GOTTA HUNKA SPUNK?                                                                                                                               

NEGATIVE REALITY: “In THIS economy? Nah, now’s not the time to be thinkin’ about starting or expanding a business. You’d have to be nuts! Besides it costs too much for stuff like that, and –if I were gonna do a big new push, I’d want to do it the right way, y’know? Big-time!”          

POSITIVE REALITY: There will never be enough money available to start up or expand a business the way I want to make it happen. Never. So waiting won’t matter. I’ve always believed that CONTRARY to the famous quote: 

NOTHING comes to he who waits!     

That leaves spunk . . .  

1.  Spunk,

2.  determination,

3. tenacious persistence, 

4. belief in yourself and your ideas,

5. commitment,

6. and a burning desire to make your ideas succeed. 

When all six of these ingredients are front and center 24/7, odds are you will succeed by just putting your head down and charging toward the goal of making your product or service ideas come to fruition. 

When you can do that, the money you need to put things over the top will come to you from sources you least expect. Every truly successful entrepreneur will attest to this. If you doubt it, then consider these two points:

• If you have doubt, then you do not have all six criteria (noted above) going for you. Back off and shore up the weak spots before you go charging off. 

• If you are close to having the six criteria above, but still have a smidgen of doubt, talk with someone who has been successful as an entrepreneur, someone who started a successful enterprise on the proverbial shoestring, and you will hear back the exact same kind of chatter.                                           

In other words, people who worry about their ideas making money will not make money; they will, instead, make worry. 

Those who turn their backs on the making money goals and focus their energies instead on getting their ideas to succeed, will make money. 

Weird, huh?  Perhaps, but it’s true.

I have helped over 500 successful businesses and business expansions to get started. I have never seen a single exception to this thinking.  I’m sure there must be some somewhere, but not in my experience. 

You can take advantage of my experience if you’re thinking about launching a business or expanding one. For a modest consulting fee, I will serve as your temporary coach and advisor until you get things off the ground. I work with clients by phone and computer and occasionally, when realistic and appropriate, personal visit. 

You can tap into what I have learned the hard way and spare yourself considerable stress and expense. 

If you’re interested, call me direct at 302.933.0116, and let’s set a time to talk. No fee. I’ll give you 20-30 minutes to get me interested.

If you can’t afford me or I can’t help you personally, I’ll steer you in the right directions –as a courtesy– because my life’s mission is to help small businesses succeed.                                                                                                        

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 “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!” [Thomas Jefferson]

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals. God Bless You.

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

There are 30 million of us,

and we know better!

Through your manipulated mainstream media mouthpieces –specifically all the TV networks (except Fox), public radio, and most major newspapers– you and your union-thug cronies can talk until you’re blue in the face trying to convince us all that the economy has turned.

We know better.

We are the 30 million catalysts of America’s society and economy who own and run small businesses.

We see the truth. We are not stupid. We know the economy has not turned.

In spite of all your empty claims and false promises, we know this is only the beginning.

We are watching

. . . the gas pumps guzzle our wallets! While you cheer the rising prices to “urge more prudent energy spending,” we are paying more to ship and transport less. (And forget about pleasure travel!)

Are you truly so naive as to think that preserving obscure wildlife species (like spotted owls?) that barely even inhabit America’s vast oil-rich tundras to start with, could possibly be more important than our nation’s self-sufficiency and long-term human survival?

How much longer do you think you can continue to cultivate our nation’s dependency on Arab oil supplies when there’s more than enough in the U.S. to be able to cut those ties completely?

Let we whose lives your decisions are impacting make those choices for ourselves and our own grandchildren.  

We are watching

. . . food prices soar. We are eating (and feeding our families) less healthy more affordable meals in order to cut costs. Food costs will continue to rise as Arab-imported oil costs rise.

At some point, your defiance will shut down the shipping industry, and the rest of our industrialized nation will get flushed away in its wake. No? Then prove it. At the very least explain it! 

