From the Harvard School of Business

“In a sense we can view the entrepreneur in business today as a person who practices the ART of business. He constantly seeks new relationships with his environment. He conjures up new configurations of facts and ideas. He dreams and he makes his dreams into reality. And in the process, he leads. He convinces others of the value of their goals. His energy and dedication attract others to join in his undertakings.

The entrepreneur is intellectually and emotionally oriented to the future. To him, what is is obsolete. He seeks to control his environment, not to resist it. He works harder and longer than other men but does not call it work because he enjoys it so much. He is a risk taker, but he can relax amid tension because his security lies in his confidence in his ability to think creatively and constructively. He is likely to be indifferent to the pipe-and-slippers or cigar-and-brandy concept of security, and to create havoc in an environment where systems, procedures and work measurement techniques are prized.”

Use this reprint from the Harvard School of Business as the basis for your next meeting. There’s a tremendous amount of good information in this article for the modern entrepreneur who typically works in the unstructured environment as an Independent Contractor or in the Direct Sales Business.

1.      Practicing the Art of Business.

2.      Dreaming, and making dreams into realities.

3.      Convincing others of the value of their goals.

4.      Energy and dedication attract others to join in their undertakings.

5.      Importance of being intellectually and emotionally oriented to the future.

6.      Working harder and longer than others, but not calling it works.

7.      Taking risks.

8.      Confidence in ability to think creatively and constructively.

9.      Indifference to the outdated concept of security.

10.    Controlling the environment – not trying to resist it.

HOW’S YOUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS OTHER PEOPLE?

Our attitude toward other people, places and things are an all important part of our make-up, along with how we view our situation and how well adjusted we are to the world in which we live.

IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS FOR SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT

Character – It’s important to be honest and dependable, not bridle. Can you accept criticism or suggestions from above or below your management level on a business level and not crack, falter or weaken. Courage and conviction will push you towards any problem needing a solution.

Desire – It’s important to have a deep, ever present, burning desire to achieve success. It should be so dynamic that you will not be willing at any time to postpone the doing of things that need to be done, now. Your desire must be the kind that drives you to pay the price of true leadership.

Intellectual Competence – It’s important to have native intelligence so to think clearly and concisely about the business and company problems, and to be able to absorb and apply company policies and plans. You should be able to solve problems and never be the one to make problems for your superiors. You must be willing and able to make decisions well and quickly based on the facts and your good judgment.

Personal Relations – You should understand, know and be able to apply rudiments of human engineering, as well as possess workable knowledge sufficient to lead and inspire your people. You must be able to resist temptation to do things that will be harmful to the morale of your team, and understand human nature well enough to be able to keep your team working together successfully.

Sound Planning Capacity – To build a connected, integrated program or plan which keeps the attention focused on several important factors concurrently, you need to be able to think straight. Plan your work and work your plan, be open to adjustments and drive toward a successful conclusion, meeting all deadlines.

Responsibility – You must be able to assign and delegate responsibility as well as authority, and be willing, able and capable to handle the responsibility to get the job done on schedule.

Follow Through – Buttressed by good health and above average energy and ambition, you must have an unswerving singleness of purpose and the persistence to stick to and charge on with bulldog tenacity towards the completion of current and long-range tasks.

6.      DO YOU CURB YOUR URGE TO TALK? As mentioned in point one, the boss who knows his/her people, their habits, worries, ambitions and touchy points, comes to appreciate why they behave as they do. The best and most efficient way to know them is to encourage them to speak freely, for you to do less talking and more listening.

7.     DO YOU GIVE YOUR PEOPLE A SENSE OF DIRECTION? In order to plan their time intelligently and work effectively, people want to know where they are going, what they are doing and why they are doing it. Quality people seldom enjoy working day to day without a purpose. Make clear the relationship between their work and the Big Picture.  To do so, you must have a clear picture of the Vision.

As members of your team, your people are entitled to know what’s going on. Provide them with enough information about conditions and events in the company as well as the industry to allow them to envision for themselves and the importance of their daily work in relationship to the Big Picture.

