Wendy Ellin is a Workplace Productivity Consultant, International Speaker, & Author of Enough Is Enough, Get Control of Your Stuff. Her insights into living an organized life are shared in her presentations with irreverence, humor, and a level of passion that motivates her audience to TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION!
Wendy talks about real-life challenges that we all experience such as email overload, being on time (or not), reasonable expectations for getting things done, and much more. It is from Wendy’s 20 plus years in the corporate arena that she drew from her own successes by working smart, not hard—that inspired her to develop the tools and techniques for increasing workplace productivity and ultimately a renewed sense of peace of mind.
“It’s one thing to love what you do, and another to LOVE THE WAY YOU DO IT!” Wendy Ellin
Susan Knox of Corporate Connections and I have known each other for at least 15 years, maybe more. She is a tenth generation Georgian, born in Atlanta, with an exceptional reputation and network. Although I have attended a few of her events over the years, we have operated at the periphery of each other’s networks. For the past six months, we have connected much more frequently. We found that our business models were complimentary. After exploring the potential synergy, I became her client, and she became a member of ITB Partners. That’s a topic for another post. I am so pleased to have her on the ITB Partners Team as her business is unique and her personal story is most compelling. In fact, I thought you would find her story so interesting, I convinced her to sit for an interview. This is the second installment of our discussion.
Jim: “You said, ‘it’s in your ‘DNA,’ and that you’ve had experience hosting events. How did you use that experience to create Corporate Connections?”
Susan: “Well honestly, it happened by default. It’s great that it happened. As a matter of fact, today I ran into Marvin Cosgrove who inspired me to start my business. He was the president of the Buckhead Business Association from 1999-2000.”
“I was in the wholesale jewelry business for 15 years. I owned a company called The Regency Collection. I loved it! But I saw that things were changing, as manufacturers were closing their factories in Rhode Island. Many people don’t know that Rhode Island was the jewelry capital of the World. But the factories in China and Taiwan started knocking off jewelry companies in the States. I saw the handwriting on the wall. I had an opportunity and sold my company in 1997.
“In 1999 I was asked to join the Buckhead Business Association Board of Directors. One day I suggested that we hold a Buckhead Business Expo. Marvin said ‘Okay, I trust you implicitly.’ So, I negotiated with Phipps Plaza to hold the event. The objective was to promote the members’ businesses and to attract new members. In 1999, there weren’t many places to go and ‘plug-in,’ as networking wasn’t what it is today. During the event, I was introducing people to one another. The members told me that I was better at introducing them then they were able to do for themselves. Many said, ‘here is my business card, and here are my marketing materials. We will pay you a retainer and a percentage of the deals you help us close.’ I had eight people (at the Expo) handing me checks in April of 1999, who wanted me to represent them.”
“It was fascinating because Business Development was not a common term back then, it was either Sales or Marketing. Coming from the Jewelry Business prepared me to do this (Corporate Connections). In the jewelry business, we held marketing events. I loved the events side, selling jewelry to housewives with my mother and my grandmother. It was so much fun. So, I thought it be wonderful to do what I love and create a high-end relationship business.”
“Over the years, people have asked me, ‘how do you monetize connecting people?’ My significant other said, ‘you picked the hardest thing ever to get paid for.’ The difference is, I am very direct and intentional, very proactive, and not casual. It’s my business model. It’s what I do every day. I really feel lucky to be where I am, because I have pounded the pavement, paid my dues and sat on boards. I have volunteered, helped fund-raise for non-profits, held events in my home, and have done many others for people who want to raise money. I think I am in the best place I can be in my life right now.”
Jim: “So, I am familiar with your Board, from which you receive an annual membership fee.”
Susan:“That’s called the Network. Those are people I want to be a part of my business so that I can look out for you all; knowing that you are my go-to people for new connections and to make sure that you all know each other, my inner circle. ”
Jim: “Are you still in the business of helping people who come to you looking for introductions?”