Your creeping socialism power-craze has overtaken the reality of America’s survival. Your misguided actions are succeeding at snuffing out the very spirit of entrepreneurship that has made America great! 

We are watching

. . . your tax dollar handouts go to bungling corporate giants who contribute not one iota to new job creation.

We are watching

. . .  unnecessary useless jobs be “created” in government so you, the bosses, can step back and smile and orate and snap your suspenders and gloat about all the new jobs being created.

Those meaningless jobs accomplish nothing except increase the already-catastrophic deficit that you have had the power to fix by putting an end to your administration’s reckless spending. You have instead opted to usher in a state of chaos and convulsiveness that tears at the very fabric of American life and America’s families.

Exaggeration? Oh, how we wish that were the case.  

Evidently, the news has somehow escaped you that America’s 30 million small businesses account for the vast majority of new jobs (97.7% by some estimates!). 

It must be hard to accept and act upon that fact when you’re deliriously busy spending the tax-dollars extracted from those same small businesses, and using them to bail out the dark corners of corporate incompetency.

Adding insult to injury, you’re using our hard-earned tax-dollars to secure and pay back voter support by urging we cave in to gluttonous union demands. You’re trying to improve education by increasing (already outrageously high) teacher benefits? Do people perform better because they’re paid more? That’s a new one.

Isn’t it bad enough that small business will be paying through the nose for ten years just to cover your inept healthcare plan that simply cannot achieve the ends you think the means are designed for?

Okay, maybe these questions won’t get answered, but the small business owners and managers of America will have to be answered. The political rug you’re trying to sweep us all under won’t hide 30 million self-starters. 

We are watching, and soon

(11/06/12) we will be acting!

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 “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!” [Thomas Jefferson]

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals. God Bless You.

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

MAJOR GOSSIP, LOOSE LIPS,

(& BIZ TLK TXT MSGS)

ROCK FOUNDATIONS

The heading above is not a code. It is what it is. Misdirected and misunderstood and miscommunicated talk ruins companies. It rocks the business foundation like an earthquake. Some survive. Many don’t.

Small business failures are blamed on as many reasons as there are small business, yet every single one of them reduces itself to poor management.

Go ahead and accuse under-capitalization, faulty equipment, incompetent staffing, ineffective marketing, convoluted financing, the rotten economy, and your mother-in-law, but the truth will out:

The true culprit, inevitably, is  poor management!

And heaven knows the failure rates alone walk with a heavy foot. As fuzzy as the attempts to grasp accurate figures, it is commonly accepted that only two-thirds of all small business startups survive the first two years and fewer than 50% survive to become four-year-olds!

If you’ve got some startup ideas,

you may want to read that statement again

. . . and the next one!

Toss in that on the average a business startup will not likely break even financially (if it survives long enough) until year six, and it’s often quoted by the inept SBA that nine out of eleven new businesses fail in the first ten years! It’s no wonder that those among the weak-willed tend to flock toward cushy government jobs.

One of the leading indicators of poor management is poor people leadership, which translates to poor communications, which translates to that whole “Loose Lips Sink Ships” expression — too many people talking too much too indiscretely to too many others, both inside and outside the company.

And the rapid onset of text messaging has both

amplified the risks and raised the stakes.

When employees are unhappy, they talk. Unhappy employee talk creates waves of negativity, which can ultimately build to tsunami proportions. The business goes down and the owner throws up his or her hands proclaiming some vague reason. But, in the end, it’s poor management.

Savvy business leaders know that it’s not always money issues that harbor employee resentment. They know that happy employees are people who are challenged and who are given responsibility.

Happy employees are people who naturally seek fair compensation, but who will –more often than you might imagine– settle for frequent (and genuine) praise and small, frequent expressions of gratitude. And happy employees don’t indulge themselves in orange-alert-level chatter. They don’t host or entertain gossip.

When employees like their jobs, they also talk. And that talk is positive. It cultivates sales, community respect, and more employee positiveness. So, there’s some kind of choice here?

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 “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!” [Thomas Jefferson]

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals. God Bless You.

