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HardWorkIsHighlyOverated: Sometimes Our Values Are Our Worst Enemy

HardWorkIsHighlyOverated:  Sometimes Our Values Are Our Worst Enemy | TheBottomlineNow | Scoop.it

Who remembers the second person who died in the battle of Little Big Horn (for that part who was the first).  No disrespect but my point is (don't be so stupid that you run blindly into an ambush of an Indian Nation.  Uuh maybe...) that sometimes what we believe in can put us in positions where it will give others an edge to manipulate.  Sometimes the person who is telling you to work hard is just wasting time until they find a way to get an edge.  In essence they may be using your sense of commitment and honor against you.  They know that you're just stubborn enough that you will keep working until you either quit or find an answer that the person who delegated the task had no chance of finding.  The person who delegated this task may see this as Win Win genius, others may see it as disengenious (I for one).

 

In today's business climate noone needs to be trying to learn on the job.  Especially in small business.  The small businessman doesn't have the room to train a newbie or the patience to retrain an old know it all. So who do you keep?  The puppy or the old dog.  The one you keep is the one that's most commited to your strategy and you're values. that's easy.  Usually that will be the young puppy.  Why because the young puppy is open to new values and experiences.  Usually that old dog, who might work better, is slower and stuck in they're own value system. They may also need more money because of their adult obligation and those obligations will be the determining factor in their needs system.  There's nothing wrong with their values but business is not an enviorment where the values experiment should ever be in the conversation.  The only values that matter in business is the value that your product bring to your current customer solution (that will make them keep coming back) and your new customers solution (that will make them stay). 

 

When you as a business person get into trying to change the world, as a business you run the possibility who straying on course of your real focus, and that is to make money for you and the tools you need to stay in business (not just you and your past bills).

 

You will need pros and pros want their money.  If you are fortunate enough to get the pro bono services of a pro then make sure that you tactically know what you want them to do.  Don't waste their time or good faith in research or developement and look at it as a favor.  Not cool.  If you want to maintain your value as a leader, then be strong enough to lead or smart enough to follow.  Never take pros and use them as a research stem to your organizational research.  It's insulting to a person who values their value and time.  It also signals other professionals that you're either don't know what you're doing or you don't mind wasting others time.  Neither is good.  Because if you do this, unconcsiouslly you might be trying to impose your values and will upon someone else.  By doing this you run the risk of not only lowering your associates value but also your own.

 

I'm ReggieRedd and thats TheBottomline

 

 

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ThinkAboutIt

Over lunch recently a media executive repeated the accepted wisdom that “our content has value.” That often leads next to the contention that we “should be paid for it,” though I counter that “should” is never the basis of a business model.

 

Wow can it be said any better.  Should is a dangerous word.  A lot of entreprenuers make the mistake of using should in their business model as opposed to deliver.  You see to deliver is to supply to someone something they wanted or needed.  What good is it for me to give you a product or idea that wasn't at the top of your to do list.  If I do that then I risk the chance of being a distraction as opposed to being effective.  Is changing the world a function of entreprenuership?  Sometimes but not always.  Your top function in entreprenuership is top make enough money to continually fund your existance and to make your investors a profit.  Remember investors are gamblers and some don't care how they win, they just want to win.

 

For example, the subprime lending foolishness.  People "SHOULD" have enough sense not to get in over their heads in a bad loan (but they did) The people who wrote thoses loans "SHOULD" not allowed thoses customers to get those loans (but they did).  Their competitors "SHOULD" not have taken a stance that well if they don't do it I will (but they did) and other entreprenuers "SHOULD" not have seized upon the opportunities to capitalize in thoses markets (but they did) to earn money on the damage caused by this subprime foolishness (collection agencies, repo men, credit repair companies and the list goes on amd on.) I can go on forever but I guess you see my point.

 

Now if we choose "DELIVER" as opposed to "SHOULD".  Then we have taken the time to find out the customers needs and delivered them.  In a way to tell a customer what they "should" have is reall arrogant (politicians heed this message).  It's best to inform and respect their choice and at the end of the day a customers choice will be your best choice for your as a entrprenuer.

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