Susan: “Yes. I work on a monthly retainer (with those people) and there are certain deliverables that go with what I do. But the basics are the same. I publish a new client announcement to my network showcasing their businesses. It is something I plan to do for all my members. It is great exposure for you all as you are hand-picked, subject matter experts at the top of your game.”
“My clients are people who say, ‘Susan I really need serious business development efforts behind my brand. I’ve got to get plugged-in.’ They may be starting a new company and need help building their business, or they may be new to Atlanta and have been referred to me. They hire me for a couple of months, and I will put them on the map, providing direct access to people they need to know. As you know, they could spend two years, having coffee (meetings), meeting people one by one. Or, they can hire me, and I will plug them directly into the people they need to know, immediately.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Thank you for visiting our blog.
Jim Weber – Managing Partner, ITB Partners
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‘Show me a good crisis manager, and I will show you someone who creates a crisis to manage.’
Warning – Toxic Person
It’s Saturday morning. I just received a text message from my friend Faith. She forwarded a message from a colleague she calls ‘Hair-on-fire.’ The text she received was sent at 4:45 PM yesterday, Friday, surfacing another crisis. ‘Hair-on-fire’ strikes again! Fortunately, Faith was engaged in another activity, so she didn’t see the text and wasn’t drawn into a last-minute waste of time. As I mentioned in my post last week, this colleague has a habit of creating a commotion late on a Friday afternoon. Just imagine, it‘s the end of the workweek and you’re ready to ease into the weekend. You may have plans for the evening, anticipating some well-deserved fun and relaxation. As you’re making the transition to ‘personal time,’ you’re assaulted with an urgent issue that requires you to revert to ‘working mode.’ Instant psychological whiplash. I call foul! This behavior strikes me as manipulative and narcissistic. It appears that “Hair-on-fire” uses this tactic as a control mechanism to manage her matrix team. From my experience, she probably believes that being a good crisis manager will result in recognition by senior management. Early in my career, I learned something about crisis management. My most important takeaway was: ‘Show me a good crisis manager, and I will show you someone who creates a crisis to manage.’ This topic is of great interest to me.
A thesaurus search of “toxic” reveals synonyms related to poison, something to be avoided. As with any poison, exposure to toxic people should be minimized whenever possible. How do you know you are dealing with a toxic person and how does one cope? Exploring this matter further will help us become more productive and effective. It will help you create a healthy workplace. The starting point is to identify toxic people by their behavior.
ATTRIBUTES OF A TOXIC PERSONALITY
Takes no responsibility for their actions – puts the blame on others
Manipulative
Never apologize
Judgmental – highly critical, will negate your self-esteem
Make you defensive
Will not support you
Inconsistent
Narcissistic – Must be the center of attention
Do not listen
Negative outlook – never a positive word, project their emotions on you
Never admit defeat – never wrong
Will not go out of their way for you
Present a victim’s mentality – emotional blackmail
Always have ulterior motives
They are mean – say things to hurt you
If you label someone as a ‘Drama Queen’ you’re dealing with a toxic personality. They don the victim role to manipulate you into doing things for them. You dread being with them as they drain you of your energy, creating mental exhaustion. These encounters make you feel bad or disappointed by your inability to cope. Toxic people are like vampires sucking the life out of you. The best advice I’ve heard is to be empathetic but don’t necessarily hang with them. Set boundaries. Don’t feed the beast by becoming engaged in their drama.
I find it difficult to understand why anyone would let toxic people into their life. I must be blessed as I cannot think of any truly toxic people that are part of my business or social circle. Sure, there are people I know who may exhibit one or more of these traits from time to time, but I cannot say that I have any toxic entanglements. It may be due to my experience, or maybe it’s my filters. However, there are people close to me who frequently deal with these personalities. Fortunately, I can help friends, family members, and associates work through and detach from these people.
