Ten Business Truisms

This is a condensed list originally written by BNET’s Steve Tobak. I like it, and thought I’d share it.

1. People won’t perform for those they don’t respect.
2. If you’re not passionate about what you’re doing, you won’t be successful at it.
3. When you have problems with others, look inside yourself for answers.
4. The workplace is about business, not you.
5. Conflict is healthy; anger is not. Get some help for that.
6. No matter how smart you are, wisdom only comes from experience.
7. Whine and complain all you want; nobody gives a crap.
8. You can BS others but you really can’t BS yourself.
9. The boss isn’t always right, but she’s still the boss.
10. The customer isn’t always right, but she’s still the customer

Rethinking Loyalty

Work hard, contribute often and you’ll be rewarded. That’s what I was told when I entered the workforce in the mid ‘80s. It was a time when people held jobs for decades and worked their way up the ranks.

Back then, I worked for a large corporation and while there was a great deal of cutthroat behavior, there was an unspoken rule that said if you did what you were told to do but also took moderate risks to innovate, you’d be rewarded. My boss at the time instilled this in all of us freshman employees with frequent reminders and examples of what you had to do to get ahead.

We took those lessons as gospel until the day the office doors shut one by one. HR professionals and managers entered two-by-two and left as displaced workers cried, screamed and packed up their belongings. It was the first mass layoff I ever experienced. They didn’t dress it up with terms like downsizing then; you were laid off, canned, fired and no longer part of the corporate community where you toiled for days, years, on weekends, holidays and after hours. The simple truth is you were no longer relevant.

I was one of the lucky ones who not only stayed, but thrived. I continued working hard, achieving promotions and recognition for my contributions. Years later, I was passed over for a promotion and was told that I was too young and needed a few more years experience before achieving the next level. My boss at the time sabotaged me, but I chalked it up to her deficiency, never blaming the company. My sense of loyalty remained strong because I hadn’t yet realized that at the end of the day, we work for individuals, not corporations, no matter how big the organization.

As my career progressed, I continued to work hard and give it my all whether it was something small like helping a colleague or a monumental event like launching a new product. I brought that strong work ethic and loyalty to every company I ever worked for, but I never stopped to think about the company’s loyalty to me.

When I left the corporate world for agency life, I was no longer just a cog in a wheel but an integral component to success. The agencies I worked for treated me well as an employee and human, and made me feel they invested as much in me as I did as them. Then the dotcom era happened and things changed. Everyone really did become replaceable. One-half of the agency I worked for spun off and changed their focus and the other half did the same. I stayed with both as a consultant, but as economic conditions worsened, it became apparent I needed to do grow my business.

I did that by being loyal to my clients, working hard and making each one a priority. While it was gnawing at the back of my mind, it wasn’t until recently that I realized I am not a priority to any of my clients. No matter how good I am, I’m just a consultant, and in their eyes, easily replaceable.

Working hard is something that’s just in me; I cannot change that. But I have changed my outlook on loyalty, particularly as it encompasses the client-consultant relationship. That first boss once told me it’s important to like what you do, but equally important to never love your job because your job won’t love you back.

Loyalty in personal relationships is an admirable attribute but at work, it’s a wasted sentiment in today’s what have you done for me lately culture. While working hard is engrained in my nature, I’ve got a new perspective and will never make a client a priority when I’m only an option.

Five Courses Every School Should Offer

Budget cutbacks face nearly every educational organization. While traditional subjects such as reading, writing and arithmetic are still mainstays of the American education system, other classes such as physical education, home economics, and art have been reduced or eliminated. With smaller staffs and increased attendance, important and necessary classes are being omitted, requiring people to struggle with basic life skills – some going their whole life without mastering capabilities that contribute to a more peaceful existence and self-sufficiency.

Recognizing this, and not wanting my own children to face this disadvantage, I’m toying with the idea of opening an educational institution with the following courses:

1.    Cabinet Shutting – you can do it too! Instead of grabbing a snack and walking away from the open cabinet, imagine being able to instinctively shut the door. This class will teach the simple swoop method and clues such as not being able to see the messy contents and the sound of a closing cabinet. No prerequisite required!

2.    Changing the Toilet Paper Roll – it’s Totally Tubular! This class will teach the basics of popping off the spindle, discarding the cardboard roll and reassembling the dispensing unit. Through this practical hands-on workshop, attendees will confidently be able to change the toilet paper roll if they’ve used the last sheet.

3.    Putting the Seat Down – students that have successfully changed the toilet paper roll are ready for advanced bathroom behaviors such as lowering the seat. Whether the method is a small flick of the ring finger or the foot technique, graduates can boast this skill to female partners. Believe me, it’s not overrated!

4.    Identifying a Closet – Wow, those Doors Shut Too! Although doorknobs and chairs can hold clothing, specially-designed devices known as hangers keep clothes off the floors and furniture and make it easy to identify clean from dirty clothes. Cabinet shutting is a prerequisite.

5.    Letting Go – Hoarder Helpers Rescue. Understanding the compelling draw to keep half eaten candy bars, torn magazines, shirts with perma-stains and other collectibles, this course will demonstrate purging techniques and help students learn that putting back an empty box of Chips Ahoy cookies never does anyone any good.

Feel free to leave suggested curriculum in the comments!

Smug Satisfaction

Smug Satisfaction

I don’t remember my grandmother ever saying you get more bees with honey than vinegar, but it’s a life lesson I learned early on. I think that’s the main reason I’m not a fighter unless it’s with a customer service representative (I see you Cablevision).

That’s not to say I am a doormat; there are some things that are just not worth fighting about. On any given day, I come up against that at work. It’s funny being a consultant. There are times when your worth is valued, because the client knows you have experience across multiple domains or a specialized skill set but there are other times when you are “just a consultant.” One of my friends experienced that on Valentine’s Day when the fulltime employees were gifted with large-size Hershey Bars and the onsite consultants were overlooked.

So, respecting those boundaries, I often limit how far I go in pushing back on ideas or policies and am willing to let things smooth themselves over before making a fuss. Recently, I submitted a series of ideas and nearly all were rejected on initial review. Submit them anyway, I’d said. This time I pushed back because I felt they were wrong but would have let it go if they disagreed. Every member of the team participated and the client reviewed them as a single pack.

Don’t you know, the ones they liked best were the ones I submitted?

At my college graduation, someone said to me one day you will have an idea. You will go into someone’s office and share it. They will tell you it’s stupid. It’s up to you to go back to your office and decide if they’re right.

You don’t have to fight; but you have to believe in yourself. The validation felt good, especially because every time the client slips from “valued partner” to “just a consultant,” there’s a little smug satisfaction that comes with demonstrating your worth.