Ethics in Business...A Lost Art

While watching Face the Nation one Sunday earlier this year, Bob Schiffer discussed the airline industry, his mother and ethics in business. Like Bob, I think it is a sad commentary today, that we have to police businesses. Whatever happened to going into business to provide a needed service, being loyal to employees, and keeping promises.

It seems like no one today is concerned about doing good business or being ethical in the process. Our forefathers would be ashamed at what this society has come to. I know I am.

Chuck and I teach our students how to run a good business, by being ethical, and making sure that everyone is happy. We run our business using the adage, "The customer is always right". We know, however, from looking at others in business both on and offline, that we are in the minority. For most it is all about making money. They don't care who they have to step on, how many lies they tell, just "show them the money". As I pointed out in my article regarding "The Almighty Buck", this should not be your only incentive for going into business, and if it is, you won't be in business long.

We see sites every day that you can't find a telephone number on, an address for, they just want you to take it on faith that they are on the up and up. Years ago, a business would never even think of operating this way. Their name, address, phone number, slogan etc. was very prominent on everything they did. Unfortunately today, you can't take people on faith anymore. It's very sad, but it seems if you do so, most of the time, you will get burned.

Years ago, companies were known for their honesty, their integrity, and their good products. They had to be to stay in business and keep the good image they wanted to project. This gave their company a good name. As many of you know, we come from New York. Kodak, Grumman, and IBM were major companies in down and upstate NY. If you got a job with them you had a job for life, and once you retired you didn't have to worry. Today, people are losing their medical benefits, their pensions, their life savings; due to businesses thinking of only the bottom line.

Every time you open a newspaper or watch the news today you hear about another business' unethical business practices. They cook the books, take bonuses they don't disclose, while they expect employees to work for less. There is something very wrong with this picture. It also says to our future entrepreneurs, that this behavior is alright, just don't get caught.

Like Bob Schiffer, I'd much rather go back to the time when businesses dealt with us in an ethical manner and didn't only concentrate on lining their pockets, like today. Also, like Bob, I think what we need are different teachings in our business schools. The philosophy of today's teachers, needs to re-vamped to reflect the philosophies of old. What we need is to "throw out the new, and bring back the old". As Bob said, if his mom was teaching today, students would get a completely different view...an old fashioned one. Kudos to Bob's mom!

Source: http://www.homebusinesssolutions.com

A Golden Rule for Winners

One of the top values I coach people on is to live each moment with integrity. This summer, Olympic gold medal winner Cameron van der Burgh admitted using an illegal dolphin kick on his way to winning the 100m breaststroke gold medal. His rationale: "I'm not willing to sacrifice my personal performance and four years of hard work for someone else who is willing to do it and get away with it, and has proven to get away with it, as they did last year."

So, my questions for you are:

Just because 99% of other competitors are doing it, and the rule is not enforced, does that make it acceptable?

How important is integrity to you in business?

Is winning at all costs more important to you than losing with honor in tact?

These are important questions to ask ourselves in our struggle to grow our business, our name, our company, our brand.

Personally, I am surprised and saddened that no-one called van ber Burgh out on his chosen course of action. Not because I want to put Cameron in the spotlight and give him bad press, but because letting it slide is spreading the global message that as long as no-one is holding us to this standard, as long as we don't get caught, it is okay to cheat. It goes against what the Olympics is about. Not only that, when we're not acting with the highest integrity it actually affects our health and our immunity on a cellular level.

Cameron van der Burgh take note of this golden advice because if you do, it just might just be the biggest gift you have been given:

You actually won the last time round when you held yourself to higher standards than you did this summer. You lost the moment you decided to out-swim the others by bending the rules. Work on mastering your stroke not cutting corners. Live each moment with integrity... that's the kind of play that is worthy of a gold medal.

You will stand out in your industry as a winner when you raise your standard to exceed that of those around you. People will want to do business with you because they trust that you will act with integrity no matter what. You may not win the big bucks in the short term, but in the long term you will last long after others have fallen by the wayside.

Source: http://www.leenapatel.net/

Crystal/New Hope Business Council Annual Golf Outing - 2014

Date: July 25, 2014
Time: 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Event Description:
If you are looking for a casual, fun, community-oriented nine-hole golf event, look no further than the TwinWest Crystal/New Hope Business Council's 17th Annual Golf Outing!

Join a great group of business and community leaders at the New Hope Village Golf Course beginning at 12:30 p.m. and wrap up with a barbecue at 3:30 p.m. (Registration starts at noon.)

Proceeds from this event benefit area charitable organizations. This past year we were able to give $400 each to PRISM, New Hope Safety Camp, Northwest YMCA, and Seven Dreams Foundation.

Event sponsorships and hole sponsorships are available to promote your business and support the local community. You may also want to donate a door prize for the event.

Thank you to our generous event sponsors:

Horwitz NS/I Gold Sponsor
Liberty Diversified International, Silver Sponsor
McKinstry Silver Sponsor
Sign-A-Rama, Signage Sponsor
North Memorial, Food Sponsor


Thank you to our hole sponsors:

AEM
Ehlers & Associates
Good Samaritan Society
Stantec
Twin Realty Investment Co.