Faith, for example, has no choice but to work with ‘Hair-on-fire,’ as they are members of the same team. Faith must adapt and cope with the situation.
Although it’s not the focus of this article, it must be very difficult if the toxic person happens to be a family member. They might not be able to change but you can do things to minimize the stress they create. Limit your time with them or end the relationship.
It is said that you become the average of the people with whom you most frequently associate. This refers to your behavior, your physical condition, professional success, etc. If you understand that toxic people are made, not born, you know their behavior may be contagious. I am fortunate that I attract people like me. I am generally a positive, and optimistic person by nature. Although I don’t have toxic people in my circle, I do interact with them from time to time. My experience is my shield, my intuition is my internal warning device. Toxic behavior is a big red flag. I find that life is too short to become entangled in their pathology. If you recognize any of these attributes in your behavior it might be wise to seek help to nullify them.
For Further Information:
Dr. Karl Albrecht. He has a short diagnostic you can access online which will help you determine if you were in a toxic relationship.
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One of the benefits of a healthy economy is that people seem more optimistic and happier. Clearly, this has been the case for the past few years, especially 2019. By and large, the people I met and interacted with last year were much more positive about the future for their businesses. They were busy landing new gigs and completing work for their clients. They were pleasant and easy to be around.
That’s not to say that I didn’t interact with people or learned of situations that were most disagreeable. My friend Faith often speaks of a coworker she calls “hair on fire.” This person has a special knack for surfacing a crisis near the close of business on Friday afternoons. Faith finds this irritating, a waste of her time. In this respect, “hair on fire” is toxic.
One of my clients wasted a significant amount of time working with a potential strategic partner who promised her the moon. This person talked about entering a joint venture partnership whereby they would split the profits from their projects. My client began working with him in good faith but continued to ask for a document to define their relationship. The more my client asked for an agreement, the more belligerent he became. That document was never delivered and my client realized that her counterpart was insincere. In the end, he exploited her expertise without compensation. Fortunately, her investment wasn’t exorbitant.
A vendor for another client put his business in turmoil by failing to show proper accountability to his minority partners. He didn’t include them in important decisions and was not forthcoming. Not surprisingly, his partners resigned, taking funds owed them out of the company’s bank accounts. This resulted in additional problems for the vendor as those funds were designated for merchandise already purchased. The list goes on.
As my business is about helping my clients become more effective, it’s important to help them understand the warning signs of a toxic relationship. There is great value in avoiding the cost of a pathological relationship, so understanding the warning signs is useful. Toward this end, I invested time in reviewing articles that discussed the personal attributes shared by successful entrepreneurs. A summary of the attributes promoted is listed below.
Attributes of a successful entrepreneur:Passion, strong work ethic, strong people skills, determination, creativity, competitiveness, self-starter, open-minded, confidence, disciplined, salesmanship, communication skills, peacefulness, poised, intuition, adaptability, opportunistic, resilient, bold, management skills, focused, accountable, skeptical, and a listener.
I find it interesting that these attributes not only apply to success as an entrepreneur, but they are also relevant to an employee, a senior executive, or for one’s private life. The best summary I found was from Brian Tracy who identified five qualities: Self-discipline, integrity, persistence, clear sense of direction, and decisive and action-oriented. Of the articles I surveyed, Mr. Tracy was the only author who identified integrity as a key attribute for success. I find that surprising, however, I agree completely. From my perspective, poor temperament and a lack of integrity are the primary indicators of a toxic relationship. If that’s the case, how can one minimize their exposure to toxic people? How can one resolve that question before entering into a business relationship?
When coaching Independent Consultants, I advise them to create an entry-level vehicle as a lead marketing strategy. This is a small project with a short time frame, reasonably priced to present a low-risk profile to the prospective client. This project will validate your capabilities as you work to establish a relationship with the new client. These entry-level projects are opportunities to build trust, the foundation for a longer-term relationship. If a relationship cannot be established, neither party has lost much in the process.