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

Those who underscore

their trustworthiness– 

are probably dishonest!

I get tired of having people raise my skeptical right eyebrow with the distracting words they use (and sometimes the distracting ways they deliver them), instead of giving me cause to pay attention.

Am I alone here, or do you ever experience the same thing? What is it, do you think, that they think they are communicating?

I recently heard a top executive start out five (5) sentences with, “To be perfectly honest with you, I . . .” which, of course, gave me cause to pause, and doubt everything that followed. I recall scores of discussions with ineffective sales people who peppered “Trust me . . .” into every few sentences. [Shurrrre I will!] 

Rarely, methinks, doth Shakespeare haveth any consequence of business value, but “The lady doth protest too much, methinks” (from Shakespeare ‘s Hamlet, Act III, scene II), doth come to mind.

Okay, okay, enough doth! C’mon, people, trust me when I tell you that all of us carry little deal-killer phrases around in our pockets. We keep these pet phrases well-oiled and ready to drag out onto the front lines whenever the going gets tough.

When does this happen? When we get paranoid and start thinking a credibility erosion is taking place — especially in dealing with key customers, key suppliers, key investors and lenders, and, generally, anyone up the ladder. . . any ladder, real or perceived.

The nervousness sets in, breathing and heart rate quicken (usually accompanied by thoughts like: I don’t want to lose this opportunity; Let me underscore my honesty.)

So, now, on the brink of losing, the person re-groups and blurts out:

“You can believe me when I tell you that . . .”

BAM! DEAD DEAL!

Worse than that, of course, is when phrases like this become habitual or routine expressions. There are just so many times you can hear, “Now, here’s the truth, I . . .” before you start thinking: “Hmmm, is she lying all the other times she speaks, and is only truthful when she asserts that she is?” 

“Are you kidding me?”

“No. I’m gonna be honest with you . . .”

The alarm: DINGDINGDINGDINGDING!

(So, let’s see, if this statement that he says is an honest one is,in fact, an honest one, what about all the other statements? They were all dishonest?)

Most of this is processed in our unconscious minds, so it’s a bit difficult to catch ourselves without getting some trusted help. If there’s no one you can trust, let me be truthful with you and suggest that a good old-fashioned tape recorder can accomplish the job.

Just talk to someone and record yourself. Besides the shock of hearing how many er’s and um’s tumble out, pick up on the assurances of trust and honesty. Does it work? You’d better believe it! Really. Honestly. No kidding. Serious.

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 “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!” [Thomas Jefferson]

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals. God Bless You.

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

What is free that feels good

when you get it, that

feels good when you give it

and is worth more

than a bathtubful of cash? 

Well, maybe a backrub, but let’s stick with the blog mission for business owners, managers, and entrepreneurs . . .

Being a good neighbor isn’t just a warm fuzzy behavior promoted by the late children’s TV icon, “Mr. Rogers” (God bless his talented, perceptive, sweet, caring soul!). His teachings stand tall.  

Being a good neighbor —in business and personal life both— means helping and sharing and sometimes, being self-sacrificing. 

It’s an attitude. 

It’s a behavior pattern driven by your willingness to accept responsibility for more than yourself, and to be agreeable to act responsibly toward those around you, even when you’re tired or may least want to, and even when the cause and/or circumstances –and/or  individual(s)– involved may be unpopular ones. 

At home AND on-the-job! 

It doesn’t mean giving up your SELF for others (those are “Heroes” and Heroines” and we need only glance quickly to our young service men and women –who in fact provide us the freedom to act as neighbors– for glowing examples!). 

It doesn’t mean (necessarily) making a career of it, like so many of the wonderful helping professionals (nurses, charity and social workers, missionaries, therapists, et al) among society’s ranks.

Oh, and it also doesn’t mean doing favors for others who really don’t want your favors!  

It DOES mean being conscious of others’ needs and helping to fill those needs whenever you can, when called upon, and whenever you see the needs and are able to help, whether called upon or not. 

