Honor Be Damned?

[HARDCORE]

Truth, Honor, Integrity and The Golden Rule seem to have become victims of the times!

OK, so there is nothing new about some ?Corporate Illegality!? The Enrons and the Peregrines of the world, as was the old Teapot Dome Scandal, are not really as rare as some want to believe. And all too many preach that ?All Is Fair In Love, War, Business and Politics? - BUT IS IT REALLY?!

Let?s face a fact - it is nearly the same mind set in some business dealings that, on a bigger and more violent scale, leads to wars! Greed, lust, avarice, hate and insanity, can be found in most of mankind?s worldly enterprises, can it not?! Hell, it was recently disclosed on the news that even tourism is getting in on the act! CNN just reported that some of the scenery (especially the beaches) used in a Bermuda (Isle of) Travel Promotion, were not Bermuda at all? Some of the scenes used, were actually of Hawaii!?

As such, I invite you to look at a map of the world to see exactly where these two places rest - ?One is out in the Atlantic, far east of North Carolina, and the other, away out there in the Pacific Ocean, thousands upon thousands miles apart!" And when questioned about this obvious deception, Bermuda Tourism responded (in effect): ?So what, everybody does it!? (DO THEY INDEED?)

Speaking about lack of honor, many of those responsible for the rash of terrorist atrocities in the last few years have been constantly on the lamb! They perform and then brag of their deeds that murder thousands of innocent civilians, and then slip away into hiding until they feel that it is safe to butcher again! ?And when caught, these people are afforded the same justice and rights as the common man, probably more so in fact!??

One such terrorist mastermind was just trapped in Pakistan. Shaikh Kalid Mohammed, reportedly a chief player in 9/11 and the previous bombing of the WTC, was just nabbed! The facts presented point out that this #3 man in al-Qaeda had also been involve in numerous other atrocities, and was planning many more, including aircraft bombings! And yes, like many more of his ilk, this guy too, was U.S. Educated (North Carolina A & T to be exact)! In other words - ?Some of these terrorists seek to attack and destroy their own benefactors!?

But hell, all of the attacks against our homeland are not perpetrated by foreigners alone, or out of hatred for our way of life! Many of our sacred documents are under attack daily! ?The Constitution and even the Pledge of Allegiance being two prime examples!? And if it is not our prime mandates that are being screwed around with, it is often our very way of life. ?Energy users themselves (and that is all of us), have become bonified targets!?

Back during the last energy crisis, when fuels were genuinely at a premium, prices shot up dramatically! Well, not being stupid (greedy yes, stupid no), many ?Energy Producers and/or Importers? right here in the United States, learned that merely the threat of shortages was enough to rape the people of our nation, and in my opinion, ? Financial Rape It Is!? And until we begin (in ernest) to exert pressure of our own (politically and economically), these bums will continue to screw us over! They care not if you lose your jobs, can not get your kids to the hospital when ill, or to school for an education! They don?t care if your aged parents and grandparents freeze to death in some unheated ?Cold Water Flat!? Nor do some of them care if you and yours even survive! ?To them, it is the
bottom line, and that line centers upon greed!!?

If you doubt this analogy, then apparently you have not been following the news of late. There has been as much chatter in the media about ?Stock Market Profits? as a result of War, as there has about the pending wars with Iraq, Korea, or who ever! Don?t some of these people realize that the profits that they are raking-in may be tied directly to American deaths?

Granted, that ?Bastard Hussein? and a few other international terrorists must be stopped, but a small army of ?Daddy Warbucks? doesn?t have to be so damned happy about it, as all the money in the world can not, and will not, bring back one dead (young) American Soldier! So if war is inevitable, it should be (genuinely) fought to fight terrorism and the other enemies of mankind, and not just to afford the opportunity for additional wealth and power for the vested few, no matter where in the world they opt to build their mansions and palaces!

Let me say this again - ?If you doubt this analogy, then I invite you to look at what is happening to gas and heating fuel prices, and this particular war in the Middle East has not yet even swung into gear, nor is there the magnitude of fuel shortages that are now being reported or financially anticipated (opinion)! And if, by some miracle, this war is diverted (and I doubt it), will fuel costs and the mounting deficit automatically fall back to sane limits! ?That?s pipe dreams and pure bull-shit, and you know it!!?

Again, Hussein and his clones (present and future) must be stopped, but (and this is not an accusation), those who gleefully capitalize or help to create any catastrophe as a smoke screen to mask other problems, or to exchange blood for cash, ?MUST? be made to (legally) answer for their cold and callous dealings!

