I was wrapping up a business project in Eastern Washington several years ago. I had completed writing a business plan for a group of owners that had an idea to work together on a joint project. One of those business owners was a very close business associate I met while I was managing another business model at another time. He called out of the blue one day and shared some ideas with me about a joint venture he and some other business owners were interested in approaching. Before they went any further with their joint business idea they wanted to get a road map made on how to pursue this project effectively. They wanted to hire someone to write their plan of attack. I was called and performed the work.
It was a long piece of travel for me and took me away from home for short periods of time. Eventually, the project was completed in a written business plan. They liked it and paid me. I consider those two minimums a very good plus when I do work for anyone. When the customer verbally expresses their satisfaction and then writes the check to cover the bill, these are two very good signs. No business owner should be ashamed of producing these two minimums. I have met many business owners who struggle with compliments as well as determining what they are worth by producing a fair but appropriate bill for services rendered. Be fair in your business affairs, but be clear about what you are worth. You cannot donate intelligence and experience every time you turn around and waste valuable time producing Pro-Bono work, especially while you are not able to meet your own personal debt obligations. Lift your family and personal obligations up a little higher on the scale of responsibilities. If you have a customer who wants you to provide expertise and valuable work for nothing, you do not have a customer...you have a friend. Do not get confused. Some customers will want to become your temporary friend in order to get 'free' professional advice. That line is a very long line. Do not spend all of your business time in that line.
What's more, they offered to take me out on a guided fishing trip down a famous trout and salmon pristine river run. We met the guide, loaded the boat and they brought some well-prepared food and drinks. It was a great day. The weather was just fine. It could have rained and I would not have noticed my dripping wet outfit. Fortunately, it was perfect weather. What a great day for fun. These business owners knew how to work hard and play well. I recommend it.
While we were in the drift boat resting, fishing, eating and drinking we had a lot of time to tell great stories. Some of the funniest stories come alive on trips like this. When the fun reaches its peak, one story has a great tendency to lead the way to the next story. Each one better than the last. After some deep laughter, the sounds seem to quiet down. Peace arrives. True enjoyment begins to surface. After gliding about on the still waters for a little while, someone quietly says, "It don't get any better than this." The beauty of nature begins to truly sink in. Not a soul cares about catching any fish right now. Five guys could easily fall asleep right now and never miss the world around them. Heavenly.
If you work your business life hard and have discovered that you rarely find time to take in some of these great moments of joy, you are missing the whole purpose of doing what you do. It ain't wrong to add a little ice cream to your cake of life. Learn how to unwind once in awhile. It is critical for your leadership development to find time to unhook and restore your soul with a little rest and relaxation. It is one of the components to success. Make sure it is on your list of 'to do' items.
As we almost fell asleep one of the business owners said, "All we need now is for one of these fish to bite our line." Then a powerful series of comments came alive. One owner asked all of the others to hold their lower lip in a particular way. They all mocked the idea but some of them made the facial move. After a series of facial moves, one of the other business owners said, "Why are we holding our lips this way?" The original business owner who made the suggestion about moving the lip in a particular way said, "That is how my lip was when the last fish bit my line." This led one of the other owners to suggest another unique trick to use. Then another one had an idea. Before long, everyone was doing some crazy moves to try to encourage the fish to bite. The comedy was good.
When you need to seal up a paper bag a 'zip tie' will work well to hold your twisted top of the paper bag in place. It will do the job. You might also use one of those 'twisty ties' to hold the top of your bag closed. I prefer to use those plastic clips that come on bread bags. They work well, too. I save a lot of those plastic clips when my bread is gone. Some people just use the old standby 'fix-it-all' product, 'duct tape.' It will work, too. When you need to seal a plastic bag all of these methods will work. Some of them are not and will not ever become the method you use the most. Some people will never use 'zip ties' to seal their plastic bags. Some hate 'duct tape.'
The powerful series of comments occurred when the jokes surfaced about how we learn to get the fish to bite. A monster lesson surfaced in the boat when the methods were described on how everyone uses a separate way to accomplish a task. Leadership lessons are hidden everywhere. The only students who gain from these hidden lessons are the ones looking to receive. The teacher appears when the student is ready. Always be one of those 'ready' students.
If you own or lead a business model you may have some employees hired to help you achieve your success. If you ask your employees to hold their lip in a particular fashion before they can become successful doing what you pay them to do, you may learn how funny they think your suggestions may appear. One of your employees may prefer to use 'zip ties' while another one may carry around some 'duct tape.' Everyone uses a different method for getting certain things done. Respect their methods. You may not know it, but you can kill the best work from a good employee by trying to tell them how to hold their mouth when they do their basic work. Some of your employees do not process work duties the same way you process them.
When my wife says, "Get the scissors out and do this..." I might want to reach into my pocket and use my knife. If she says, "Put that knife away. Here...use these scissors silly..." she can actually kill my desire to help her out in the project we are doing. If I am told how to 'hold my lips' while I am trying to help her out, I can assure you that sooner or later, I will lose interest in what I am doing. My work will suffer as well. I might catch fish in an altogether different way. I might use 'plastic clips' to seal a bag. They all work.
The goal to succeed has many roads that can be used. It has many tools that can be employed, some completely different than the others. I see business owners try to tell their clerks how to say what in the way they believe the clerks should speak to the customer that pass by. They may not recognize how much they are killing the good work that clerk wants to produce. They will blame the clerk, but the truth remains, the leader is micro-managing the art of how some people want to fish. Let them fish.
Point the direction out that you prefer to see your business travel and once you describe to them where you want to be with your business model, get out of the way and allow your employees to do what they do best. Let them 'learn' how to fish better. Some will use 'zip ties', some will use 'twisty ties', some will use 'plastic clips' while others will want to use 'duct tape.' They all work well. Refrain from telling your mate how to walk up the stairs safely, how to put away the paper towels. Find some good business friends and go fishing.
Leadership is an art...not a science. Learn how the art of doing business can become as good as it can become. Some of the best run business models are the ones that allow the best employees to do their best work. It is an art. It is not a science. It requires trust, skill, patience, risk, determination, failure, hope, experimentation, chance, creativity, open-mindedness as well as healthy articulation. Serious leaders perform their leadership in serious ways. They learn how to fish while they work their models to death. Serious leaders allow their employees the rope to perform serious results. Allow the art of management to work its way into your business model. Learn to respect those who want to hold their lip in a particular way as they begin doing what they do best. It may not be how you do it, but if it works, what do you care? You are gone fishing.
Until next time...
I wanna consider this page as one of the best blog. I think [Plastic Ducting] is extremely nice. This Web site include a lot of nice info.
ReplyDelete