Build ’em up, or break ’em down.

As the leader, did you build more people up today, or break more people down?

Which is better?

Capitalism starts with giving

There is a lot of work, risk, thought, mental effort, and capital put forward in a business in an attempt to create value for potential customers before any profit is realized.  If we are successful, customers benefit before business owners do.

Businesses like yours, operating in free markets have done more to improve our lives than any other contrivance of man.

Profit = Feedback

While doing it all for the money is often exactly the reason you won’t be very successful, profit is feedback on how well we are running our business.  If we don’t make any, we own a job at a non-profit organization.  Is that what you set out to do?

If you COULD retire, would you?

If you had enough money to retire, would you?

If not, then there must be some other reason you do what you do.  

What is it?

Why does your company exist?

When the answer is “So the owner (I) can make as much money as possible”, you’ve got a big problem.

So, why does your company exist?

Why do they follow you?

Why do they do business with you?  Why do they work with you?  Why do they work for you?

Because they have to?…or because they want to?

What’s the problem?

To solve a problem you have to understand it clearly.  What are the causes of the problem?  If it’s multi faceted, break it into individual parts – to be solved piece by piece.  Write it down.  If it’s longer than one short sentence you probably don’t have clarity on it.

When you get very clear on what the problem is, the answer is easier to find, and may jump right out at you.

What’s the problem?

Rearranging Resources

Most resources – human, financial, and material, already exist. Entrepreneurs rearrange resources to make things happen; to create and deliver value, and opportunity.

Put the people and resources together to get it done. 

The “Intimate Organization”

Do you have a team that knows each other’s skills and talents well?  Do they trust each other?  Do they use each other as resources, and work together to cooperate as one mastermind?

When your people develop organizational intimacy they can be much more productive.

Clarity

When you’re stuck with a problem it’s because your thinking is stuck.  Get clear.

What exactly is the problem? Why is the problem there? How can it be solved? What are the options?  

Then choose one and go with it.  

The problem only lasts as long as you let it.