The Blog - Where Business Collides with Human Nature

If you believe in something enough, you will risk your very reputation to hit the mark, accomplish a goal and achieve success.  You may believe your idea is worth a million dollars or possibly believe that "everyone" is out to get you.  Your may believe that you can sell 10 million widgets... though you have not yet sold even one.

The truth is out there and you want to believe... 

But first, human beings typically learn what to do next by following the crowd.

How do you answer to the boss?

• Do you create expectations in advance beyond the the boss's calendar to be ready for answers?
• Do you challenge the boss by asking hard questions?
• Are you someone who does exactly what the boss says?
• Do you anticipate in advance what the boss will ask of you?
• Do you tell the boss what your best choice is among all the available options?
• Do your co-workers and bosses ask you difficult questions?
  • If so, do you give them support or say: "Get lost"?
• Have you created a totally new way to do things, something no one has ever seen or done?
• Do you seek out the boss when you make an error or mistake?
• Do you frequently often do you push, encourage and lead your co-workers to do ever better work?
• Will next month be one the boss will celebrate because you are on the team?
• Do you insist that your co-workers challenge, push and encourage you?
• Do you appreciate the boss when he/she gives feedback which contradicts your opinion?
• Do you thank the boss?

Easy is the first choice because typically "easy" means less work, less time and less money.  Attempting to achieve success based on "easy" only to fail along the way brings to mind:  "If it was easy, everyone would be doing it".  This quote serves as a reminder that if a task or project is difficult, think of the difficulty in a positive light. 

Don't talk to sales people, they are the devil.  If you act like a sales person, people will think you are the devil.  Labeling people is detrimental to good relationships.  It is a bit like saying "all blondes are dumb" or "all accountants are boring".  If you label people, you are the devil.

Sales people can seem like the devil.  So can entrepreneurs who are too focused, marketing strategists who don't connect well, working mothers who are over their head or someone who is having chronic health issues.

When you meet someone new, do you hope they are just like you?  Do you believe it is important they think as you do and agree with your opinions?  Or are you open minded, willing to accept conflict and looking forward to the new opportunities within disagreements?  Do you avoid networking because you perceive there is risk?

To believe that you will succeed as an entrepreneur, you will most likely feel like you are worthy of success you will have the courage to be imperfect.  Understanding courage, compassion, authenticity are aspects which must be understood by a good leader and Brene Brown has a video to expand on these thoughts.

Brene Brown studies human connection -- our ability to empathize, belong, love. In a poignant, funny talk at TEDxHouston, she shares a deep insight from her research, one that sent her on a personal quest to know herself as well as to understand humanity.

If you had the opportunity to ask Steve Jobs one question, what would it have been?  This is a video where Steve Jobs gave advice to entreprenuers with a great excerpt from the D5 conference with Steve Jobs and Bill Gates.  Steve Jobs shares his advice or "secret" to creating successful companies.  Before you watch the video, can you guess what the advice might be?  Are you thinking that he will say:  Go to school, work hard, have more friends?  Watch and listen to Steve Jobs' advice about how to achieve success: