Patriotism Before Personal Ambition!

Coo-kook-a-choo,

Mrs. Robinson,

where has

Ronald Reagan gone . . .?

     Regardless of your politics, there’s no escaping true wisdom. Here are two quotes from one of America’s most inspirational leaders, words worthy of at least one minute of your think-time over this coming weekend: 

“Those who say that we’re in a time when there are no heroes just don’t know where to look. You can see heroes every day going in and out of factory gates. Others, a handful in number, produce enough food to feed all of us and then the world beyond… There are entrepreneurs…who create new jobs, new wealth and opportunity… Their patriotism is quiet but deep. Their values sustain our national life.”  1981

“The most fertile and rapidly growing sector of any economy is that part that exists right now only as a dream in someone’s head or an inspiration in his heart.”  1987

     If you are an entrepreneur, if you own or run a business, if you are invested in a business startup, if you are part of a family business . . . and you have not been speaking up about the national economic stimulus package that is about to put a chokehold on entrepreneurial pursuits, speak now!

     The “stimulus” plan, on top of the “bailouts” has yet to show one single penny directed to small business incentives to create jobs, not one cent! It sees your half-full glass as three-quarters empty!  

     The bottom line: NOW is the time to pick up your phone and call your senate and congressional representatives to tell them that the only way this nation’s economy can turn positive is with job creation programs and that virtually all job creation comes from small business. Send letters and emails.

     If you believe as most entrepreneurs do that you are on Earth to make a difference, to make your mark, then this is the best step forward in that direction you can possibly take right now.

     In the spirit of Ronald Reagan’s perceptions and comments, make your entrepreneurial patriotism and your business count for something important. Act now and recruit others to act with you to influence the only kind of economic change that’s truly meaningful. Insist on substantial stimulus funding for small business job creation incentives!

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“We should enjoy here

while we’re here,

’cause there’s no here there!”

                                                                                      –ZIGGY

     Okay, all you entrepreneurs, don’t start with the excuses that you have no time for time management. That’s a choice. You know as well as I do that you need to MAKE the choice and TAKE the time to do a few things besides business, and that this is as good a day as ever to give it a go!

     Yes, it really is true that you need to take time out to eat. Maybe you thought that candy stash in your desk drawer would get you through the day, or that your idea of good nutrition and getting your daily “greens” meant the pickle on a Big Mac or the fried green pepper with the sausage sandwich, but guess what?

     So that little kick in the butt reminded you to eat something that’s actually good for you. Good. Next, let’s look at how else you spend your business-steamrollering 24 hours (besides the 4-7 hours sleep). No, YOU look. I don’t really want to know. Take 20 seconds out to look at how you’re allocating those 17-20 hours each day. If it’s all work and . . . you know the rest.

     I just want that you should open your mind to open some doors by building in at least two or three of the following seven activities every day to supplement your focus on the thought that you need to take time to WORK because it is the price of success.

     Why should these other seven activities matter? Because too often (besides WORK) ill health and broken families become the price of success. So here . . . seven focused activities that those most successful businesspeople of good health and strong families routinely include in daily existences:

1. Take time to THINK; it is the source of power.
2. Take time to PLAY; it is the secret of perpetual youth.
3. Take time to READ; it is the foundation of wisdom.
4. Take time to WORSHIP; it is the highway to reverence.
5. Take time to BE FRIENDLY; it is the road to happiness.
6. Take time to LAUGH; it is the music of the soul.
7. Take time to DREAM; it is hitching your wagon to a star.

. . . and, the bottom line: CHOOSE to take time to live!  Or as cartoon character Ziggy once said:

“We should enjoy here while we’re here,

’cause there’s no here there!”

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RIP Paul Harvey,

1918-2009

The greatest radio commentator

in American history

You touched our hearts!

Thank you and bless your soul for your “Good Morning’s” and “Page 2’s” and “The rest of the story.”

And thank you especially for all the professionalism, daily inspiration and good humor that you brought to so many for so very many years.

You were truly a man among men, and will stand for all time as one of the world’s greatest salesmen. Your mastery of both news reporting and voice delivery will never be matched.

