Tag: Business

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motivation

Did I Make That Call Today?

©2013 Speartoons, Inc

Texting has revolutionized the way I communicate. If I suddenly have something I want to share with my wife or kids, I can send it immediately and not worry if they are busy. I can send a note of encouragement to a friend. I don’t have to dispense with the pleasantries of small talk before getting to the point. I can make the point and have an answer in a moment.

But the temptation is to make that the primary form of communication because it is so effortless. It’s easy to type a thought and send it. A lot can be lost in translation. It is difficult to make a true connection with a few words and no context. A text is an electronic sticky-note. Make sure when you are using it, it’s the appropriate way to communicate in that situation.

Sometimes it is just better to make the call. But it can feel awkward if I’m out of practice. It can feel too easy to hide behind a text. I’ve heard of couples breaking it up over a text. Really? It may be easier but it is not the way to deal with something so emotional.

Sometimes it is better to make the call or to visit someone in a person. If I have something important to say, I will make that call today.

Categories
motivation

Small Actions Make Great Strides

Cartoon of two business people. The business man says, "I like to celebrate the small victories. Today, I didn't spill breakfast on me."

The other day, I listed to the Harvard Business Review Podcast interview James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones. Here is a link to the podcast and transcript:

HBR Podcast: The Right Way to Form New Habits

More or less, the author promotes using small actions to create good habits instead of going all gung ho and overwhelming ourselves. It’s celebrating the small actions and victories.

Cartoon of two business people. The business man says, "I like to celebrate the small victories. Today, I didn't spill breakfast on me."

This is a novel approach to goal setting and forming new habits. Too often, I think I have to have a new goal all figured out. But the author suggests starting small habits that enable the big one is the way to go. Do you want to read more books? Start with one page. Do you want to exercise? Pack your workout clothes the night before and have them ready in your car. Do you want to write a book? Start with one sentence… or a short blog article!

Keep striving and finding ways to start those good, new habits. The results will be worth it!

Categories
Business motivation

Know Your Customer/Audience

Cartoon of two kids looking at a present. The boy says, "What do you think? Did Mom get me that table saw for Christmas?"

Christmas is less than two weeks away. Have you got that special gift yet? It can drive us crazy searching for the one gift that will light up a loved one’s face. It can be even more difficult to find one that is age appropriate. One year, my eight-year old nephew wanted an axe. While he would have enjoyed it, and all he wanted to do was chop wood, his parents agreed with us he was too young for that special gift that year.

Cartoon of two kids looking at a present. The boy says, "What do you think? Did Mom get me that table saw for Christmas?"

You may not want to give a book lover a table saw. Nor would you want to give a carpenter a book if he or she doesn’t like to read. It’s common sense, but frequently in business, we try to sell a product to a customer that isn’t interested. It just may not be for them.

Gift-giving is a lot like the business of selling. You want to find the right person for the right product or service. Don’t try to force a “gift” onto a customer that just isn’t appropriate for them. They may force a smile and utter, “Just what I wanted.” But if it really isn’t for them, it will soon be cast aside and never used.

Know your customer.

Categories
motivation

The Powerful Tool of Forgiveness

Cartoon of a man and elephant about forgiving and forgetting

We are imperfect people working with imperfect coworkers and serving imperfect customers. over the course of the day, someone may say something that is either going to frustrate, offend or discourage us. It could be intentional or totally innocent. It may be because we can see the same facts and come to different conclusions. Oh, there are so many chances to forgive!

Forgiveness allows us to move on. True, there must be accountability. If someone is breaking an established rule or a law, they must be held to it. But most of the time, the things that get us tripped up in are minor offenses that require us to let go.

Forgive and it will be much easier for the other person to forgive you. Let go of those minor offenses that can become major if we let them fester. After all, a bunch of imperfect people do imperfect, annoying, aggravating things. And you are certainly not immune from doing an imperfect, annoying aggravating thing.

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Business Business Cartoons

Should There Be Compassion in the Workplace?

Cartoon of a tree in a receptionist's office

For several years, the mantra in business has been that its only responsibility is to maximize shareholder value. It didn’t matter how much resources it used as long as it generated a profit. Milton Friedman was famous for this theory:

There is one and only one responsibility of business: to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits so long as it stays within the rules of the game.

Milton Friedman

But this frame of thinking can deplete resources if it goes to the extreme.

  • If you treat people like cogs in machinery, they will take no responsibility for quality and excellence.
  • If you deplete natural resources, they become scarce and more expensive.
  • If you are only concerned about the sale and not service, the consumer has no incentive to come back to you.

Short-term profits can end up sacrificing the long-term well being of a company. Compassion for people and the environment gives people incentives to care about you beyond the fast sale.