I believe this is good advice for entering into any relationship. Begin with a small commitment to validate the benefits of a relationship. It’s the best way to manage risk. Of course, there is a lot of work you can do to ensure a viable working relationship even before landing that initial contract. As your prospective clients are interviewing you, you should be interviewing them. It is advisable to talk with the client’s vendors and or customers to gain further insight.
Many people have great ideas and want to be in business for themselves. If they lack a few key attributes those dreams will never materialize. Be on guard so you aren’t caught in their pathology.
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I had arrived a little early for my luncheon meeting with an alumni friend. We get together about once a quarter to catch up, to discuss relevant issues about our university and the local alumni chapter. It was a workday, so I was dressed in business casual attire; a navy-blue blazer, a white shirt, gray wool trousers, and black shoes. My typical uniform. As I had some time to kill, I decided to visit a nearby menswear store that I patronize from time to time.
I received a warm welcome from one of the staff members who gave me a general overview of the merchandise they recently stocked. He was helpful, in an unobtrusive way, giving me the opportunity to become familiar with their merchandise. As the season is changing, there are a few items I want to add to my wardrobe, so I wasn’t killing time entirely.
While wandering around the store another employee approached me and slipped a white pocket square into my jacket pocket. He complimented me on my appearance and said that the pocket square completed my look. I was pleasantly surprised by his action, thinking that he presented me with a gift. Well, maybe I was a bit confused as I didn’t take it as an overt attempt to make a sale. His action created an opportunity for us to interact further as I continued to review their merchandise.
When it was time to go to the restaurant, I made my move toward the door, thanking the sales associates and promising to return. The associate who presented me with the pocket square, still in my pocket, asked if I would like to pay for the item. I had totally forgotten about it, especially since I had processed it as a gift. When I realized my mistake, I had to laugh. It was a funny situation, although somewhat embarrassing. He got me! How could I refuse to pay for the pocket square? I paid for the item, thanked them again, and went off to lunch. I’m a big fan of pocket squares so I am happy with the purchase.
Driving to my office after lunch, I thought back to the situation at the men’s store. I had to laugh at myself again for missing the obvious point of his gesture. But something was nagging at me. I admit that it was a clever sales technique, however, it felt deceptive.
I may have been confused because no one has ever put an item in my pocket that wasn’t meant to be a gift. Typically, a sales associate will bring me an item, often a tie, to show me how it complements my jacket or suit coat. He wouldn’t tie it around my neck, but maybe drape it over my sleeve. If I showed interest, he might take me over to a mirror to see how the tie would look in relation to my shirt and jacket. In those situations, I would hold the tie, folding it in a way that would allow me to bring it to my shirt collar to resemble my appearance if I were wearing the tie. I would manage this process, not the sales associate. During this time, he might talk about the item, speaking to the quality, the price, and how well it complements my attire. You know, selling.
In my recent interaction, the sales associate didn’t tell me anything about the item or the price which failed to reinforce the act of selling the pocket square. OK, call me naïve, but I am confident that you would’ve reacted in a similar way if only for a moment.
I admit it was a clever technique if not a hit-and-run tactic. He made a small sale, and I do like the pocket square. However, I am not motivated to return to that location or to work with that associate. I hold no animosity toward him, but he didn’t create mutual trust and respect that would motivate me to return.
Often, it’s the little things that make the biggest impact. When working to build a relationship we should be mindful of our behavior. We want to ensure that we don’t send any conflicting messages. Hit-and-run tactics will limit you to a low-level sales rut, with few return engagements. A lack of clarity or candor will inhibit the formation of relationships. In that event, you may never have an opportunity to work with many prospects. I may have returned to that store if the pocket square had been given as a gift, or if the sales associate had presented the item differently. I guess we will never know.