Some call it “pitching in.”  Others call it “stepping up to the plate.” I call it”

“Neighborship”! 

And you know what’s really amazing? It seldom takes more than the simple offer of a helping hand to revitalize the home attitude or on-the-job attitude of the person or persons on the receiving end.

Of course, you may have to be willing to accept a “thank you,” or handshake, or smile, as your reward. 

But, oh, isn’t that what a truly blessed event is all about anyway?

You know, when we used to run management training programs, we always focused on providing “take home” experiences, knowing that program participants would retain what they learned a whole lot longer and more deeply if they could “take home” the methodology and apply it to their personal lives as well.

Well, the thoughts in this blog post have genuine “take to work” application.

Email ’em to yourself!

                                                                                                                                                    

I am truly blessed to have YOU be reading this right now ;<)  Thank you, and please do return. Have a great day, a great night, and a great week ahead!    

If YOU have an inspiring “Neighborship” example to share, please post it as a comment or email me:

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Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals. God Bless You.

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

Talk out busine$$ obligation$.

Creditors chase excuses-filled 

non-communicators hardest!

     Yes, these are hard times.

And maybe you’ve let some payments slide.

Perhaps the warning notices have been turned over to a collection agency, and next will be the lawyers, and then –in spite of all the delay tactics of ignoring mailings and not taking collection calls– you lose!

How do I know? I’ve been on both sides of it a few times in my life. So, from practical, hard-nosed experience: most reputable creditors will generally treat you respectfully if you treat them respectfully.

By NOT hiding, cowering, and making excuses, by facing up to your obligations and taking the initiative to communicate and trying to work things out, you, as a debtor, will ALWAYS get treated better.

You are also more likely than not to be given leniency simply because you picked up the phone to present your situation truthfully. Sooner is always better than later, but It’s never too late to try.

Steer yourself clear of ever discussing other debts and/or other payback arrangements. No one wants to hear that you’ve dealt with some other bill collector before facing her or his company’s music. But be as straightforward as possible in owning up to and acknowledging the obligation in question.

No need to feel awkward, embarrassed, inferior, intimidated, or bloody-knuckled.

In business, everyone owes something to some one.

If it’s been making you crazy, stop yourself in your tracks, take some deep breaths, and take the initiative to establish contact with the creditor.

Call. Ask to speak with the supervisor of the person who you end up with, regardless of whether it’s a “Customer Service” rep or a VP. Get as far up the ladder as you can.

Explain your circumstances the way you would like a problem-paying customer/client/patient of yours to do. Wouldn’t you really rather have a person or business that owes you money take the lead and call you to (briefly) explain the circumstances and offer some kind of payment plan –even if it’s ridiculously low– instead of hide in the shadows and not return your calls?

Well?

Don’t make payment problems bigger for your creditor than you would want debtors to make for you. The consequences of not working hard at communicating with those you owe are not worth it.

You are NOT going to win the lottery. Stop dreaming! You are NOT going to make that gargantuan sale you’ve been hoping for, for two years. You are NOT going to inherit millions from your estranged father-in-law. NOT.

Tell it like it is. Pick up the phone and –if it’s local– ask for a meeting. If it’s long-distance, ask for someone who can help you negotiate a payback arrangement you can afford. And do NOT try to use emails to negotiate.

Be sincere. Be truthful. If you are both of these things, you need not feel like you are approaching the issue “hat in hand” so to speak. There’s a time and place for humility, and a time and place for straightforwardness. This is the latter!

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“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!”   [Thomas Jefferson]

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You.

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

IN LEADERSHIP, SALES, AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP . . .

It’s NOT Consciousness

vs. Unconsciousness

It’s how you make them

work together!

I just received an email from Dr. Royston Flude in Switzerland, a long-time friend and past business consulting associate. Our connection dates back to the “Dot Gone Revolution,” to Internet business management and writing interests we shared at that time in New York.