Gold Sponsorship - One available, investment $500

Sponsorship benefits:
* Gold sponsor recognition on all pre-event promotional materials and at event
* Golf for four people, including dinner and beverages
* Includes banner signage

Silver Sponsorships - Three available, investment $350

Sponsorship benefits:
* Silver sponsor recognition on all pre-event promotional materials and at event
* Golf for four people, including dinner and beverages
* Includes banner signage

Bronze Sponsorships - two available, investment $250

Sponsorship benefits:
* Bronze sponsor recognition on all pre-event promotional materials and at event
* Golf for two people, including dinner and beverages

Hole Sponsor - maximum of 18 sponsorships available, investment $125

Sponsorship benefits:
* Hole sponsor recognition on all pre-event promotional materials and at event
* Golf for one person, including dinner and beverages
* Hole sponsorship, including signage

Door Prize Contributor - your investment is your donation

Sponsorship benefits:
* Contribute a gift valued at a minimum of $50 to be used for the event door prize drawings
* Recognition at the event.


Great networking!

Join the Crystal/New Hope Business Council golfers for a late afternoon BBQ and networking event with business and community leaders.

-$30 for the networking BBQ; food, beverages, and beer included. Proceeds from this event benefit area charitable organizations.


To play, sponsor, or donate items, call TwinWest at 763.450.2220,or register online.

http://business.twinwest.com

Freedom in Who I Am

Our forefathers fought for their freedom from the external controls of taxes, religion and government on their lives. They stepped foot into this country to be free from any chains that bound them in thoughts, ideas, expression and life. The land was open and spacious to explore for their new life and they did so with fervor and determination.

What does freedom mean today? Are we free or are we bound to many of the same ideals our forefathers intentionally fought for? This country was built on 'In God We Trust'. Do we trust God, the Source, the Universe? Do we allow for free will in ourselves and others?

Our beliefs, ideals and way of living are just as important today as they were when this country was first settled. We are in a new time of evolution where we are called to be conscious and conscientious of our impact on our life and those around us. Living and being conscious and conscientious requires much thought, care, time and attention to both the big and small things that appear in our life.

I urge you to reflect on the idea of freedom and its meaning in your life today. Release any old thoughts or ideas around freedom and allow yourself to enter a new spacious pathway. There are many practices that can guide you to your individual pathway filled with wonder, beauty, peace and freedom.

Questions and truly wanting to know and understand set you on a course of self-discovery and self-awareness. A simple question that invokes and evokes deep inner reflection is Who Am I? When asked in the spaciousness of your heart, this question orchestrates your inner and outer life sweetly. An integral part to the symphonic movement is being able to accept and receive the answer graciously. Rather than get attached to the answer, realize that true wisdom comes when you release and return it to God, the Source or Universe from whence it came.

The beauty of this practice requires continual asking, accepting, receiving and releasing. Each round creates deeper understanding in your spirit, soul, mind, psychology and body and weaves a rich texture. The rich texture of freedom and free will emerges to connect you with God, the Source and the Universe in you, with you and through you.

Ditch the Pitch - Seal the Deal With Hardwiring

Many business professionals fail miserably at converting a promising lead into a client.
Why?
Could it be their sales process?
Yes.
Could it be because they didn't pre-qualify the prospect?
Yes.
Could it be because they haven't asked enough questions before pitching their products or services?
Yes.
And, there's something few people ever consider. They operate from their very own wiring which often gets in the way.
Your natural wiring is present at birth and stays with you throughout your life time. Yet, very few people actually know how much their wiring affects their decisions, relationships and their sales. They spend time and money looking at the latest pitch but fail to consider the very thing impacting the sales process: hardwiring.
Would having a deeper level of insight into how people tick help you to close more sales?
You bet!
Notice how others need to receive their information, and watch as you improve your relationships, communication and results.
Whether you're conveying an idea, networking or working with an existing client, there is an element of your natural wiring that can make or break any conversation - and that is pace.
So where does pace come from in your natural wiring? Pace comes from your patience level. There are those people who have a low amount of patience as part of their wiring; and conversely, those who are higher in their patience.
It doesn't mean either can be patient at times. Rather, it tells us how we work. If you have low patience, it creates a short attention span, which creates more of a juggler. If you have a greater patience level, it creates more long term focus; therefore you'll be more sequential in your work flow.
What's the value in knowing this?
Recently, I was reminded of an interaction between two of my clients. One was naturally impatient and one was more methodical. The methodical client asked for some feedback; and, in rapid fire, the impatient client had already thought of a solution and was rapidly firing questions at her.
Before my methodically-wired client could answer his first question, the impatient client was firing another question at her.
My methodical client became frustrated because she was unable to think through her thoughts fast enough to respond. Meanwhile, my client who was wired more impatiently wanted to get all of his ideas out before he forgot them. I gestured to my impatiently-wired client to slow down.
We all laughed at the situation recognizing what had just happened. Imagine this same scenario if you were talking to a prospect.
When someone talks quickly or reacts quickly they typically like to receive their information in the same way. Conversely, if you're wired to talk more methodically, you like to deliver your information in the same way.
However, when talking with a person who is your opposite, your message can get lost or they may tune out.
So the next time you're networking, talking to a prospect or interacting with a colleague, remember to honor the other person's pace. This might mean that when you are delivering information, you need to speed up or slow down.
When you become skilled at recognizing the pace at which to deliver information the way the other person wants to receive it, you will become masterful at closing more sales. You will also notice how your rapport improves with others.

Source: http://www.freebusinessplanformat.com