You have the power

There are 5 powers you have as a manager to get others to do what you want them to. Which, as manager, is your job. They are:

• Pay & Rewards
• Charisma
• Force
• Knowledge
• Culture

Pay & Reward

This is the simplest to understand and execute.

“I am your boss and you will do as I say or else…

… I will fire you.

… You will not get a pay raise.

… You will be given a new (worse) job.

… Your request for vacation, flex time or new computer will be denied.”

Every boss and employee knows this big stick approach to management. Some bosses only know it.

Expand your repertoire as a manager away from only using Pay & Reward as inducements. Try,

Charisma

Reagan had it, Obama has it, you can have it too. When people talk about natural leaders, they are talking about charisma. The ability to sway others toward your direction. Any group of 5 or more people will have a natural leader emerge over time. Just look at who facilitates the meeting (not talks the most), whom do others glance at for confirmation during inflation points like who should talk next or is the meeting over?

Charismatic leaders are not just glad handling salesmen exuding over confidence. They listen and are aware of group dynamics. This is the hardest power to master and the most effective. It’s authority does not come from the business like Pay & Reward does but is inherent within you. It can therefore be extended into others realms outside of business like politics, religion, civic organizations or anyplace else groups of people get together & need direction.

Force

The ability to physically beat up or threaten someone and make them do what you want is discouraged these days (for good reason). It is bully or thug behavior and does not belong in a place of business. And yet, sometimes, some bosses revert to it. The boss from hell who only knows how to yell & scream at get their way is using force.

Knowledge

I would guess that most bosses these days use knowledge to lead.

The old hand who has been doing something forever and knows all the tricks of the trade, the software programmer showing off to her fellow geeks the latest Andoid Ap from numia.biz or the (marketing, law, finance…) expert espousing arcane jargon are using their own hard found knowledge to try & influence others.

Continuous education is your key to holding on to and growing this power.

Culture

Every established business, even a mom & pop pizza parlor, has its way of doing business, a culture. Knowing and working with the culture can give you power while working against it or trying to change it will lesson your effectiveness or power as a manager.

How many new CEO’s have come from outside the organization vowing to be a change agent just to have the firms’ immune system effectively thwart all initiatives and eventually toss out the now discredited CEO?

Learning a businesses culture and working within it, even to change fundamental aspects of the business, takes real leadership and power.

Creating your own culture from scratch can mean years of effective leadership even after you are long gone. Just look at firms like Hewlett-Packard or IBM which successfully continued to grow long after their founders had left. What type of culture do you want to be known for?

I pick the open book and lead by example approach but those are stories for another day. In the mean time, think about examples of the 5 powers you have seen or done and comment here. Our shared knowledge makes us stronger.

Let my people go

Small business people and entrepreneurs are the most productive, creative, innovative, hard working imaginative, risk taking & under appreciated group in the world.  We are the growth engine that spurs employment and pushes everyone’s quality of life ever higher.

 

And yet:

• If you want to start a company in California it will cost you $800 on day one.  Before you even have any sales.
• You will be over regulated.  One third of most business expenses are unnecessary overhead dealing with red tape, bureaucratic delays and cover-your-ass procedures.
• You will find out that Commercial speech is not Free speech.
• Your ability to raise money will be hampered by out dated, inflexible and ill-conceived rules dealing with things that have nothing to do with a vibrant capital market like Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Sarbanes-Oxley.

 

And yet, we are called to put our hearts & sweat into our businesses.  Whether to change the world, provide a new service, show off to our old boss, for the potential of money & glory, or just because. 

 

Let’s join together, sing our praises and make sure that the winds of change do not lead to stifling regulation or protectionism.

A silly joke:

How do you know if your accountant is introverted?
When he talks to you he looks at his shoes.

How do you know when your accountant is extroverted?
When he talks to you he looks at your shoes!

Seniorpreneur

At age 65, Harland “Colonel” Sanders took a $105 social security check, an old family fried chicken recipe and launched Kentucky Fried Chicken.

 

At age 55, Ray Kroc bought McDonalds, a fledgling restaurant chain and grew it into one of the largest, most influential fast food chain in the world.

 

Nearly 80% of baby boomers want to work in retirement at least part-time, and many of them intend to go into business for themselves.

 

What are you doing with your Golden years?

 

We are looking for a few retired CPAs, bookkeepers and business people to help volunteer/mentor the next generation along.  Interested?  Drop us a note at numia.biz at (the @ symbol) gmail.com.

Go on the offensive

I saw a picture today of 1,000 people lined up for 35 firefighter jobs in Florida.  Now either the pay and lifestyle of being a firefighter is very attractive or there are a lot of good well qualified people looking for work.

 

Hire them.

 

I know this sounds crazy, to hire people when 1 in 20 is unemployed, when sales are going down and your own firm is having difficulty but now is the time to bite the bullet, to take advantage of circumstances and to plan for the recovery.

 

There are more qualified people available now at better rates then ever.  They will probably add to your bottom line immediately vs. the normal 3-6 months.  They are already trained, know your industry and have sales leads waiting to be called on.

 

Let others cut back.  The good will and market share you gain now by hiring exceptional people will carry you for years to come.

 

 

PS-  Version 2 of numia.biz should be up & running by the end of February.