The Five Ingredients for Success...No Matter What Business You're In!

Written by Bill Shands


1. Have a plan. There's a reason you've heard that line repeatedly - because IT WORKS. There's an old expression that goes like this ... "If you don't know where you're going, ANY road will take you there." Doesn't that make sense? It makes a LOT of sense not to try building a house before you layrepparttar foundation.... so why do so many people start a business without a plan for it?

Even if you've already started your business without a plan, it's never too late to begin one. Sit down with a pad of paper and a pen, and start by writing outrepparttar 106839 months ofrepparttar 106840 year - beginning with next month. For each month, decide where you'd like to be byrepparttar 106841 end of it - and write it down.

2. Set deadlines to accomplish your plans. Assign 'completion by' dates to each ofrepparttar 106842 different goals you set, and try not to let anything interfere inrepparttar 106843 completion of these goals! In addition, if anyone else is going to be involved, make sure you decide in advance who will take responsibility for each part ofrepparttar 106844 project.

3. Pay attention to how you spend your time, and be prepared to account for it - not to anyone else, only to yourself. The reason for this is simple - if you have a plan, and you've set goals to reach in order to fulfill that plan, you need to know if your time is being spent accordingly. If you are spending too much time on tasks that take you away from your plan, you may need to re-think what you're doing.

Hey! That was my idea!... Corporate Games for a Rainy Day

Written by Edward B. Toupin


People occasionally come to me and ask about situations with their jobs or within their companies. The primary question I hear is "What do I do if...?" Usually, they got caught up in a turf war or game and have no idea what to do next. Most of my answers come out sounding like a military battle plan. However,repparttar type of information I provide is a mutated form of an MBA course taught in many closed-door, corporate management classes.

This series of articles, called "Corporate Games for a Rainy Day," is an idea that's been shoved inrepparttar 106838 corner of my brain for quite a while. The information consists of knowledge from corporate classes as well as practical experience in a couple of corporations for which I worked. I'm not going to pass ALL of my games on to you in these articles; however, I am assembling an e-book that will provide you with a complete list of games and how to deal with each. I'm sure that you'll either enjoyrepparttar 106839 reading or send nasty notes because I'm giving away secrets to your employees. Whichever you choose, at least I know that you've read it!

--- My Corporate America ---

I've worked in several HUGE corporations and start-ups as gopher, grunt, engineer, and manager. The one thing I've found during this journey is that---all companies arerepparttar 106840 same. You laugh? It's true!

* Corporate Organization Simplified

The company itself has one primary objective---to make money. It doesn't matter how they go about making money, whether it be a product or a service,repparttar 106841 result isrepparttar 106842 same. Make a profit!

Within a company, departments are formed to supportrepparttar 106843 direction ofrepparttar 106844 overall organization. Within each department, you have individuals who lead, others who follow, and a few who simply get inrepparttar 106845 way. Each type of individual is attracted to a group with which they feel comfortable or that they can use to get ahead. This is whererepparttar 106846 problem begins!

Of course, it is good that people want to get ahead. They want to prove their worth, move intorepparttar 106847 next higher group, and appear to be contributing torepparttar 106848 bottom line ofrepparttar 106849 company. But, for one person to get ahead, someone else has to fall behind. It is inrepparttar 106850 attempt to get ahead that politics rears its ugly head andrepparttar 106851 games and turf wars begin.

* Politics Defined

In reality, politics isrepparttar 106852 self-governing ofrepparttar 106853 free. It is a way that people choose their own destiny and govern themselves to an ultimate point or destination in their life. When applied to corporations, politics represents an illicit method of getting things done; however, it is an important element of corporate behavior that can affect your career.

To properly navigate throughrepparttar 106854 morass of political tangles within a corporation, you must haverepparttar 106855 political know-how to openrepparttar 106856 doors torepparttar 106857 elite groups ofrepparttar 106858 company. The problem is thatrepparttar 106859 road to attaining such know-how is kept vague by many of those who have successfully traveled through those doors.

Whetherrepparttar 106860 company is large, medium, or small, there arerepparttar 106861 same people withrepparttar 106862 same ideas andrepparttar 106863 same approaches torepparttar 106864 same situations. The advantage is that, once you learn howrepparttar 106865 general games and turf battles work, you can feel at home regardless ofrepparttar 106866 company!

--- Have any good ideas lately? ---

One ofrepparttar 106867 more frustrating and least noticeable games isrepparttar 106868 "Stealrepparttar 106869 Idea and Wait Six Months" game. It is a game in which you present an idea that is turned down by your boss. In about six months, your idea comes back to live inrepparttar 106870 body of another individual.

* The Setup

You have developed an idea that can provide support for or creates a solution for some element of your company. You've thought about it, researched it, and decided that you should be proactive and approach your boss with an idea.

You put together a presentation and setup a meeting with your boss. He tells you, however, that it will be a private meeting. You go all out and tell him everything.

Once you're finished with your end ofrepparttar 106871 presentation, he sits quietly for a moment. You continue chattering to fill inrepparttar 106872 blanks. Once he's had time to considerrepparttar 106873 idea, he essentially smashes it to pieces. You leave his office, dejected, and letrepparttar 106874 idea go.

* The Assault

Six months later, you're sitting in a meeting held by your boss. He carries on for a while and then presents this mutated version of your original idea. At least it sounds like your idea, only it's less mature than when you presented it. It's like he changed it and left out some key elements that you had already presented. Suddenly, your boss handsrepparttar 106875 project to one of your peers and tells her to make it work.

Overrepparttar 106876 weeks or months that follow,repparttar 106877 idea takes shape, with input and assistance from your boss. He providesrepparttar 106878 intricate details to your peer that he had originally left out of "his" presentation. Eventually, your peer presents your idea in a meeting inrepparttar 106879 same way you presented it to your boss inrepparttar 106880 first place.

--- Solutions ---

Of course, this is frustrating, yet it happens time and time again to many people in corporations. The best way to handle such a situation is to accept it---the first time. But, whenrepparttar 106881 second time comes around, you should be prepared to handle yourself professionally.

Cont'd on page 2 ==>
 
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