Entrepreneurs, what are you waiting for?

Entrepreneurs, what are you waiting for?

I was a late bloomer. It took me 25 years to finally become an entrepreneur!

When I finally graduated from college after the war in ’73 (that’s 1973, not 1873), there was a recession going on and the only place that offered me a job was Kroger company unloading trucks, stocking shelves, ordering merchandise and running a checkout stand during busy hours.

Pretty glamorous, eh?

About four months of that grind was all I could take. Resigning quickly from Kroger was unheard of at the time and my friends thought I had lost my mind.

Then Levi Strauss & Company, one of the best then and now, hired me.

From Strauss I went to work for a smaller company in Indiana.

I had become an entrepreneur.

During my 7 years at the Indiana company, a large a success Medical Device company, I had been executive director over quality, regulatory and involved deeply in New Product Development.

Yet when, at the end of every year, as our company kept bringing in new business, making money and winning awards, at least one of the other companies would be losing business and money, thereby always reducing my bonuses and raises.

I finally decided that if I was going to truly benefit from my efforts, I might as well lose the training wheels, run my own show and take my own risks.

So, at age 52, I became an entrepreneur.

My only business plan for this new venture was knowing that I was going to succeed.

I picked up my first major client, five months after resigning from the previous company. And while the word “entrepreneur” conjures up swashbuckling, sexy, romantic images to many, to me it was always tough, sometimes lonely and never predictable.

I wouldn’t have traded it for anything else. For the first few months I was a one-man band working out of my small home office (it did have a window!). I worked long hours 5 days a week and spent the weekend doing what most people have an assistant to do.  The rest, as they say, is history – albeit a modest history of which I’m proud.

Tips from a conservative entrepreneur: 

•         Pace yourself. Take the long view. You’re building your future. 
•        Work hard and play harder. That’ll strengthen your perspective, which, of course, is your edge. 
•         Pay your  vendors before you pay yourself. 
•         If you have employees, make sure your employees feel that they work with you, not for you. 
•         Encourage your employees to become and think like entrepreneurs. 
•         I you have to start with debt, become debt free as soon as possible and stay debt-free.
•         When you hire or utilize associates, focus on a few people smarter and wiser than you are. 
•         Learn from others wisdom; don't be afraid to ask for help.
•         Always remember in the market place, you’re only as good as your last piece of work.
•         Believe in yourself, not your own press.
•         Whether it’s good, bad or ugly, don’t be inflated or deflated by what others have to say about you.
•         Just be who you are, but know yourself very well.
•         Manage your expectations to prevent what may feel like early failures.
•         It’s never about how big you are, it’s how good you are. That will draw people to you.
•         Size only matters when it comes to the magnitude of your ideas.
•         Be boldly responsible and accountable.  Never blame

Fear stands between you and being your own boss and a successful entrepreneur. Nothing is ever easy, especially those that bring huge self satisfaction and personal success. 

The battle for truth has major stakes.

‘Truth’ in a Post-Christian West

by Jerry Newcombe

A great quote attributed to George Orwell, author of 1984, is, “During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.”

In poring over the news of late, it’s amazing how much untruth there is, mixed with partial truth. Spin and euphemisms often replace truth.

I read recently that an abortion doctor was honored for his work. But not once was there a mention of the word “abortion” or even a hint of the grisly work he is involved in.

Just last month, noted Matt Rocheleau for the Boston Globe (1/8/15), “Up to 64 Dartmouth College students — including some athletes — could face suspension or other disciplinary action for cheating in an ethics class this past fall.” Cheating in ethics class? This speaks for itself.

Meanwhile, a Christian publisher pulled a book detailing the alleged foray into heaven of a boy who died and came back. The boy admits now he made it all up to get attention.

Even when people preface what they say with the phrase “Well, to tell you the truth,” do they mean to imply that they normally don’t tell you the truth? Note to self: Try to drop that phrase from my speech.

One of the most amazing exchanges in the history of the world was when Pontius Pilate, governor of Judea, was trying Jesus of Nazareth and the prisoner referred to “the truth.” Pilate then asked Him, “What is truth?” and he pivoted and walked away.

Just a few hours before, Jesus had said to His disciples during the Last Supper, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me.” Here was Truth incarnate standing before Pilate, and the blind governor had no clue.

As the famous line in the movie puts it, “You can’t handle the truth!” Or as the great American short story writer Flannery O’Connor once said, “The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.”

In our day of relativistic ethics, where there is supposedly no real right or wrong, how can we condemn lying—truly? Unless, I suppose you get caught.

