Crises, setbacks, obstacles—these will certainly be met by any executive in the course of his career. The measure of a man in such circumstances is not only how he copes with adversity, but also how he turns it to his advantage. Business is always a battle—for sales, improvements, efficiency—and an executive must lead very much as a general would: to win.
How do executives or businessmen act and react when they are at bay? There are certain fundamental principles which will greatly aid any businessman in meeting adverse situations and transforming setbacks into successes.
1. No matter what happens, do not panic. The panic-stricken individual cannot think or act effectively. A certain amount of trouble is inevitable in any business career—when it comes, it should be met with calm determination.
2. When things go wrong, it is always a wise idea to pull back temporarily—to withdraw just long enough and far enough to view and evaluate the situation objectively.
Living with, working with labor—not fighting it or ignoring it—should be an assumed obligation of the business executive. Success and profits can be gained more easily—and happily—with labor’s honest cooperation than without it.
The executive who understands and assumes his responsibilities takes every legitimate opportunity to demonstrate to his subordinates that he considers their work important and valuable—and that he respects them as workers and as individuals. And he takes a sincere interest in their well-being. He does not flatter, patronize or coddle them. He does, however, always manage to find time to comment on a particular job that has been especially well done or to acknowledge the value of a worker’s or an entire department’s contribution to the success of a project. In short, he shows by word and action that he and the company are aware of the workers’ existence and of the importance of their work. By so doing, he goes a very long way toward raising employee morale—and when morale rises, employee efficiency and production go up while such profit-devouring headaches as absenteeism and labor turnover go down.
No successful businessman has ever made his fortune without the dedicated help of his employees. The realization of almost every idea requires the intelligent work and cooperation of all involved. An ambitious executive must know how to summon the best from those around him, regardless of the pressure or lack of it. This is an essential skill that seems to come naturally to some, but can also be learned.
The secret ingredient that makes all the difference in business—the use in management of applied psychology based on common sense, namely that the primary function of management is to obtain results through people. Consequently, sound management psychology will motivate, direct, encourage and, in those exceptional instances where management is in the hands of exceptional individuals, inspire people so they will achieve the results that make possible the attainment of given objectives.
Example
An executive who seeks to achieve results through the people who work under his direction must himself demonstrate at least as high a standard of performance as he hopes to get from his subordinates.
Every business executive is going to make mistakes in his career. The important thing is to learn from them—and avoid repetition. But there are certain recurring situations and procedures which seem to invite error and misjudgment. It is up to the alert executive to anticipate and evaluate these “traps.” As for those blunders and errors of judgment which will inevitably occur, the same “millionaire” mentality which ensures success will survive and profit by them.
Three of the major categories of mistakes commonly and most often made by businessmen, especially when they are relatively inexperienced and unseasoned:
The failure—or the inability—to distinguish between what is fact and what is opinion
Though it may be carefully considered and based on fact, opinion nonetheless remains opinion—and it is very seldom infallible. Opinion is never better than the information on which it is based, the qualifications of the person voicing it and his ability to correctly interpret the information at his disposal. Businessmen are sometimes inclined to read or hear opinions and accept them as facts upon which to base their plans or make their decisions without further investigation or study.
Practices do become habits—and the force of those habits can, indeed, be mighty. However, human beings have a considerable degree of latitude. They are, after all, endowed with the ability to form their own habits and to break or discard those which they find undesirable.
Nowhere do habit patterns count for as much, and nowhere does the force of habit demonstrate its might more emphatically than in the business world. A businessman’s habits are among the most important factors that determine whether he will be a success—or failure.
Be Optimistic and Enthusiastic
It is a helpful habit for a businessman to be optimistic and enthusiastic. It will make his own work better and easier and will also serve to hearten and inspire his associates and subordinates. However, habitual optimism and enthusiasm can be carried to dangerous—and even disastrous—extremes of overestimation and overzealousness.
“Assuming that you owned a large business firm, what is the principal quality, trait or qualification you would want your executives to possess?”
Business management may be broadly defined as the art of directing human activities so as to carry out a business firm’s policies and achieve its goals. Whether it be general or specialized management—such as personnel, purchasing, production or sales—the key to all business management lies in the words: directing human activities.
Intelligence and Ability
A good executive is a man who can think and act independently and needs only the barest minimum of instruction to carry out his job.
Leadership
Now, an executive’s principal duty is to direct the activities—the work—of those under him. Direction being nothing less than another word, leadership, it follows that the good executive must, perforce, think and act as a leader.
Dale Carnegie‘s rock-solid, time-tested advice has carried countless people up the ladder of success in their business and personal lives. One of the most groundbreaking guidebooks of all time, How to Win Friends & Influence People will teach you:
The six ways to make people like you
The twelve ways to win people to your way of thinking
The nine ways to change people without arousing resentment
and much, much more!
Contents
Part One.
Fundamental Techniques in Handling People
Be a Leader: How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment – Principle 9
The effective leader should keep the following guidelines in mind when it is necessary to change attitudes or behavior:
Be sincere. Do not promise anything that you cannot deliver. Forget about the benefits to yourself and concentrate on the benefits to the other person.
Know exactly what it is you want the other person to do.
Be empathetic. Ask yourself what it is the other person really wants.
Consider the benefits that person will receive from doing what you suggest.
Match those benefits to the other person’s wants.
When you make your request, put it in a form that will convey to the other person the idea that he personally will benefit. We could give a curt order like this: “John, we have customers coming in tomorrow and I need the stockroom cleaned out. So sweep it out, put the stock in neat piles on the shelves and polish the counter.” Or we could express the same idea by showing John the benefits he will get from doing the task: “John, we have a job that should be completed right away. If it is done now, we won’t be faced with it later. I am bringing some customers in tomorrow to show our facilities. I would like to show them the stockroom, but it is in poor shape. If you could sweep it out, put the stock in neat piles on the shelves, and polish the counter, it would make us look efficient and you will have done your part to provide a good company image.”