8.     DO YOU BRING YOUR PEOPLE IN ON YOUR PLANS EARLY? Obviously, some plans cannot be discussed very far in advance. However, plans and objectives should be discussed before being finalized. Regular meetings or briefings will give your people an all important sense of participation. Furthermore, when they have a part in shaping the plan, they will feel a sense of personal responsibility for its success, and they will usually carry out the plan successfully with vigor and precision.

When briefing your people, you may want to ask for their help and council, and it’s important to mean it.  When you do, your people will have an all important feeling being part of the team, and your confidence in them builds personal self esteem as well as team spirit. Your team will be anxious and willing to work hard towards a successful end. Equally important, they may have other ideas and solutions that may never have been discovered if you had not asked for their help.  

9.     DO YOU TELL THE ORIGINATOR OF THE IDEA WHAT HAPPENED? When you do, they will study solutions to other problems and offer suggestions. When their idea has been accepted by upper management, they will be encouraged to see the results of their thinking put into effect.  When their idea is not accepted, they will more readily accept the rejection when you take the time to explain why their idea was rejected, and may even be more inclined to analyze a problem in more detail in the future.

10.   DO YOU GIVE YOUR PEOPLE A SENSE OF IMPORTANCE? Most people need to think that their job is important, or ‘at the least’ how their job fits into the grand scheme of things. You can provide your people with a sense of their jobs worth by periodically counseling them on where stand.

11.   DO YOU REPROVE IN PRIVATE AND PRAISE IN PUBLIC? Reprimands in the presence of others will bring humiliation and resentment. Instead of a desire to do better in the future, criticizing a person in front of others undermines morale and self confidence, and may compromise your ability to lead your team. When you must criticize, be sure it’s in a private manner and on an individual basis.

There’s way to provide constructive criticism as well. First, get all the facts, and review the facts with those concerned, then reach an agreement that the facts are correct and the course of action to be taken constructive. When you meet with the individual focus on the methods or the results, not personalities, if possible, always begin with a bit of honest praise, and make it a constructive learning experience.

Most people thrive on appreciations, praise before others often has multiple benefits; it tends to raise morale, prestige, and strengthens self confidence, important factors in the development of capable personal and team spirit. However, be sure that those you praise are actually those who deserve it.

12.   DO YOU SHARE THE SPOTLIGHT FOR ACHIEVEMENT? Taking full credit for something that partially or totally belongs to one of your team members will destroy initiative as well as a willingness to take responsibility for the successful completion of future objectives, projects and problems. And the feeling will quickly pass on to other members of your team as well. Giving a person fair recognition for their contribution has a double effect, they receive the appreciation and recognition for a job well done, and you win the cooperation and support of a loyal worker.

13.   DO YOU ISSUE ORDERS AS SUGGESTIONS OR REQUESTS? If you’ve contracted or hired people with ability and initiative, you will receive better results by putting instructions in the form of suggestions, issuing orders or commands should only be used as a last result. When you find yourself having to give orders and commands most of the time, it may be an indication that it’s time to examine how you’re handling your own responsibilities.

14.   DO YOU MAKE YOUR SUBORDINATES RESPONSIBLE FOR DETAILS? When you insist on handling all the details just to keep yourself busy and to give yourself a sense of working, you discourage your subordinates by competing with them. Moreover, performing most of the details yourself, you prevent subordinates from learning to make their own decisions. A good manager plans the work for others to handle, then makes sure they handle it. Inspect what you expect.

15.   DO YOU ACCEPT MODERATE GRIPING AS HEALTHY? In small doses, griping can serve as a safety valve for your people. Even if they worked for a perfect boss, most would still complain, just because you were perfect. However, when you have a person that is continuously negative and critical of everything the company does, it may be time for that person to find a company they can support. Keep in mind, at times and especially in sales where incentives can ratchet up someone’s income significantly, some confuse what they earn is what they are worth “and more” on the job market.