leaders establish direction, make difficult decisions and take responsibility when things go wrong. But they also depend on employees who understand the mission and can make good decisions without constant supervision.

That requires communication, trust and a willingness to listen.

It also requires recognizing that people have limits. A crew that's exhausted, confused or continually asked to navigate one crisis after another eventually stops performing well.

Leadership isn't simply getting people to follow you. It's making sure they're still capable of completing the journey.

Adapt When Business Plans Change

Perhaps the most useful lesson from The Odyssey is also the simplest. Things rarely go according to plan. A major customer leaves. Costs increase. A promising new product flops. An important employee quits. A competitor does something nobody anticipated.

Successful businesses aren't those that somehow avoid adversity. They're the ones capable of absorbing it, learning from it and continuing forward.

Odysseus spends much of his journey adapting to circumstances he didn't choose and couldn't control. That sounds considerably less heroic when you're doing it on a Tuesday morning with an Excel spreadsheet. But the principle is the same.

Stay Focused on Long-Term Business Goals

Business leaders don't need to memorize Greek mythology to run successful companies. But Odysseus provides a useful reminder that leadership has always required many of the same qualities: a clear destination, strategic thinking, adaptability, good judgment and the perseverance to continue when the journey becomes considerably more difficult than expected.

There will be detours. There will be storms. There may even be a few monsters. Just keep the ship pointed toward Ithaca.