You have set the example and held it aloft for all public figures everywhere to follow, the torch of trust that is most dearly needed in today’s world.

With God’s blessings, may we all learn from the light you have cast, and pass it along to brighten the darkness of others. We will miss you, Paul 

 . . . Paul Harvey . . .

. . . Good Day!

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  Hal@Businessworks.US   302.933.0116

  Open Minds Open Doors 

 Thanks for your visit and God Bless You.

  Make today a GREAT day for someone! 

A smack

alongside the head,

a kick in the butt, or

cash under the table…

are not always

the best motivators!

     Yesterday we resurrected Abraham Maslow’s “Heirarchy of Needs” to explain the compelling backdrop to his definitive theory of motivation, and provide some practical examples. Maslow’s Theory essentially says that effective (i.e., satisfying and productive) motivation occurs only by understanding, measuring and rewarding individuals at the specific need level each represents at any given point in time.

     I suggested the best way to accomplish this is to “be a detective” in order to determine where someone is “coming from” and what it is that best makes her or him “tick.” This, I noted, is particularly important because (except for those with unhealthy emotional burdens) we all tend to change need levels with some regularity, and often instantaneously, depending on circumstances.

For those not connected to Miami CSI or Law & Order, I recognize this detective task can seem daunting to say the least, because you simply may not want to expend the energy or approach the point of intimacy that may be required to determine, for example, a particular employee’s need level.

     So, like many of life’s choices, you must decide how important it really is for you to motivate someone in a manner that is most meaningful and appreciated by that individual, which of course means that it is also most productive for your business.

     If you and your business are in fact heartily invested in a person’s performance and general well-being, you will want to explore the idea of putting Maslow’s Theory to work.

     The most important and effective first step in this process is for you to get better focused on what makes YOU tick! When you are able to figure out your own need level history and movements, you will be putting yourself in a better position to maximize the potential and loyalty of others.

     How to do this: Consider joining a personal and professional development growth group. Many of these cater to business owners and managers who share similar concerns. If you’re not uncomfortably threatened by the idea of it and can afford it, try attending a group therapy session; these can be enormously healthy and helpful experiences if you stay focused on what you can learn about yourself. Or simply take a course in photography or painting or sculpting or creative writing or crafts or pottery. 

     Take advantage of every opportunity to learn more about your SELF . . . who you really are, deep down. Attend self-development conferences and workshops. Read. Try writing a memoir or –an even better (and quicker) exercise that most people find revealing to say the least, write your own obituary.

     See what you can learn about you, about how you respond (or react) to different issues, incentives, people, places, situations. There is no right or wrong here. There is only exploring and learning. Then application. Apply what you find out about what it takes to motivate yourself, and –from that informed perspective– begin to do what it takes to keep the best people on your team.  

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Open  Minds  Open  Doors

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

DON’T FISH OFF

COMPANY DOCKS!

     This old warning from my first boss about 2,000 years ago is another of those moralistic admonitions that stands as true and tall today as it did then, maybe even more so.  It is virtually (and probably literally) impossible to conduct business as usual, when you’re dating your cubical mate, or “fellow secretary” (hmmm) or the boss’s brother or sister (actually, mother, in one example I heard of)!

     It never seems like it could possibly be a problem (HA! Have you been following this season’s “24”?) until it becomes a problem.  On-the-job sexual relationships threaten everyone on the job.  The ripples (and occasionally shock waves!) can compromise more than just participant integrity.  How about the integrity of a nation, Mr. Clinton?

     Is this advice rightfully proclaimed “sexist” in and of itself?  Well, you know, certain stereotypes, like certain examples of police profiling, exist for a reason.  “Brokeback Mountain” aside, we rarely if ever hear about tough guys getting it on.  I mean, when was the last time you saw two construction workers tongue kissing or holding hands at lunch hour?

     On the other hand (pun intended), the career environments and lifestyles of healthcare and hospitality industry professionals–particularly doctors, nurses, therapists, hotel/motel managers and housekeepers–provide the makings of a breeding ground for on-the-job sex. 

