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Name of author Rick Baker, P.Eng.

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Sales Tweet #313

by Rick Baker
On Sep 28, 2011
Sales Tweet #313 We’d rather hear less-than-perfect decisions than questions, which absolutely delay Buyer’s decisions.
 
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
Consider that Rule of Thumb before you ask your Sales Manager your next question.

Tags:

Delegation & Decisions | Sales | Thought Tweets

Business Only Contains 3 Things: People, Process, & Situations

by Rick Baker
On Sep 27, 2011
OK…you might think that’s true…or you may think it isn’t.
 
AND – you might think - even if it is true…what difference does that make?
 
Here’s the point:
 
Many people are struggling with their work.
 
I suppose people have said that for generations. But, now, struggling at work seems to be a worse problem than it used to be.
 
If you do not agree then please do not read on.
 
***
 
If you are still reading then you are interested in people struggling at work. Maybe you are a life-long student of self-development and you want to expand your knowledge so you can continue to excel at work…sharpening your saw…keeping your leadership tools up to date and in good working condition]
 
Maybe you are trying to figure out why your work seems to be less successful than it used to be…and you want some solutions.
 
Maybe you want to learn so you can help other people struggle less as they go about their work.
 
***
 
Back to Business contains only 3 things: People, Process, & Situations.
 
Q: Is that true?
 
A: Nobody has proven otherwise…until someone can prove there are more than 3 things we will not change our minds. There is no need to over-complicate things. In fact, the opposite is true: there is a need to simplify things. So, we challenge any over-complication of the content of business. Business contains only 3 things.
 
Q: OK, only business contains only 3 things – what difference does that make?
 
A: Since you are still reading, you know people are struggling in business. And, probably, you want to do something to relieve that struggling. One way to begin to relieve business struggling is to clarify and simplify things to the extent that is possible and practical. Do your part to clear the fog of business. Defining the components of business in a simple/straightforward way is the best way to start.
 
So – Business Contains Only 3 Things: People, Process, & Situations.
 
You can start with these 3 basic elements of business. You can focus on each one. You can focus on how each of the 3 interrelates with the other 2. Then you can increase your ability to understand the sources of the struggling at work that naturally happens when all 3 basic elements are  mixed together in your business workplace.
 
The more you know about the basic elements of business and how they interrelate the more you will understand the keys to reducing work struggles.
 
Footnote:
 
We have approached the topic – What is Business All About? – from several perspectives: psychological, social, and business-bottom-line to name a few.
 
We have read the education provided by numerous authors. For example, here are some thoughts and excerpts provided by Alvin Toffler in his book, ‘Future Shock’.
 
Related to what we call the basic elements of business, Toffler described 5 relationship experiences people have, ‘outside of themselves’. Toffler taught, people have only 5 relationship experiences, they are:
  1. Relationships with people
  2. Relationships with things
  3. Relationships with places
  4. Relationships with institutions and organizations
  5. Relationships with ideas and information
Quote: "These five relationships -plus time- form the fabric of social experience. This is why, as suggested earlier, things, places, people, organizations and ideas are the basic components of all situations."
 
This quote provides seeds you can use to help you develop a different perspective of people and the huge impact situations have on people. These are the 2 most-important elements of business and knowledge of and skills around these 2 elements are the foundation for great leadership.

Tags:

Business Contains Only 3 Things | Entrepreneur Thinking | Leaders' Thoughts

Sales Tweet #312

by Rick Baker
On Sep 27, 2011
Sales Tweet #312 Ernest was silent for a while. The Boss said, "He sure is taking a long time to make his pointless."
 
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
The New Guy, always ready and willing to help The Boss, chirped in…"Boss, I know a saying, which has helped me in times like this - To make a point, is to be blunt, which is pointless". Ernest didn’t want to debate any of this…he was busy thinking about next week’s fishing trip…and his faithful dog…half pointer, half something else. The Boss’ blood pressure jumped about 10 points and he stormed off…

Tags:

Ernest Seller | Thought Tweets

Sales Tweet #311

by Rick Baker
On Sep 26, 2011
Sales Tweet #311 The Boss says to The New Guy, “I don't know what your problem is but I'll bet it's hard to pronounce”.
 
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
“Better be careful what you wish for.” That’s another old saying, which The Boss should have thought about before he made that nasty comment. Just after The Boss said it, The New Guy rushed off to find a mirror. Then he came back and said, “You know boss, I am feeling a bit queasy. I didn’t notice it until just now. I better take the rest of the day off, visit my doctor…boy, I’m sure glad we have such a great medical plan”.

Tags:

Ernest Seller | Thought Tweets

Sales Tweets #310

by Rick Baker
On Sep 23, 2011
Sales Tweet #310 Ernest Seller wanted to check out that new fishing website but he couldn’t get it online.
 
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
…so Ernest called the IT Department to let them know his computer was acting up. The IT Guy told Ernest to unplug the power cord and bring it right up so he could get it fixed before lunch. Ernest wasted no time…within 5 minutes he was standing in The IT Guy’s office with the power cord in his hand.

Tags:

Ernest Seller | Thought Tweets

Genes, Optimism, & Pessimism

by Rick Baker
On Sep 22, 2011
When we are born we are predisposed to be negative or middle-of-the-road or positive.
 
I envision this like a Bell Curvewhere:
  • 25% of people are genetically negative/pessimistic,
  • 50% are genetically middle-of-the-road, and
  • 25% are genetically positive/optimistic.
 
The extent of negativity or positivity is not fixed.
 
Picture it as falling within a range…i.e., each of us is born with a predetermined range where we either ‘tend’ to be negative , ‘tend’ to be neutral, or ‘tend’ to be positive. While, as research strongly suggests, a range like the one I have described is set by genetics:
  • pessimistic people can work at being at the most-optimistic end of their range,
  • neutral people can work at being more-optimistic, and
  • optimistic people can work at making sure their optimism stays within the bounds of realism. [Too much optimism carries some unfortunate consequences.]
 
When genes tend toward optimism:
 
Some folks are born with a tendency toward optimism and their life experiences taught them how to keep their optimism within realistic bounds. When compared to pessimists, these realistic optimists have a far greater chance of seeing the world as an abundant place.
 
Other folks allow their optimism to rule them…I mean, their ego is taking advantage of the optimistic predisposition and their optimism, call it mania, causes them to become disconnected from other people. They live in their own Can-Do world where there are few if any limits. While, from time to time, this shows up in the form of great genius more often it shows up as in the form of alienation from ‘lesser folks’.
 
When genes tend toward middle-of-the-road:
 
Some folks are born without a tendency toward optimism or pessimism. They are born neutral. They have broader choices. It makes sense these people should choose to be as optimistic as possible. They should do what it takes to maximize their optimism. The risk of overachieving and becoming too optimistic is small.
 
When genes tend toward pessimism:
 
Some folks are born with a tendency toward pessimism. They will rarely if ever be able to leap from pessimism to optimism. They will, however, be able to be neutral, neither pessimistic nor optimistic…call them realists. Realistic people: nothing wrong with being in that zone.

Tags:

Attitude: Creating Positive Attitude | Optimism & Pessimism

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