Dr. Flude, I might best categorize as a global futurist. He has one foot planted firmly in the pursuit of scientific discovery and applications to life and business management, and the other planted firmly in the universes of prayer, consciousness, and human behavior. More details available at www.cmdc-spoc.org

Royston tells me he has been working on “the impact of Consciousness and its therapeutic outcomes.” Related to that, he notes he “can confirm the power of a strong self-worth and prayer” and that he is conducting some research in the U.S. on the outcomes associated with the use of therapy dogs . . . these are all issues I have strong evidence of personally.

___________________________ 

Last week, someone sent me a video of a presentation given by one of my most admired and respected writers, Malcolm Gladwell (Blink, Tipping Point, What The Dog Saw, plus a zillion awards for his magazine and newspaper work as an imaginative investigative journalist).

In the video, Gladwell said his latest writing project is about “Taking the Unconscious Seriously” and relates that topic to relying on first impressions and snap judgments (particularly in war, dating, marriage, and police work) . . . quite a mix, but also concepts that I have strong evidence of personally.

___________________________

So, “conscious” and “unconscious” stuff has occupied much of my conscious and unconscious mind today.

Here’s where I’ve ended up:

In business — 

Reliance on the UNconscious mind is what separates most corporate existence from most entrepreneurial ventures. The UNconscious mind is the trigger for creative development and the delivery of innovative thoughts and actions. It is also the trigger for sales inasmuch as it is most closely tied to emotional responses and emotional buying motives.

The UNconscious mind, however, is only as effective as it has the potential to be, when it is launched from a platform of Consciousness, and regularly serviced by an element of conscious control.

In other words, to make the most of most business problem/opportunity dynamics, the Conscious mind must assess, goal-set, and strategize with a thinking approach that’s logical, rational and unemotional before unleashing the UNconscious pursuits of tactics designed to implement the strategies to reach the objectives or goals.

But, ah, it’s not that simple: Booster shots of Consciousness in the Unconscious process, and vice versa, attest to the need to be (as Thoreau once urged) “forever on the alert.” It’s rare –if ever– one would simply use one tool , then drop it to use the next. Ah, consciously, that is.

To complicate matters even further, consider whether it can be possible for instantaneous “instinctive” decisions (which often seem the best) to come straight out of shoot-from-the-hip, knee-jerk, UNconscious mindsets that directly bypass Consciousness?

The solution: Like the creative wood-design carpenter who keeps a tape measure on her or his belt or in a pocket, keep Consciousness and Unconsciousness both, at the tip of your tongue, and at the edge of your mind. Why? There’s never just one way to look at any business situation.

And then there are those times when you simply need to let go of rational thinking and trust your SELF, your UNconscious judgments, and your prayers. 

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“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!”   [Thomas Jefferson]

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You.

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

$200 Fill-ups?

No joke, business owners!

Obama pushes for $8 a gallon.

Do the math. 

Unable to succeed at squashing America’s entrepreneurial spirit and controlling small businesses and professional practices –though certainly not for lack of trying– the Obama Administration is now making the biggest mistake of its (hopefully half-over with) life.

Mr. Obama is quietly seeking to drive the price of gas to

$8 per gallon.

Average gas tank capacity means that

a fill-up will cost $200!

Crushing not only the travel freedom of the general public, $8 per gallon gas rates will put many of America’s 30 million small businesses out of business. Imagine the financial paralysis that will set in when shipping and delivery costs are doubled.

Who could think the skyrocketing fares of air travel, air cargo, taxicabs, buses, and every conceivable type of personal and commercial truck shipment will not drastically impact small business and professional practices.

Do we even want to consider the impact

on emergency services expenses?

Why, you might ask, would anyone (let alone Mr. Obama) be looking to undermine even further the only real opportunity that exists to restore health to America’s economy: small business job creation?

See if you can follow this path of crooked reasoning exposed in last night’s Washington Times Editorial. Here are some excerpts:

A perfect storm of foreign and domestic policy choices by the Obama Administration has paved the way for European-style energy prices to arrive on these shores. Far from being alarmed, President Obama sees the prospect of $8 a gallon gas as an opportunity.