     Where else are workers surrounded by beds, working in close quarters and dealing with physical contact and physical needs?  Where else do workers take breaks in co-ed locker rooms and linen closets.  And aren’t these all people who work exceptionally long hours often under high stress? 

     With The Corporate Communicator ezine (free via www.bonmotcomms.com) telling us that “the demand for transparency is at an all-time high,” don’t we need to step back a minute and see that “TRANSPARENCY” in business means EVERYTHING in business?  

     Transparency is not a limiting concept.  Rather it suggest a notion that is all-encompassing.  Obviously, intimate relationships with people at work is as much a part of that as a business’s ability to deliver the products and services that it says it is delivering  

     Knowing where to look for what and for whom at any given moment on any given job is a wonderous thing.  And of course there are always exceptions, but at a time when jobs are at a premium, it’s not likely to be in anyone’s best interests to be looking for sex in all the wrong places, y’think?     halalpiar  

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Okay, workout freaks, listen up!

     Lifting every day for 3 hours a day is sick.  Running 5-10 miles a day every day is sick. 

     And those are just for openers on the physical front.  Mental and emotional compulsions are just as bad.  

[First of all, if you are one of these maniacal types, you’ve already clicked off to some body-building or aerobics site by now anyway, so –we should be down to those who have just been thinking about, or considering, doing all that lifting or running or whatever other form of exercise that occupies equal blocks of time, effort and attention.  And that’s a good thing because –for you– there is still hope!]

     For openers, you should know that I don’t hate exercise.  I play softball (mostly second base) 2-3 times a week, all year long.  I do stretching and isometric exercises for an hour every day, seven days a week.  I walk two dogs every morning and every night (well, okay, night walks are quickies) and I hustle up and down 16 stairs 7-10 times a day, more on weekends. 

     I used to run 5-10 miles every day – rain, snow, ice, heat – 365 days a year for ten years, so I know from compulsion.  Yes, back problems from road running eventually forced me to the 3 S’s (softball, stairs and stretching).

     Here’s the thing: When you exercise ANYthing (your body, your mind, your emotions) on a compulsive basis, where you get the guilties for missing one day, you are functioning in such an overdrive mode that you are throwing your body, mind, and emotions out of whack! 

     You are creating discord, stress, and imbalance for yourself. 

     You cannot function as a whole person when part of you

commandeers the rest of you. 

     How out of touch with reality are many world-class athletes?  Do you really think they live happy lives?  How out of control is your work ethic if you are consumed by fitting in your three-hour workout every day?  What kind of social life can that possibly leave you? 

     What is the push all about?  What exactly are you trying to prove?  To whom?  Don’t you think it’s worth exploring ways to live a more well-rounded existence?  Where do you think compulsive exercise behaviors will take you in life?  Is that really where you want to go? 

     If you own or manage your own business, or think of yourself as an entrepreneur, you need to maintain health and fitness but find other outlets for yourself.  The world’s greatest authorities on fitness all agree that three serious 20-minute workouts (even brisk walks) a week should be enough for most anyone to maintain good health and fitness levels. 

     I don’t pretend to be a fitness expert or to suggest what is best for you, but I will tell you that –for me– regular exercise in moderation keeps me happier and healthier and more in touch with myself, and sharper in business than I ever experienced through my ten years of compulsive running.  halalpiar

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Others are not living

in your shoes…

     When your business is struggling is not the time to be joining hands with other struggling businesses.  It’s time to bail out and back off all your good-intention, admirable community do-gooder projects before they end up flushing you down the tubes and out of existence.  There comes a time when you need to muster your forces to be able to come from a position of strength.

     Clinging to involvements with borderline business value when your business is suffering, for example, simply because they’ve gained you a reliable, responsible reputation in your town or county –and you’re reluctant to let anyone down who’s counting on you– is just plain stupid!  

     The local chamber of commerce and Rotary Club and Kiwanis and Little League managed just fine before you got involved and they will survive economic downturn times because someone will always run to the rescue.  But, if your business is sliding rapidly downhill, and you’re starting to worry about upcoming meals, get off the public service merry-go-round and tend to your own needs until you are back on your feet. 