The President and members of both political parties have taken the first critical steps in identifying and indicting the corporate garbage that preys upon their fellow Americans, and in this, they must be supported and applauded!

?No man, not even a financial or political giant, should be above the laws that govern our very existence as a free and independent nation!?

VERITAS :cd:

[wrbones]

Don't disagree with ya a bit.

Ya ever wonder why the same prosperity hasn't been recently enjoyed by many folks as was the case in the fifties and even into the sixties?

Some CEO's are makin 500 times what the average corporate employee is at this time. In the fifties and sixties the ratio was more equitable. The CEO's were ONLY makin' 50 times what their employees were!

Different times and places with individual compamies, that ratio has always been true of the the individual company, but in recent times, it has become the norm.

Many people are going into various professional fields not because it interests them or because they might do some good for others, but because they might profit more from that field of endeavor than from any other with the least amount of effort or discomfort to themselves.

Just my opinion.

[HARDCORE]

TRUER WORDS WERE NEVER SPOKEN, IN MY OPINION!!!!!

[wrbones]

http://www.walkerinfo.com/docs/ethics_topline_lh.pdf






Business Ethics

Credibility. Integrity. Trust. You only have to look as far as recent headlines of corporate misdeeds to understand the importance of ethics in business relationships. A company's ethical culture is often assessed only after it's too late to correct the situation. As a result, companies cited for ethical misconduct have suffered - damaged reputations, lost business, de-moralized workforce and diminished market values.

In contrast, organizations supporting a positive ethical culture enjoy critical competitive advantages, such as a good reputation and the respect and support of their customers, employees and other stakeholders. Proactively surveying employees about ethics programs and workplace policies is a smart strategy helping companies maintain an ethical enterprise - a key factor in being a marketplace leader.





Here are some key findings from the 2001 study:

Only 49 percent of U.S. employees believe that their senior leaders are people of high personal integrity.
Regarding ethical/compliance issues, 55 percent of U.S. employees say there is little pressure to cut corners.
Nearly half of U.S. workers (48 percent) are comfortable reporting ethical violations. Yet, a widening majority (65 percent) who know about a violation choose not to report it for reasons including lacking enough facts and a lack of faith in the response and reporting systems of employers.
From a checklist of ethical violations, 54 percent of U.S. employees cite at least one occurring in the past two years at work, with lying to supervisors and unfair treatment of employees at the top of the list.
Industries with the worst ethics ratings are transportation, retail, government, and manufacturing.
Industries with the best ethics ratings are financial services, technology and insurance.
Integrity at work relates to employee loyalty. Nationally, 40 percent of employees who say their senior leaders have high personal integrity are also truly loyal to their organization. That number drops to only six percent when employees do not believe their senior leaders have integrity.

Read: the 2001 National Business Ethics Study summary
Read: the 1999 National Business Ethics Study summary




? 2003 Walker Information, Inc. Indianapolis, IN
Privacy Policy | Web Support

[wrbones]

http://www.counterpunch.org/farruggio0617.html



OK, here's the deal: economic theory need not be formulated and postulated by some MBA, or some "pencil cruncher". In David Kennedy's fantastic look back at the Great Depression, Freedom From Fear: the American People in Depression and War, he states the bold innovative theories that FDR and his advisors submitted. FDR felt that this country had enough production: what we as a nation lacked was consumption. If the American public had enough money to consume properly, business would have the necessary demand to produce more, and so on and so on. Simply put, what was needed was a fairer redistribution of money that would "lift" America up economically. Makes sense, no?

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize the more that money is equally spread out, the more consumption we will have. the more savings we will have, and so on and so on. Being essentially a simple man, allow an analogy. Company A has 1000 employees. Let's say the CEO earns his or her $10 million a year (not uncommon in these times, as the top 10 U.S. CEO's average well over $100 million each a year). The top management tier just below earn their few million a year each. Suppose we took the FDR scenario to heart and "redistributed" some of those top heavy incomes a bit. Suppose we had the CEO cut his or her package from $10 million to $5 million, and the tier below follow suit as well. Let's say we put about 10 million big ones into the pot, to now be spread out amongst the 1000 employees, in equal shares. We divide that 10 million smackeroos by the 1000 and we get $10,000 a year more per employee. Now, I don't know about you, but $10,000 extra a year could buy lots and lots of appliances, clothing, cars, vacations, home improvements, even the down payment for a new house. Think of all the jobs that would be created by this added consumption. Think of all the money banks and mutual funds and money funds would receive. Think of how many families would advance from renting to now owning that home sweet home.