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It’s been a while since I thought much about the process I employ to generate new business. Even though I’ve been managing my business for over twenty years, I don’t think about the processes I use to generate more business. I have an effective system in place which I execute diligently. Building relationships with prospective clients has become second nature, almost intuitive. Recently, I have been thinking a lot about my business development systems and processes, however. Since making a commitment to deliver a presentation on selling consulting services, I’ve been compelled to reconsider the matter. As you would expect, the subject has been on my mind quite a bit lately.
Friday, I discussed my progress on the presentation with my friend Faith. During our discussion, I mentioned that I hadn’t chosen a topic for this week’s blog post. I said that I would like to continue the theme of the last few weeks, building relationships. She suggested that I write about building professional relationships that generate new business. I liked her idea and I’m pleased to continue exploring this subject.
As I think about it, my work is all about building and strengthening relationships. People come to me seeking new jobs and career advice. I like to do what I can for them. Although I may not be able to help them immediately, I believe it’s important to understand their needs and aspirations. At some point, I will learn of an opportunity to provide assistance. By doing so, I am creating a foundation for a long-term relationship.
Mary’s situation is a good example. Mary is in the process of closing the family business and moving her residence to Atlanta. She came to me looking for help transitioning from her position as COO for an industrial company to become an employee for another company. Currently, she is not able to devote 100% of her time to job search, so starting the process has been prolonged. I immediately connected her with two networking groups to begin her transition.
Two weeks ago, we scheduled a call to discuss her situation. I had promised to review her resume and owed her my feedback. After providing my thoughts, she asked if I would take her on as a coaching client. I agreed, of course, and we scheduled a follow-on, face-to-face meeting. Reflecting on our interaction, we developed a relationship that resulted in new business for me. She came to trust me because I demonstrated a sincere interest in her career aspirations. I connected her with others who could be helpful and provided suggestions to improve her resume. Stated another way, I showed a genuine interest in helping her and demonstrated my capabilities. Interestingly, I never pitched her on the idea of becoming a client.
Selling consulting services is about selling an intangible product. One cannot touch, hold, see, smell, or hear the product. It is something that can only be imagined. Those buying consulting services are taking a leap of faith. In many ways, the process is the same as completing a successful series of job interviews. The candidate’s primary objective is to establish rapport with the hiring manager. After all, we want to work with people we like and who like us. To achieve a successful outcome, one must establish a personal connection. So, building rapport requires effective interpersonal skills. Those skills include the following:
Empathy – needs assessment
A Positive Mental Attitude
Appreciation/Gratitude
Mutual Respect
Accountability
Offer something of value – a gift.
Professionalism
Honesty and forthrightness
As with any job interview, you are being evaluated on every step of the selection process including an offer of employment. As you work to gain the prospect’s confidence, your working style and ethics are on display. The prospect is becoming comfortable, or not, with the idea of working with you. A well-executed process is critical! I cannot overemphasize the importance of this phase of the sales cycle.
Selling consulting services is a process governed by the fact that you are selling an intangible product, the prospect’s desired outcome. As a consultant, your job is to make the product tangible and mitigate the prospect’s doubt. You are the product! The attributes of the product you’re selling are your attributes: competence, professionalism, empathy, and ethics among others. You will demonstrate these attributes by developing a working relationship with the prospect. By developing solid relationships, you will ensure the success of your business.
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Small business owners wear many hats and make many decisions each day. Most of these decisions are small and have minor impacts. Some decisions, however, are common to most small businesses and can have far-reaching, fundamental impacts. As a starting point, let’s look at three fundamental challenges:
The first big challenge facing most small business owners is finances. As the CEO of a start-up frequently said to me, “Cash is king.” Businesses exist to make money and most small business owners run their finances without adequate planning or oversight. They monitor bank balances, accounts receivables, and expenses, but most don’t have a basic financial forecasting, reporting, and review structure in place. Additionally, many don’t have the forethought to establish a line of credit or other funding sources to help them remain solvent when inevitable financial speed bumps occur.