Is what I am doing this very minute

leading me to where I need and want to go?

. . . is the first question you must ask yourself. 

And, once I get to where I need and want to go, will I then be in a better position to contribute even more time, money, and effort to achieving the community goals that my present pursuits alone are draining from me and my business?

. . . is the second question to answer.

     Don’t be worried about what others will think.  Others are not living in your shoes.  Others are always quick to drain your resources when they don’t want to contribute their own.  No one will fault you for doing what you have to do to survive. 

     And in this economy, you need not feel ashamed or embarassed.  Instead, feel smart that you are taking proactive steps to make yourself better and put youself in a position to be able to contribute more to your community.  Others will be much happier to see you return a year down the road and come roaring back into the organization running on all cylinders. 

     Tuck in your tail.  Realize that the best thing you can do to help others is to help yourself first so you can be in a position of strength to reach out to those who need it, instead of offering your hand while you are standing on thin ice yourself.  Take a sabbatical and work to restore the solidity of your business foundation.     halalpiar

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Slithering Sales Saliva

DON’T TELL ME YOU DON’T KNOW THIS SALESPERSON who starts out smart and ends up sloppy enough to never get a repeat sale, maybe lose the company’s customer forever:

Here’s what’s in it for you, Mr. Bigbucks. . .”  “These are the benefits I heard you say you’ve been looking for, Mr. Bigbucks.”  “How would you like us to bill you for this Mr. Bigbucks?”  “Please say hello to your brother for me, Mr. Bigbucks.”  “Be sure to call me at this number anytime, Mr. Bigbucks.”  “Thanks for your business, Mr. Bigbucks.”  “And, hey, ha-ha, did you hear about the guy with the little head who goes into a bar and says . . . ?”

                          

There are some savvy sales starter-uppers out there who turn instantly stupid the minute they make a close or get a commitment.  And some who wait for the customers next visit when they think things are now chummy enough to let down their hair.  

It is never in good taste to have bad taste! 

The truth is it is NEVER okay to tell ANY customer off-color stories.   If you’re serious about selling as a career (and you should be no matter what your career, because you’re selling all day, every day even if you’re a doctor or pastor or military leader), then you’ve got to know that you are on stage all day. 

Everything you say or do is noticed by someone.

I’m urging you to be on-guard and neurotic?  No.  I’m saying that a professional salesperson makes a conscious choice to act professionally ANYplace and in ANY circumstances where there is a potential (or even possible) customer present.  That’s hard!  Don’t choose for it to be hard.  Choose “easy!”   

Yes, Shakespeare.  Yes, “All the world’s a stage,

and all its men and women merely actors…” 

A basic tenet of all good sales, and customer service, and customer relationship training is that the customer is always right, the customer is always right, the customer is always right, the customer is always right . . . all of the time, in every instance and every situation short of physical contact or illegal behavior. 

If you listen to your prospect or customer carefully enough, and use eye contact enough to avoid distraction, and only talk 20% of the time, you will find plenty of humorous things to comment on that are pleasant.  Border-line comments and guffaw-type jokes simply don’t fit in any sales process outside the world of entertainment, and even then . . .

A customer may laugh with (at?) your “beer-drinking-style joke”, but think twice about you and your behavior once they’re headed off to another meeting or home.  It’s not worth it.  It’s not smart.  It’s sloppy.  It loses sales.  Clean up your act or risk the big hook coming out from behind the curtain to pull you off the stage.  Smile.  Be professional.  Sell.  Have a great rest of the week!  

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Hal@Businessworks.US 

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

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

COMPUTER UNDERWARE

I was prompted into a business consciousness stream today by a reference I saw to socio-economic, attitude, and taste divisions between generations having symbolic significance in changes over the years represented by underwear.

I noticed the analogy in Angelique Rewer’s brilliant online publication, The Corporate Communicator www.bonmotcomms.com , and remembered a Time/Newsweek/Sports Illustrated ad I did (over 25 years ago!) for a fledgling computer service company. 