The irony is that no one in the mainstream media will even attempt to address such a simple and workable economic ideal. They say it's not the American Way. Well tell me, what is the "American Way"? What, for that matter is the "Christian Way"? I recall gospels telling about the man from Nazareth taking a few fish and loaves and creating enough for all. No, methinks that our current Darwinian system has not and will not work for the millions who are one or two paychecks from the street. It's time to "talk turkey" and institute a national maximum income as a model for the world to follow.

Philip Farruggio, son of a longshoreman, is "Blue Collar Brooklyn" born, raised and educated (Brooklyn College, Class of '74). A former progressive talk show host, Philip runs a mfg. rep. business and writes for many publications. He lives in Port Orange, FL. You can contact him at: brooklynphilly@aol.com.

[wrbones]

http://netec.mcc.ac.uk/BibEc/data/JEL/J31.html



http://www.iwe.unisg.ch/org/iwe/web....2569A1004F895F


http://surveying.wb.psu.edu/psu-surv/salpres3/


http://www.fortunecity.com/marina/anchor/1976/id91.htm


http://www.optimizemag.com/issue/003/ethics.htm

[wrbones]

http://www.cjr.org/year/93/6/ceo.asp







November/December 1993 | Contents
Salary Survey

THE C.E.O. FACTOR

by Graef Crystal
Crystal covers executive compensation in his own newsletter, The Crystal Report, and is a frequent contributor to Pensions & Investment, Worth, and The New York Observer.
In 1982, experienced print and TV reporters in top markets earned an average of $ 29,000, while the average media c.e.o., among I I corporations studied, earned $ 923,000. So the average media c.e.o. earned 32 times more than the working stiffs who formed the backbone of his organization.

Last year the top print and TV reporters earned an average of $ 50.000, for a decade-long increase of 72 percent. But the average media c.e.o. earned $ 2,407,000, for a decade-long increase of 161 percent. Thus, while the average media c.e.o. earned 32 times more than an experienced reporter at a major news outlet in 1982, the ratio had widened, ten years later, to 48 to 1.

Recall here that Plato told Aristotle that no member of a community ought to earn more than 5 times the pay of the lowest worker in the community. And reporters, though pitifully paid, are decidedly not the lowest-paid workers in the media community.

But forget Plato. J.P. Morgan, no friend to socialism, thought that c.e.o.s ought to earn no more than 20 times the pay of a worker. More recently, management guru Peter Drucker also weighed in with a c.e.o.-to-average-employee pay ratio of 20 to 1. (There was no income tax to chip away at top pay rates in Morgan's day, but when Drucker offered his ideal ratio, income tax rates were higher than they are today.)

At The Wall Street Journal and Barron's, meanwhile, union officers had the business savvy to put this issue to Dow Jones & Co. shareholders this fall -- via a proposal that urges the company to limit c.e.o. compensation to 20 times the average employee compensation. The current ratio, the union says, is 40 to 1. Company executives cannot tell employees, on the one hand, that they "all contribute to the bottom line," says union president Ronald Chen, while, on the other hand, disproportionately rewarding themselves when the team is successful.

And then there are the Japanese, with c.e.o. pay ratios (measured off the pay of an average worker) of somewhere in the 15-25 to I range, depending on whom you talk to. And the Germans and the French, with pay ratios of around 25-30 to 1. And the British, with a pay ratio of around 30-35 to 1.

In the U.S., the equivalent ratio -- c.e.o. to average worker -- is 157 to 1. (Note here again that these statistics are based on the pay of average-paid workers, not on the pay of big league reporters.)

Of course, in America top performers are supposed to get big money, right? But are these media c.e.o.s top performers? I measured the compounded total annual return to shareholders (counting both stock price appreciation and reinvested dividends) during the period commencing December 31, 1982, and ending December 31, 1992, and found that the average media company, among the 11 studied, generated a compounded total annual return of 12.7 percent. That level ranked the average media company in the bottom quarter as measured against the total return performance during the same period of the 200 largest companies (largest in terms of the Value of their outstanding shares during 1992; the group includes most of these II media companies.)

If a pay-for-performance justification won't wash, how about good old supply and demand as a rationale'? Reporters are a dime a dozen, so this argument would start, but not good c.e.o.s; thus the reason for the surge in c.e.o. pay in media companies lies purely and simply in the fact that there just aren't that many qualified candidates for these highly demanding jobs.