But that wasn’t the way George Washington saw things. Before he retired, he imparted a masterful written speech in 1796, his Farewell Address.

In that Address, he famously noted: “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.”

He went on to say that we can’t expect morality to continue if we undermine religion. Keep in mind, this was at a time when the vast majority of Americans were professing Christians.

He also said, “Let it simply be asked: Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice?”

In other words, how can we expect someone to obey a sworn oath to tell the truth if they have no “the sense of religious obligation,” undergirding that oath?

The founders understood that belief in a God who sees all things and who will one day hold us accountable made a huge difference. That’s why in our days truth is breaking down—even among some professing Christians. But let God be true and every man a liar.

This isn’t just an American problem. It is a problem in the post-Christian West.

George Weigel, an insightful Catholic writer, said in the LA Times in 2006: “If the West’s high culture keeps playing in the sandbox of postmodern irrationalism—in which there is ‘your truth’ and ‘my truth’ but nothing such as ‘the truth’—the West will be unable to defend itself. Why? Because the West won’t be able to give reasons why its commitments to civility, tolerance, human rights and the rule of law are worth defending.”

He added, “A Western world stripped of convictions about the truths that make Western civilization possible cannot make a useful contribution to a genuine dialogue of civilizations, for any such dialogue must be based on a shared understanding that human beings can, however imperfectly, come to know the truth of things.”

The battle for truth has major stakes.

Inflate Gate and Leadership

Inflate Gate and Leadership

You may be asking yourself what does Inflate Gate have to do with leadership.  I say it has everything to do with leadership.

Leadership is all about accountability.  Leaders choose accountability.  They do not simply accept it or take the responsibility, they want it because they know how important it is.

The current situation

By now, everyone knows about Inflate Gate; the fact the New England Patriots were playing with game balls inflated below the standard set by the NFL.  That the footballs were checked by officials and found to be up to standard prior to the game and at a point later in the game it was determined the game balls the Patriots were using were underinflated. 

What followed was a firestorm of reaction from all sectors.  Everyone (as usual) wanted to know what people knew, when they knew it and who was the most likely guilty party.

This set the stage for a moment of brilliant leadership action.  However, for the many that have seen or read Coach  Bill Bellicheck's public statements know he missed that opportunity.  The fact is, he raised more questions about himself, his team and especially his quarterback.  Leaders do not do this.  Leaders do not cast a shadow on the integrity of their organizations.

Being accountable does not mean confessing to guilt or claiming responsibility for an act.  It is choosing accountability over all else when a crisis hits.  I will not recount the whole of Mr. Bellicheck's responses, but to simply say he did not come even close to stepping up as a leader during this crisis. Think about all the articles and TV hosts that you and others have seen that have played a part in casting a shadow over the Patriots and the all time sporting event the Super Bowl.  None of this had to happen even though the facts of the deflated footballs remain.

Mr. Bellichek is not alone.  Leaders for whatever reason step over huge opportunities to be accountable and incur the consequences that come with it.  There was a moment and it was missed.

How could Mr. Bellicheck have done that you may ask?

Simply by taking accountability. What he did versus taking accountability stand in stark contrast.  Here is an example of what Mr. Bellicheck could have said.  You will quickly notice the difference.

First, I want to apologize to all the fans, the audience and most of all to my players. I have failed you.  I'm accountable for what has happened and will do my utmost to find out what happened, why and when.  That is my promise.  How did I fail?  I failed in allowing the desire to win to destroy the integrity of the game and especially my team that has worked so hard this year to reach the Super Bowl.  I have in some way behaved in such a manner that it has allowed one or more people to think that winning at all costs is acceptable.  This is never acceptable.  Somehow, that must have happened.  I would like to think it did not.  However, as the leader of this team on and off the field and until I discover reasons why not, I am and will remain accountable to the public, the owners and to the NFL.  I regret this happened and as I said before will not stop until I can stand before you with the final analysis of the situation.

This, is leadership.  This is what real leaders do.  They know that doing otherwise destroys confidence in their own integrity and those around them.  It is like a cancer that begins to rot and organization from the inside out.  That, while it destroys the brand that a company has spent years creating.  It only takes one crisis and one failure of leadership to destroy.  Leaders know that integrity is earned over time and one failure to step up to accountability can destroy what was worked for so hard.

Actions for You?

Choose accountability as a leader.  Pay attention to your behaviors and the messages it may be sending to the organization and people around you and take accountability for that.  Look for opportunities to step up and claim your leadership accountability when things go wrong.  People will respect your for that. That and you might even gain a new respect for yourself!