Over an illustrated ghosted assemblage of computer hardware and floppy disks (You DO remember those? They came after carbon paper), the headline said simply:

COMPUTER UNDERWARE

The copy that followed reasoned that “HARDWARE & SOFTWARE CAN GET YOU NOWHERE without COMPUTER UNDERWARE, the ongoing professional training and reliable service support you’ll require to go under your hardware and software . . . “

You’re stunned, huh?  Hey, it was Toms River, NJ, in the early 1980’s.  What did you expect, “I’m Lovin’ it!” or “It’s In You!”?  I could count the personal computer owners I knew on one hand then.  It was strictly an elite IBM and knock-off business market then that was focused on word processors in law offices. 

Take my word for it, for it’s time, my ad was ahead of it’s time.  

Much of what an entrepreneur does in life is ahead of its time. 

I’ve seen (and still have 30 year-old samples of) interlocking plastic bottles that would have revolutionized the shipping and warehousing markets because two cartons worth of bottles could be packed in one carton and cartons could be stacked 2-3 times higher.  Too much, too soon.  Too undercapitalized.   

How about “Clear” windshield wipers?  Spectacular prototypes made everyone oooh-aaah, but not enough funding to break through market monopolies.  3-D motion analysis for physical therapy . . .

On the surface, lack of money to make ahead-of-their-times products and services go, but underneath –the UNDERWEAR—is always lousy, self-centered, self-absorbed, fantasyland day-dreaming management that has great ideas, great intentions, great persistence, and no realistic sense of what it takes to bring their babies into the world and nurture them to maturity. 

Bottom line: Entrepreneurial inventing, innovating, and selling rarely come equipped with savvy management skills – money management, people management, task management. 

If you are an entrepreneur, study management or find management you can trust to work with you.  But don’t keep wasting your time and money and energy banging your head against the wall trying to move forward.  The wall won’t move.          halalpiar 

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“Failure is an event,

not a person.

Yesterday ended last night, and

today is your brand new day.”

– World renown motivational sales guru ZIG ZIGLAR

(And special thanks to Zig’s son Tom)

Because you run your own business, you subject yourself to a steady diet of challenges.  When you’re faced with challenges, your mind automatically shifts to having expectations.  Expectations breed disappointment. 

Let me say that again:

Expectations breed disappointment! 

So here you are, steadily challenged, trying to see problems as opportunities, and trying not to have any of those nasty expectations.  Because you run your own business, you undoubtedly have plenty of reasons to take home angry feelings or feelings of failure. 

And since no one’s ever taught youto turn them off, or remind you that you’re CHOOSING them, sometimes you do swish (or clomp) your way into the entranceway of your home, loaded for bear!  But you know what?  Your spouse, your kids, your dog, the neighbor’s cat are not the growling, bloody-fanged enemy killers that batted you around all day.     

So, tune your brain to another station!  Tune in to easy-listening.  Take some deep breaths.  [See 4-step “Are You Breathing?” feature under Magazine Articles tab above.]  Remember that Failure is an EVENT, as Zig Ziglar says, not a person.  Not you.  You may have experienced a failing set of circumstances, but YOU are not a failure!

Then Zig reminds us that “Yesterday ended last night!”  Whoa, there!  Think on that one for 7 seconds!  Is he talking about literal day and night?  No, but maybe.  Is his point that staying mentally and emotionally attached to past events, in time that is past, makes for an unhealthy present, which can practically foreclose your future?  That’s certainly part of the message.  

If it’s true (and it IS true) that even a single day wasted this way wastes others, then the message should be loud and clear that we must make every effort possible as much of every day as possible to keep our minds focused on what is happening in every passing present moment. 

Make the choice to pack away all the junk that happened on a bad day at work, and leave it at work, so that it is there ready for you to succeed with it when you return on your next brand new day.  Then make it a brand new day at home tonight too! 

Make it your Rule to never choose to go to bed feeling angry or defeated.  Yes, you DO have a choice about this.  Anger and feelings of failure are behaviors.  You choose your behavior.  You can just as easily choose to not be angry and choose to not feel like a failure.  If you think it’s not easy, it’s because you’re choosing for it to be not easy.  THAT is a choice too.  Choose to make it easy.   

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