If your business needs some help in the financial area, here is a short “best practices” checklist to consider:
Get help to create a basic financial reporting (KPI) structure, such as within QuickBooks or your chosen accounting software
Document financial reporting requirements and ensure they are followed by you, your employees, 1099’s, etc.
Establish a recurring schedule for reviewing results and forecasts for all important financial data, such as cash, revenue, accounts receivable, and major expense categories
If not yet established, investigate funding options such as a bank/SBA loan, line of credit, credit card, silent investor, or personal funds… before you need the money
The second big challenge facing most small business owners is people because every person is critical to the operation. One poor performer can have unforeseen negative impacts. A sudden resignation by a key contributor can slow production. Finding new talent can be difficult, or motivating and retaining talent can be overlooked.
If your business needs some help in the people area, here are a few ideas to consider:
Take the time to consider carefully the performance of each member of your current team
Determine those employees who are critical to your success and what you will do to motivate and retain them
Determine those employees who are not performing and what actions you will take to address this
The third big challenge facing most small business owners is time. Few seem to have enough of it, even if they are working 60 hours a week or more. After working long hours for years, they begin to feel they have become a slave to their business … that the business is running them rather than they are running the business.
If you are working more hours than you want and not on a track to improving this, here are some ideas to get more of your life back:
Jot down the actions you take for a day or two, then review your list and decide what you can stop doing with no/minimal impact
Take a good long look in the mirror and ask yourself “Am I failing to delegate work that others could be doing?”, then delegate appropriately (the topic of a future blog post!)
Establish more organizational structure in your daily activities, such as a daily “to-do” list and time scheduling for key activities to do daily, weekly, and monthly
Make a commitment to yourself to reasonable work hours and hold yourself to them, which will motivate you to eliminate or delegate low-value work
Most small business owners I meet have all of these problems, in varying degrees. If you are a business owner who doesn’t have any of these big challenges, it’s possible you are overlooking one or more of them.
Think again. Don’t skip over this opportunity to improve your business and your work/life balance!
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Richard Kirby (www.richardkirby.net) is “The K Factor”, an executive coach who provides inspiration and guidance to small business owners and corporate executives who genuinely seek success at a higher level.
Richard Kirby, Executive Impact
Richard Kirby (www.richardkirby.net) is “The K Factor”, an executive coach who provides inspiration and guidance to small business owners and corporate executives who genuinely seek success at a higher level.
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Get Serious about creating an effective business development plan!
Jim Weber – Managing Partner, ITB Partners
Jim Weber is President of New Century Dynamics Executive Search, and Managing Partner of ITB Partners, Management Consultants. He will be presenting “The Three Pillars for Success.”
This webinar is designed to help you if you are trying to attract new clients/customers, looking for a new full-time job, or considering a career as a Freelancer.
ITB Partners is a Consortium of independent management consultants providing high value-added solutions to your problems. For more information, please visit our website at www.ITBPartners.com
I landed a new client this week, referred to me by another of our coaches. The client, John, had recently purchased a franchise for an online business. He reached out to us because he’s having trouble generating revenue. John’s an occupational therapist. This is his first experience as an entrepreneur; however, he has the presence of mind to know that he needs help. As we were getting to know one another over the phone I asked about the training he had received from the franchisor. He provided a brief overview but admitted that he wasn’t comfortable with some aspects of the Brand’s training, especially regarding customer acquisition. That revelation gave me a clear direction for our first meeting. There is obviously a disconnect between John’s desire to have a business and his willingness to follow the franchiser’s model for success. To be helpful, I must understand his rationale for acquiring the franchise compared to his personal strengths and interests.
After reflecting on our conversation, I thought of another friend and former colleague, Susan. I recall that Susan and I left a previous employer at the same time. She immediately signed up for a seminar to help her chart her next career move. One important topic of the seminar was achieving self-awareness. After the seminar, she told me that her biggest revelation was that she was not meant to be in sales, that she should look to further her career in a staff function. That made sense to me. Later, she told me that she had taken a position with a major financial services company as a Financial Advisor, a euphemistic term for sales. Of course, she wasn’t happy in that role and soon moved on.