When it comes to energy, the White House has sought to augment government controls to prevent the “long-term threat of climate change, which if left unchecked could result in violent conflict, terrible storms, shrinking coastlines and irreversible catastrophe,” in Mr. Obama’s words. Making energy more expensive is exactly what the administration’s “cap and trade” scheme is meant to do.

The theory is that pricier power will be used more frugally, which in turn will appease Mother Earth into blessing us with cooler weather. Mr. Obama expressed the same outlook in May when – with oil at $61 a barrel – he signed a memorandum dictating to automakers the kinds of cars they will be allowed to sell. At the time, Mr. Obama noted with trepidation, “The impetus for action would fade when gas prices started to go back down.”

It’s not possible for domestic production to relieve the pressure from international uncertainty. Mr. Obama and congressional Democrats have blocked drilling in places like Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, in millions of acres of federal lands and in offshore locations. Mr. Obama even took advantage of the BP oil disaster to shut down operations in the Gulf of Mexico.

Mr. Obama points to the small amount of oil currently produced at home to conclude, “We can’t drill our way out of the problem.” That’s only a true statement as long as the current policies place 67 percent of America’s reserves off-limits.

The events unfolding in Egypt, Libya and throughout the Middle East are beyond American control but not outside our influence. Fear and uncertainty drive oil prices higher, and Mr. Obama has done nothing to restore confidence that the United States will act firmly to promote stability in the region.

Instead of addressing these concerns openly, pledging support for the remaining U.S. allies or deploying military assets to show that this country will not allow an interruption in the flow of goods through the Suez Canal, Mr. Obama has calibrated his tepid response to ensure no Muslim mob is offended.

We’re now paying the price for weak leadership, but it’s about more than just paying a few bucks more at the local Chevron station. Every product and service depends on the price of oil and the price of electricity. The vast majority of goods hit the shelves after being transported by aircraft, ships and trucks powered by fossil fuels.

That’s why, as economists note, there is a direct correlation between the number of miles vehicles travel in a year and the nation’s Gross Domestic Product. Unless there’s an immediate U-turn in the domestic and international agenda, we’re headed for rough economic times.

BOTTOM LINE: Should stampeding gas price increases be a concern of small businesses and professional practices?

If you’re not sure, I respectfully suggest you consider re-reading the nine excerpted paragraphs above.

If you disagree, you are surely a few quarts low on entrepreneurial spirit, or you are so rich that a couple of thousand extra dollars a month to keep your gas tank filled makes no difference.

If you agree, remember there’s strength in numbers, and there are 30 million of us.

Well? 

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“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!”   [Thomas Jefferson]

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You.

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

If you’re not in the toy business,

 and play games with people  

who act like children

 . . . you lose!

Government in virtually any form is hardly a showcase for business leaders. Time and again, and especially with the current Administration, government has proven itself incompetent of thinking and acting prudently or productively. This latest round of childishness that the White House and the Democratic union-vote sheep in Wisconsin are displaying, is pathetic and irresponsible.

Just imagine employees in your company deciding they don’t agree with your hard-line stance against raises at a time when the very survival of your business is at stake and, instead of sitting down to talk about it with you, they pile onto buses and leave town.

Are you kidding me?

Does that sound like a three-year-old temper tantrum or what?

God Bless you, Governor Walker for having the courage to stand up against this intimidation and lunacy. Wisconsin will rise again, but only after those who choose to play child’s play grow up and face the reality that they are part of the problem and not part of the solution. Those who you represent should be proud of your stance. You are trying to save your State from economic catastrophe.

You are 100% correct that the people of your State come first, and that they will decide, not the greedy unions or Mr. Obama’s thugs. There isn’t an entrepreneurial American business on Earth that wouldn’t agree. 

• We know from almost all forms of psychotherapy that when those you are trying to communicate with as adults will only respond as children, you can get down into their playground mentality, become one of them, and accomplish nothing.

• Or, you can rise above them and act parental, which will create added havoc and ignite either explosions or implosions.

