Business Wisdom: Words to Manage By

No Time Like The Present!

2012-01-27T12:21:00.000-08:00

"Prosperity is not without many fears and distastes; adversity not without many comforts and hopes."

Francis Bacon

16th century British statesman

We are ever so slowly emerging from extremely difficult economic times and with that comes a lot of cautious business people who say they are waiting for things to improve before once again spending to grow their business.

Waiting for what?

As Mr. Bacon says, there is bad in all good, and good in all bad.

Get on with it!

I've Got You Now!

2012-01-26T12:21:00.000-08:00

"Men are the sport of circumstance when it seems that circumstance is the sport of men."

Lord Byron

18th century British poet

Sun Tzu also makes this point in "The Art of War".

Victory often comes to those whose opponents think they have the upper hand.

As in war, so too is it in business.

Fear As An Option

2012-01-25T13:38:00.000-08:00

"The best safety lies in fear."

William Shakespeare

16th century British playwright/poet

To a point and rarely if ever in business.

Companies simply do not have the option to standstill out of fear of what may happen.

If they are not willing to proactively take risk and change, change will come to them, often in ways they will not like.

(You Don't Always Have To) GET REAL!

2012-01-24T11:36:00.000-08:00

"It is respectful to have no illusions, and safe, and profitable and dull."

Joseph Conrad

Late 19th/early 20th century British novelist

Not always profitable.

Success in business is more often dependent on assumptions than facts, and that includes many things that begin life as an illusion.

Free To . . . ?

2012-01-23T11:57:00.000-08:00

"Surely there is grandeur in knowing that in the realm of thought, at least you are without a chain; that you have the right to explore all heights and depths; that there are no walls or fences, nor prohibited places, nor sacred corners in all the vast expanse of thought."

Robert Green Ingersoll

19th century American politician

True, but do you?

What Do You Want?

2012-01-20T13:03:00.000-08:00

"It is part of the cure to wish to be cured."

Lucius Annaeus Seneca

1st century BC Roman philosopher/playwright

If you are sick, believing you can be well again does much to help you regain your health.

Likewise being willing to accept views counter to yours will help you do whatever is best, regardless of whose idea it is.

You have to want what is right rather than want to be right.

Never Give Up The Ship???

2012-01-19T12:12:00.000-08:00

"They defend their errors as if they were defending their inheritance."

Edmund Burke

18th century British political writer

"Sticking to your guns" is all good and well but you should first do all you can to make certain your opinion is worth defending.

I Hear You

2012-01-18T12:44:00.000-08:00

"Thinking is not to agree or disagree. That is voting."

Robert Frost

20th century American poet

The Japanese have an interesting communication characteristic often misunderstood by westerners.

Upon hearing what the other person has to say, they will repeatedly say "hai", which mean yes.

To many non Japanese this is mistakenly interpreted as agreement when in fact the listener is only saying "I hear you."

When was the last time you acknowledged hearing what the other person said to you, and if you did, did you then think about what it meant?

One Or All?

2012-01-17T13:18:00.000-08:00

"There is no monument erected to the memory of a committee."

Lester J. Pourciau

20th century American educator/author

There are many times more derogatory committee quotes than there are positive ones, this being but one example of the milder ones.

Why do so many find so much negative about committees while at the same time celebrating collaboration, strength in numbers, and other positive expressions of group activity?

The Art of Business

2012-01-16T12:29:00.000-08:00

"Art . . . the end result of perception, wisdom, intelligence, discipline, hard work, passion, luck, accident, and coincidence."

Unknown

Strike "art" and we're talking business even though the more analytical among you, MBA's in particular (chill, I'm one too), would likely say there is no connection between the two.

Get Out Of Their Way

2012-01-13T13:14:00.000-08:00

"The only way of knowing a person is to love them without hope."

Walter Benjamin

20th century German philosopher

(I can hear you now; "How will he connect this one to business?")

If we substitute "trust" for "love" and "expectations" for "hope", are we not zeroing in on the goal we have for all new hires?

And note this is not to suggest that you don't do all possible to have reason to trust, as well as to establish expectations for performance, all prior to offering the job, but once you've done that . . .

The message is, do your best to find the right people and then step back and let them perform.