Here's a flaw in that one: in looking over the list of current media c.e.o.s, I couldn't find a single woman. (In fairness, there used to be one woman heading a major media company -- the one located in our nation's capital -- but she turned the business over to her son.)

Now if there ever was an industry in which there are plenty of qualified, brainy women, it has to be the media industry. Any one of those women would doubtless waive all her rights under the Equal Pay Act and gladly take the top job for a scant $ 1 million per year. So forget supply and demand, too.

Cast your eyes on the table accompanying this article and you'll see the 11 media companies I studied. You'll also see their total compensation to c.e.o.s in 1982 and 1992 and their company's total return performance during that decade. (Total compensation adds together the c.e.o.'s base salary, his bonus for annual performance, the estimated present value at grant of stock options granted during the year, the value at grant of any shares granted during the year, and the value at payout of long-term performance-awards -- in cash or in shares -- received during the year, as well as miscellaneous compensation; it excludes broad-based fringe benefit programs, such as health insurance and pensions.)

HOW MANY REPORTERS ADD UP TO ONE MEDIA COMPANY CEO?


COMPANY 1982: TOTAL 1992: TOTAL

COMPENSATION OF COMPENSATION OF

CURRENT CEO, WITH THEN-CEO WITH RATIO CURRENT CEO WITH

TO AVERAGE TOP RATIO TO AVERAGE

REPORTER'S PAY ** TOP REPORTER'S

10-YEAR STOCK GROWTH * PAY **


CAPITAL CITIES/ABC, INC. $ 1,409,000 $ 5,642,000

DANIEL B. BURKE *** 15.6% 49:1 113:1


GANNETT CO., INC. $ 926,000 $ 4,731,000

JOHN J. CURLEY 12.2% 32:1 95:1



Columbia Journalism Review, November, 1993


TIME WARNER INC. $ 918,000 $ 3,780,000

GERALD M. LEVIN *** 12.5% 32:1 76:1


CBS INC. $ 816,000 $ 2,285,000

LAURENCE A. TISCH 14.7% 28:1 46:1


DOW JONES & CO., INC. $ 875,000 $ 2,185,000

PETER R. KANN *** 4.3% 30:1 44:1


MCGRAW-HILL, INC. $ 692,000 $ 1,691,000

JOSEPH L. DIONNE 8.4% 24:1 34:1


NEW YORK TIMES CO. $ 831,000 $ 1,593,000

ARTHUR OCHS SULZBERGER 12.6% 29:1 32:1


TIMES MIRROR CO. $ 707,000 $ 1,548,000

ROBERT F. ERBURU 10.3% 24:1 31:1


KNIGHT-RIDDER, INC. $ 930,000 $ 1,328,000

JAMES K. BATTEN 11.5% 32:1 27:1


TURNER BROADCASTING $ 1,456,000 $ 1,121,000

R. E. TURNER 21.1% 50:1 22:1


WASHINGTON POST CO. $ 597,000 $ 579,000

DONALD E. GRAHAM *** 16.7% 21:1 12:1

* THE COMPOUNDED ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN ON STOCK: 1982-1992. (THE AVERAGE FOR

THE 200 LARGEST U.S. CORPORATIONS, A GROUP THAT INCLUDES MOST OF THESE MEDIA

COMPANIES, WAS 18.3%; THE AVERAGE TOTAL COMPENSATION FOR CEO'S IN THAT GROUP WAS

$ 3,200,000, COMPARED TO $ 2,407,000 FOR THE MEDIA GROUP.)

** THE AVERAGE PAY FOR A TOP PRINT/TV REPORTER WAS $ 29,000 IN 1982, AND $

50,000 IN 1992.

*** THESE CEO'S HAVE SERVED LESS THAN THREE YEARS.

PETER BRADFORD

As for the working folks -- the print and TV reporters -- I looked at Newspaper Guild top minimum salaries for print reporters at 12 major daily, and geographically diversified, newspapers (The New York Times, the Chicago SunTimes, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the San Francisco Chronicle, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The Washington Post, the Detroit Free Press, the Rocky Mountain News, The Honolulu Advertiser, The Philadelphia Inquirer the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and the Pittsburqh Post-Gazette). These top minimum salaries apply to a reporter who typically has five years of experience. The median annual reporter pay among the 12 newspapers was $ 28,800 in 1982 and $ 44,500 in 1992.