• Or, you can stay persistently adult until they finally come full circle, accept their foolish waste of time and energy as an aberration, and join forces, or at least agree to disagree, and move on. And, this is the only avenue that holds promise of productive solutions.

Union mandates are far beyond the point of reasonability and the infantile attitudes of it’s-my-ball-and-I’m-taking-it-and-going-home-Wisconsin-State-Legislators (who have fled from their responsibilities to parts unknown) must both be quashed.

Governor Walker needs to continue to stand firm, and deserves the support of all 30 million of America’s small business owners and operators.

If Wisconsin’s radical leftist and union leader demands succeed, and added State financial support is handed over to e.g., $90,000-a-year-salaried teachers at the cost of collapsing the State, everybody loses.

Can it possibly be that partisan politics is more important than the well-being of Wisconsin families and businesses? Is building a Democratic power base more important than Statehood survival?

Please, those of you who provoke fights and then run from them: Stand up for those who have supported you, not those who give you pretend pledges!

Reality is that your State, like many, is in serious trouble. Meeting union demands is not a solution. Acting like adults and thinking like entrepreneurs will at least get you to the solutions table.

Stop worrying about losing votes and losing union support, and start realizing you hold the key to your childrens’ and grandchildrens’ future. You’ve made your points, now turn it around.

NOW turn it around.

Wull you give the rest of the country reason to applaud you

or cause to spit on an empty trail that you’ve left behind!

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“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!”   [Thomas Jefferson]

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You.

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

And in the sweetness of

                                     

friendship let there be

                                       

laughter, and sharing

                                  

of pleasures. For in the

                             

dew of little things the

                           

heart finds its morning

                  

and is refreshed.”

--Kahlil Gibran

“A sense of humor can be priceless in frustrating situations. Having a sense of humor does not mean laughing and joking all the time. But many of life’s problems and predicaments are the result of weaknesses and mistakes.

“If you can recognize these first and release some of your tensions by seeing the humor in a situation, you will be in better condition to begin the serious business of making adjustments.”

--Rita K. Baltus, PERSONAL PSYCHOLOGY FOR LIFE AND WORK

It’s probably true that the boardroom meeting gone sour at hearing the latest plunge-in-sales report, may not be the best venue for reenacting a joyful rendition of “Singing in the Rain” with a tabletop tap-dance.

One might also be well-advised to avoid raising outstretched hands to the roomful of grey-pinstriped-suit-clad directors and addressing them in mock whisper:

Did you hear the one about this guy goes into a bar with a purple parrot hanging off his belt . . .?”

But well-timed doses of tasteful humor do have a place in business. Humor almost always plays an important role in establishing, re-establishing and maintaining balance and harmony in business ownership and business management settings. For leaders, small periodic shots of self-effacing humor lets team members know they’re being led by authenticity.

It’s definitely true that getting a serious-minded sales prospect or existing or past customer to crack a smile or chuckle serves to lighten the burdensome parts of the sales message and generally makes that individual or group more receptive to exploring available products or services in a positive frame of mind.

She/he/they will also be more likely to engage with the emotional buying motive triggers that account for every sale of every product, every service and every idea . . . even those that seem like they are prompted by rational and logical-based decisions.

 Tasteful, well-placed humor is typically exercised most successfully by entrepreneurial thinkers and doers who are self-confident , self-reliant, and proactive thinking. Humor bullets are most often fired by those who are “sales personalities,” who are outgoing people who are invested in building and strengthening relationships.

But plenty of business humor has found its way to the top of agendas hosted by serious introverted business leaders as well, including Henry Ford, Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, and Thomas Edison, to name just a few. So it’s not a question of that you either have it or you don’t. It’s instead a question of timing, presentation, and appropriateness. And all three are within your reach.

You think you don’t have it in you to make humor part of your repertoire? Then work at it. You really can improve, you know. Aldous Leonard Huxley (You remember him, right? He sat behind you in third grade . . . or was it fifth?) once said:

There’s only one corner of the universe that you can be certain of improving and that’s your own self.”  

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