The Chicken or the Egg?Written by Nan S. Russell
Even before I checked my calendar on Monday morning, I knew appointment would be there. Passed over for promotion again, Ralph wanted specifics on why I hadn't chosen him for position. This was not a new conversation. I thought of Ralph as my chicken and egg dilemma. Ralph was chicken. He believed he would make a great Team Leader, and when I promoted him, he would step up and show me how well he could lead. My position was that of egg. Prove to me you have leadership skills by demonstrating leadership in job you have now, and I'll consider giving you next position.Here's question: is it better to do work, knowing you will ultimately be rewarded for having done it, or should you wait until reward is there before you do work? Like proverbial question of which came first, chicken or egg, people differ widely on answer and run their careers accordingly. Here's way I see it - one has more to lose by taking position of chicken and waiting for someone else to anoint them, than by being egg and anointing oneself. If I had waited to be a leader until someone offered me a leadership position, I might still be wishing and hoping for someone to notice me. When I wanted to be a manager, I did work of a manager by taking on more and more responsibilities. And, I got promoted. When I wanted to be a director, I did work of a director, without questioning compensation or title. After proving myself, I got job, title and compensation. Same with being a vice-president. Doing job first, gave me job.
| | Multiple Streams of Income: Internet Myth or Vital Business Strategy?Written by Diane Hughes
So often we, as online business owners, fall victim to hype surrounding latest buzzword or idea. It’s a truly pitiful state of Internet affairs when we can’t distinguish sound truth from blurred theory. So what is truth surrounding one of most talked about Internet catch phrases, "multiple streams of income"?In all actuality, idea of multiple streams of income is not a new concept. Those who have been successful in business (in life for that matter) have long understood that you simply aren’t acting wisely if you place all your trust in one wealth-generating company, idea, or tool. Those in offline business refer to "multiple streams of income" as "diversification." Take a look at stock market for a moment. This is a prime example of diversification or "multiple streams of income" (MSI). For as long as it has been in existence, stock market has thrived on diversification. Stockbrokers encourage (almost insist) that you keep your funds split between multiple companies. Why? Because if one company goes under, you’ll have additional sources of revenue through dividends of other companies. How about business purchasing? Professionals in business procurement will advise you to line up and use several vendors for same products/services. Why? Again, to protect yourself should one or more of your vendors close their doors at same time. If this happens, and you have other vendors lined up and ready to go, you won’t lose any time in getting supplies you need to continue conducting your business. These same proven tactics apply to MSI online. Just as you wouldn’t want to invest all of your savings with one retirement fund company, you wouldn’t want to derive all your income from one source. Just opposite. You’ll want to ensure you have revenue coming in from as many different sources as possible.
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