How Thick Is Your Employee Handbook?

2012-01-12T12:47:00.000-08:00

"The more corrupt the state, the more laws."

Publius Cornelius Tacitus

1st century Roman historian

In business too?

I suspect so.

At the very least the more personal behavior is governed by rules, the less individual creativity can be expected and that can't be good for business.

Some Help Please!

2012-01-11T13:39:00.000-08:00

"Never do that by proxy which you can do yourself."

Italian proverb

I never completely disagree with these quotes and here's the exception that proves the rule.

While there are things we all must do for ourselves, far more gets done through cooperation with others.

How independent are you?

The Empty Suit

2012-01-10T12:59:00.000-08:00

"Our greatest pretenses are built up not to hide the evil and the ugly in us, but our emptiness. The hardest thing to hide is something that is not there."

Eric Hoffer

20th century American author/philosopher

Quality, capability, talent.

You know it when it is not there.

Mind Fire

2012-01-09T13:09:00.000-08:00

"The fire of glory is the torch of the mind."

Unknown

More than patents, equipment, technology, or money in the bank, the company who realizes the worth of their employees minds, and rewards them accordingly, will be those who succeed the most.

The Protective (Company) State

2012-01-06T12:59:00.000-08:00

"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government."

Thomas Jefferson

Third US President

Regardless of how you feel about this relative to politics, what about in business?

Are you politically a small government advocate as well as a micro manager at work?

Be honest.

Think Big!

2012-01-05T11:50:00.000-08:00

"If you would attain greatness, think no little thoughts."

Anonymous

Another easy to say, difficult to do piece of advice.

I think a lot of what are actually "little thoughts" but generally not on purpose.

But fortunately I am usually able to sort out which are which and increasingly take the time to do so.

When Enough May Not Be

2012-01-04T12:52:00.000-08:00

"Security is the chief enemy of mortals."

William Shakespeare

16the century British playwright/poet

Well security takes many forms and no one with too little to eat would agree with this.

But I do see his point.

Not a good thing to settle for what appears to be secure when you can and should accomplish more.

Managerial Empires

2012-01-03T13:18:00.000-08:00

"An empire is an immense egotism."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

19th century American poet/essayist

You may have to manage a great number of people but you should never do so simply because you want to.

I Went To Colage, I Kno Stuf

2012-01-02T13:14:00.000-08:00

"Much learning does not teach understanding."

Heraclitus

5th century BC Greek philosopher

I've met many individuals whose education is diametrically opposed to their apparent intelligence.

Unfortunately a reality that has, on occasion, applied to me as well.

How about you?

You Want? You've Got To Give

2011-12-30T12:47:00.000-08:00

"Every man is a consumer, and ought to be a producer."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

19th century American poet/essayist

Mr. Emerson's possibly unintended comment on social welfare programs?

Now Let Me Show You How It's Done

2011-12-29T13:36:00.000-08:00

"I invent nothing, I rediscover."

Auguste Rodin

Late 19th, early 20th century French sculptor

Have you ever noticed how new management often throws out all that was in place before they assumed control?

Why is that?

From Dreams To Reality

2011-12-28T13:10:00.000-08:00

"The dream was always running ahead of me. To catch up with it, to live for a moment with it in unison, that was the miracle."

Anais Nin

20th century French/Cuban author

This should be the goal for all of us, both in our personal and professional lives.

Too much dream, not enough reality, and nothing gets done.

And the reverse is too boring to contemplate.

Ms. Nin is new to me and now that I've discovered her and like what she has to say, I will look for more of her works.

And the fact that we share a birthday is an added plus. Us dreamer Pisces must stick together.

Action/Reaction

2011-12-27T13:24:00.000-08:00

"Everybody, soon or late, sits down to a banquet of consequences."

19th century Scottish novelist

To what extent if at all do you consider the consequences of your management decisions?

I'm not talking about the chance for success.

I mean the impact of your decisions on those who report to you.

An Attitude, But Which One?

2011-12-26T15:21:00.000-08:00

"So of cheerfulness, or a good temper, the more it is spent the more it remains."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

19th century American poet/essayist

Sounds like Mr. Emerson thinks being cheerful, of good temper, is a good thing.

Do you?

In business as in one's personal life?