You’ve probably noticed that people employed in the same occupation have similar personalities and interests. The differences become more evident when one considers vastly different occupations, like engineers and people engaged in the performing arts. Consider the personalities of salespeople as compared to librarians or academics. Or, more to the point of my work, employees compared to entrepreneurs. The most significant attributes of entrepreneurs include creativity, passion, persistence, optimism, and decisiveness. They are also independent, confident, and disciplined. These attributes make sense to me given the risks assumed by entrepreneurs. Any given line of work will have the greatest appeal to a specific type of individual. To the extent that you “know yourself,” you will be in a better position to choose an appropriate career path.
It is said that knowing who you are, self-awareness, is of critical importance for a successful life. So, what does one need to know about oneself to achieve self-awareness? In business, companies begin their strategic planning cycle by conducting a SWOT Analysis. SWOT is an acronym for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats underlying the planning process. These four areas of interest are evaluated against the competition. They may continue their internal assessment by evaluating their capabilities, i.e. market penetration, distribution network, financial resources, adaptability, intellectual capital, R&D, etc. The evaluation of these attributes and issues will result in strategic options to consider and ultimately a three to five-year plan.
Achieving self-awareness for an individual involves a similar process. Taking stock of one’s skills, strengths, and weaknesses is easily understood. What are you good at doing? Additionally, one should be familiar with their belief system, including values, interests, and the general direction you want to take in life. What is important to you? What motivates you to get out of bed in the morning? Understanding the personality types that give you energy as opposed to those that zap your energy may be important. What situations do you find stressful and try to avoid, compared to those you find exhilarating and attractive? Fortunately, there are diagnostics to help you understand yourself, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Predictive Index Behavioral Assessment, Birkman, and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). One of the benefits of these diagnostics is that they provide general guidelines as to occupations that align with your personality and interests. To the extent that you are aligned with your work’s occupational requirements and skill set, you will have a greater likelihood of success and happiness. If you haven’t had an opportunity to take one of these diagnostics, or if significant time has passed since you did, I recommend that you do so. In doing research for this post I found several articles that present thoughtful questions to help you better understand yourself. Links to some useful articles are included hereinbelow.
In “The Art of War,” Sun Tzu restated the already established axiom, “Know yourself, know your enemy, and you shall win a hundred battles without loss.” Socrates said that the unexamined life was not worth living. When asked if he could be more specific, he replied: ‘Know yourself.’
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Jim Weber, Managing Partner ITB Partners, founder of New Century Dynamics Executive Search and the author of “Fighting Alligators: Job Search Strategy For The New Normal” presented “The Three Pillars For Success” to The BENG Atlanta Chapter in August.
This discussion is meant for career-minded professionals who are gainfully employed, or between situations, and independent business owners looking to become more successful.
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One of the benefits of a healthy economy is that people seem more optimistic and happier. Clearly, this has been the case for the past few years, especially 2019. By and large, the people I met and interacted with last year were much more positive about the future for their businesses. They were busy landing new gigs and completing work for their clients. They were pleasant and easy to be around.
I landed a new client this week, referred to me by another of our coaches. The client, John, had recently purchased a franchise for an online business. He reached out to us because he’s having trouble generating revenue. John’s an occupational therapist. This is his first experience as an entrepreneur; however, he has the presence of mind to know that he needs help. As we were getting to know one another over the phone I asked about the training he had received from the franchisor. He provided a brief overview but admitted that he wasn’t comfortable with some aspects of the Brand’s training, especially regarding customer acquisition. That revelation gave me a clear direction for our first meeting. There is obviously a disconnect between John’s desire to have a business and his willingness to follow the franchiser’s model for success. To be helpful, I must understand his rationale for acquiring the franchise compared to his personal strengths and interests.