A14 30
Business Courage
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
Monday, August 25, 2014
ThebuddingEntrepreneurs BUSINESS KLINIC
With Mamora Victor Mamora is a system thinker and advisor whose belief and activator leadership strengths are directed towards improving workers perspective for city and enterprise development.
Be a specific scope entrepreneur
e-mail: olusegunmamora@gmail.com
dynamic for consistent business result except there is specific goal. As an entrepreneur, you have not made any decision until it is specific. What does it mean to be specific? It simply means definite knowledge. In addition, it means to be free from doubt. Recently, I looked closely at two Nigerian banks. One has a long known specific brand promise and the other that just rebranded for a new brand promise. Both are very specific with the promise and easy for stakeholders to recognise when they default on the promise. One says, “BIG, STRONG, RELIABLE and the other that just rebranded say “SPEED, SERVICE, and SECURITY. These are their specific promises to customers. These companies are specific that people can identify them by their brand promises without mentioning names. Entrepreneur can be specific about promise to customers because it helps build confidence of stakeholders. There are two categories of entrepreneurs. You are either “General scope entrepreneur” or “Specific scope entrepreneur”. Based on my interactions with entrepreneurs and readings, there are more general scope entrepreneurs than specific scope entrepreneurs.
‘
There are two categories of entrepreneurs. You are either “General scope entrepreneur” or “Specific scope entrepreneur”. Based on my interactions with entrepreneurs and readings, there are more general scope entrepreneurs than specific scope entrepreneurs
“Specific scope entrepreneur” handles detail very well. They cannot be confused with figures irrespective of the circumstances. Many entrepreneurs, whose temperaments are phlegmatic and melancholy, are usually specific scope in dealings. They understand sequences of events, procedures, rules, and how each part of complex things works. When interrupted they will continue from the exact spot or they pause go back and do the step by step again. They usually are listener, and communicate clearly to workers, associate and stake holder. General scope entrepreneur is often the one who doesn’t have time for detail. She can jump from step to step in random order. She is easily confused and bore with details of business transaction. That is where the danger lies. A Gen-
ing the following.
‘
I
read the story of a young man who received a message that was both urgent and important for him to respond to. This required that he travelled to another village that would last seven days if he had to traverse the road and the jungles. However, he only had three days to respond to the call, which meant that horse must transport him. He did not have a horse, but fortunately his friend had one and he was kind enough to lend him the horse. While the horse owner was handing over the horse to his good friend who needed to travel with it, he told him “Carry my horse, it will make the journey faster”. “Wow, what a mystery unveiled,” the young man who needed the horse to travel spoke quietly. He left the horse ranch with the horse walking and holding the horse. At a point in the journey, he strictly complied with his friend instruction that says “carry my horse; it will make your journey faster.” He lifted the horse on his shoulder and his journey stopped there. Dear entrepreneurs, is this not the same way we assume that team members understand us when we give instructions without getting feedback? There is need for specific communication and demand for clarity while giving out responsibilities to associate, team members, and material suppliers. It helps in sustaining business and strengthens relationships. Assumption is the lowest form of knowledge. If one assumes that the recipient of information understands, then chances that one has actually made decision is very low. The law of decision sates that nothing is dynamic until it becomes specific. Except one is specific about information, job description or expectation from team members then there cannot be self-motivated responses. Why that? Lack of clarity slow down execution and mislead too. Corporate body cannot have
eral scope entrepreneur wants execution now and it must be now. Give her a contract agreement of more than five pages to read, then she read the first page, scan through other pages, open to last page and sign the deal straight. Often, this get General scope entrepreneur into trouble after signing bad and unclear deals. Many years ago, I bought into share of an engineering startup as a minority owner and it turned out bad. This was because the CEO, great guy technically, but was a core General scope entrepreneur made a bad decision for the business. He often did not like detail paper works and we got involved in unclear contract that turned the startup book red. I learnt the lesson there and I think you can avoid that pitfall. You need to improve your specific scope skill by do-
Motivational Business Quotes
T
he winners in life think constantly in terms of I can, I will, and I am. Losers, on the other hand, concentrate their waking thoughts on what they should have or would have done, or what they can’t do. – Dennis Waitley Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming. – Richard Branson Leadership is doing what is right when no one is watching. – George Van Valkenburg
There is no royal, flower-strewn path to success. And if there is, I have not found it. For if I have accomplished anything in life, it is because I have been willing to work hard. – C.J. Walker Business is more exciting than any game. –
Lord Beaverbrook Let every man be respected as an individual and no man idolized. – Albert Einstein We are currently not planning on conquering the world. – Sergey Brin If it really was a no-brainer to make it on your own in business there’d be millions of no-brained, harebrained, and otherwise dubiously brained individuals quitting their day jobs and hanging out their own shingles. Nobody would be left to round out the workforce and execute the business plan. – Bill Rancic It takes more than capital to swing business. You’ve got to have the A. I. D. degree to get by — Advertising, Initiative, and Dynamics. – Ren Mulford Jr. BC
Seek to understand and be understood It is important that you listen, do due diligence and be clear about the information and deals. In addition, get instant feedback from your team about the responsibility you give to them. When you put up this kind of practices, it becomes an attitude with time. Be deliberate about emphasis Use adverbs and adjectives in communication. Always try to find the exact form of verb or noun (“Deep yellow” bus). This will requires that you get business communication book, materials, and constant learning from top CEO who is a great communicator. Get the service of expert There are experts such as lawyers or company secretary who have been educated and trained to be specific and you can get their services from time to time and learn along too. In addition, I must say that you can leverage on your team members who are talented specific scope personalities and take advantage of their skills both for services and to learn. Dear friend, it is important that you recognise that a lot of conflict and bad business deals are because of misunderstood information, expectation, and contract agreement. We often overestimate ability of people’s to comprehend our intention and communication. People will always interpret information to the best of the capability and experiences, and many times, it is far from deliverables one expects in business. This is why specific and deliberate effort to relay information, job description, material supply standard and clarification on contract agreement will help business success and sustain relationship. My specific goal is to write authentic, simple and empowering column for your personal freedom and our city development as your business continue to succeed. I believe you will fulfill your dream. Cheer up! BC