As for TV reporters, I relied on data compiled by Vernon Stone, a professor emeritus at the University of Missouri. According to his information, the median TV reporter in the 25 largest markets was paid $ 30,800 in 1983. To get a 1982 figure, I discounted this figure by 5 percent, and came up with $ 29,300. For the same markets in 1992, Stone estimated that the annual salary was $ 55,000. To obtain the figures used at the beginning of this article, I simply averaged the pay for print and TV reporters in both 1982 and 1992.

One sideline finding here is that, while in 1982 print and TV reporters were earning virtually the same level of compensation, during the ensuing decade the pay of TV reporters out-paced the pay of print reporters, to the point where by 1992 the typical TV reporter was earning 25 percent more than his print counterpart.

Two other findings are worth pointing up. First, I looked at the pay levels of the II media c.e.o.s in 1992 and asked myself the following question: Given that there is a huge difference between the lowest-paid c.e.o. (Donald E. Graham of the The Washington Post, who earned $ 579,000) and the highestpaid c.e.o. (Daniel B. Burke of Capital Cities/ABC, who earned $ 5.6 million), what factors might explain the difference? Well, I found that fully 61 percent of the differences in pay could be explained on the basis of differences in company size. But none of the remaining 39 percent of the remaining pay variations could be explained on the basis of differences in company performance. (Actually, my correlation studies showed there to be a negative relationship between pay and performance, but the relationship was not deemed to be statistically significant.)

I went on to ask myself a second question: Given that there is a huge difference between the company that gave its c.e.o. the smallest raise between 1982 and 1992 (Turner Broadcasting, which actually cut the pay of its c.e.o., Ted Turner, by 23 percent) and the company that gave its c.e.o. the largest raise during the same period (Gannett, which raised the pay of its c.e.o., John J. Curley, by 411 percent, compared to the pay earned in 1982 by Curley's predecessor, Allen H. Neuharth), can these differences be explained by differences in company performance during the tenyear period? The answer is no.

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[wrbones]

The first reference to honor in business that I ran across.....





http://www.aikido-world.com/reflecti...flections3.htm

BUSHIDO
BUDO DISCUSSION


Honor in Business

Bushido and honor in business . . . the "good" businessman.

A friend once mentioned to me that he admired a reknown businessman because of his wealth and power, and added that he was a "good" businessman. He went on further to explain that this man succeeded taking over companies, closing them and selling off pieces, placing people out of work, making some very legally questionable tactics to acquire more wealth and power. He thought that this man was to be admired for his cunning and prowess. I stared at him for awhile and wondered why a fellow Aikidoist would admire such a person. I suppose we are all guilty of being attracted to personalities that are directly opposite to our own, as the moth is drawn to the flame. Perhaps it is curiosity, that lures us to wonder what it would be like to own such a personality. In the western world it is acceptable to ruin someone in business in order to acquire more wealth and power. In doing so, we often (more times than not) cause chaos, instability, or financial ruin to other innocent people that are not able to find other means of making a living. It is also acceptable to be dishonest in order to destroy a fellow employee's credibility and/or seize that person's position. the list goes on and on. Actually, if one should think freely for one moment ... you might be able to see that the only persons that would market such unnecessary dishonorable acts as acceptable --- are those that are dishonorable themselves. They would have something to gain from such an act, to all that are gullible enough to believe it. This is hardly honorable and is NOT a practice that is considered to have a place in bushido.

Those that would cheat, steal, lie, and perform cruel acts in the name of "doing good business" would do so in their own personal lives. Some claim to be good businessmen, upstanding citizens and good family men. You cannot be honorable this way in Bushido. It is not honorable to single out certain bad traits and deny ownership and responsibility to them. You are entirely what you do in business as well as personally. It is inseparable. Furthermore, to be professionally dishonorable and to claim that this is an acceptable practice --- is just an excuse for being dishonest. And to believe that this is an acceptable excuse is also not "saving face". It is lying to oneself.

In practicing the ways of the warrior, it is a discipline that requires a person's tenacity and devotion to purifying one's self in character and physical training. In the Asian martial arts, the entire person spends everyday of his/her life in training towards the perfection of self --- worthy enough to be called a martial artist.

Literary materials and pictures are copyrighted by their respected authors and owners. Permission in writing must be made for any duplication, display, or reprint.

[wrbones]

http://www.smallbusinessmarketingman...terofhonor.asp



A Matter of Honor
I recently read an article that talked about a high-school biology class where nearly 25% of the students were caught cheating. Apparently they had plagiarized entire sections of their semester-long reports from various Internet web sites. The teacher had isolated the offenders and had given them a failing grade. The parents of these students protested that the failing grade was "too harsh" a penalty for their cheating children. Unbelievably, the school board agreed!

The article went on to point out that a Rutgers University study found that more than 75% of students cheat. The Internet has made plagiarism quite easy. There are many web sites where students can get ready-made reports for all kinds of topics. Schools also have access to software that allows them to catch plagiarists just as easily. But apparently they often choose NOT to use it. Why? Because they feel that policing plagiarism might hurt a cheater's self esteem. In fact, many student groups have attacked the use of anti-plagiarism software as a potential violation of student rights!

My question is? What will happen to these students when they have to compete in the real world? In the real world if you plagiarize, you suffer the consequences. That could mean litigation, retraction and most certainly professional embarrassment.

Ok, I know what you're thinking? What does all this have to do with business improvement?
Everything.

If we really care for people, then we tell them what they need to hear. If we are too concerned about offending them or hurting them then we are in part responsible for their failures. Think of how much those high school students will be hurt in the future simply because parents, teachers and administrators were unwilling to bruise their fragile egos.

Let's face it many, if not most supervisors are at the very least uncomfortable holding their employees accountable. I am not saying that we should create an environment where perfection is the goal. I rather encourage peak performance rather that perfect performance. But it is critical for business owners, manager and supervisors to distinguish between a "mistake of the heart" or a "mistake of the head." A "mistake of the heart" is a situation where an employee intentionally did something that was known to be wrong and tried to get away with it. A "mistake of the head" is when an employee is working hard to do the right thing but, for some reason, it does not work out that way. With mistakes of the head, we should be very lenient. With mistakes of the heart we should be quite strict.

One way to ensure that we are creating an environment where mistakes of the mind are tolerated and mistakes of the heart are not is to make your expectations crystal clear to your staff. Over the years I have noticed that communicating expectations is paramount in achieving peak performance. The following are areas in which leaders should develop clear expectations for team members:

1. Culture - Communicate your company's culture clearly by modeling the kind of behavior that you want to see. If you are looking for more honesty and integrity then model honesty and integrity. Like it or not, they will do as you do, NOT as you say. This starts at the top. If you are a business owner, don't expect your managers to accomplish this if you can't.

2. Rewards - When people do well we should congratulate them publicly. This should be done with great fanfare but in a genuine, sincere way. There's nothing worse than phony flummery or flattery. Give sincere appreciation.

3. Chastisement - When we need to provide chastisement or correction it should always be done privately away from any other staff member. We should be forthright in expressing our disappointment with the staff member's poor behavior NOT anger with them as a person.

4. Correction - When correcting make sure that you communicate the methods and procedures expected. This should include deadlines with non-negotiable dates as opposed to dates that can slip as well as priorities. What's to be done first, second and so on.

5. Performance - Paint a picture of the outcome for your staff. Show them a vision of a "good" job versus a "bad" job. Make sure they understand the degree of effort that you expect them to each contribute to the successful solution.

6. Measurement - Establish a system to measure performance in small increments as well as a format for consistent communication. This forum will give you the ability to ask the right kind of questions to determine whether they are "on-track." At this point you can provide feedback and make suggestions on course correction.

7. Resources - Make sure that they understand the resources that are available to them. This could include staff, facilities, technology, equipment, outside consultants and so on. Encourage them to use the resources to their best advantage but in a cost effective way in order to achieve their goals.

As leaders it's our job to foster integrity, honesty and honor. Team members look to us for confidence, guidance, direction and innovation. To whom much is given, much is required. As leaders we must hold ourselves to a higher standard than anyone else in our organization. Does this mean that we need to be perfect in order to achieve peak performance? Not at all. But is does mean that when we are wrong that we, as Dale Carnegie advises us, "admit it quickly and emphatically."

Remember your team members are not just a resource, they are PEOPLE. As I have said many times, we live in an age of relationships. How can you create relationships that go beyond just getting the job done? And how can we do so with integrity and honor?

I hope that this "Business Update" has been helpful. For more information on the Small Business Advisory Network, please feel free to contact me at info@sbanetwork.org or 310-320-8190.

Thank you and my best
Mark Deo
----------------------------------------
Listen to The Small Business Hour every Sunday on 97.1FM -Los Angeles.

[wrbones]

http://www.business.ku.edu/pdf/honorcode.pdf


I wonder if they adhere to it.....














( See what happens when a topic catches my interest! I go lookin' fer stuff about it.....and THEN I share! [ are ya bored silly yet? LOL> ])