HIRED BY AN ENTREPRENEUR ======================== "You must capture and keep the heart of the supremely able man before he can do his best. Hand service or head service, it's the heart service that counts." This expressive comment by Andrew Carnegie allows us to open up the heart of the super-entrepreneur and look beyond cold achievement to find the spirit that made the achievement possible. Most employers are not entrepreneurs. Most are the average fine folks who live in the present. They're realists. Entrepreneurs are too. But though these super-achievers live in the present their spirit is in the future. They talk about the "bigger picture" and the "main purpose". Continually they make present choices for future results. They've captured the expression of the entrepreneurial spirit in the comments they make regarding employees. Here are a few: HARVEY FIRESTONE: "Provide the best possible working conditions. Try to pay a somewhat higher wage than everyone else. Provide rewards and facilities over and above what any other company provides. Insist that supervisors treat their people as human beings should be treated." JAMES R. COOK: "The way to keep your company sharp, upbeat, attentive and optimistic is through generous wages...Try to have pay scales higher than the union demands. It attracts the best people and shows respect for them...Merit is the only criterion for hiring someone. They can do the job or they can't...Under the unbrella of concern a company will develop a spirit of excellence and pride. Employees share high expectations with the boss. Peer pressure compels high performance. Unity and committment are commonplace. Productivity flows. Suggestions and input abound and the corporation flourishes." THOMAS J. WATSON: "Within all of us are wells of thought and dynamos of energy which are not suspected until emergencies arise. The we find it's comparatively simple to double or triple our former capacities and to amaze ourselves by the results achieved." CHARLES SCHWAB: "For 22 years I have never spoken a harsh word to anybody in the entire organization. The way to develop the best that is in a man is by appreciation and encouragement...I have yet to see a man however great or exalted his station, who is not susceptible to the approval of his fellowmen...And the severest criticism that can come to any man is not to find fault with him, but not to notice him at all...If I go through a department and find it slack I say nothing. Silence is a heavier censure than words. What I cannot praise I do not blame." HAROLD GENEEN: "Managing a company is like writing in the snow. You have to go over and over the same words as new falls if you want your writing to remain legible." MARY KAY ASH: "Hire the best talent you can find when you need them and pay top dollar for them...Believe sincerely that every person is special. Behave as if every person you meet is wearing an invisible sign that says 'Make me feel important'...Outstanding businesses are composed of outstanding people...The speed of the leader is the speed of the gang." There are some qualities that set entrepreneurrs apart. They are consistent in super-achievers regardless of the field of work or station in life. Some of the qualities are: * An ability to rebound from the worst situations. Walt Disney suffered a bankruptcy and a breakdown. Will C. Durante lost a power struggle that cost him General Motors, the company he founded. He later took General Motors again. H.J.Heinz endured a bankruptcy before his company achieved its best. * They drive their people hard, but they openly and expressively recognize and appreciate them. Workers are drawn emotionally to this. The conveyance of intensity and drive from the leader pulls out an inner strength that turns ordinary workers into committed achievers. * They focus on making present choices for the future. * They view adversity as a challenge, not as a reason to quit. Adversity brings out their persistence. It draws attention to their commitment. It builds their confidence and self-sufficiency. * They change strategies without hesitation to achieve their result. If the present plan isn't working, they find one that will. * They readily admit it when they make a mistake. They treat it lightly and go on toward their goal. * They enjoy being alone. They visit with themselves often to creatively plan their results. * Personal hardship or other people do not prevent them from reaching a goal. They exhibit selective selfishness. When the goal is threatened, people considerations take a back seat to it. Otherwise most entrepreneurs are noted for being concerned, compassionate, philanthropic individuals. * There's a sixth sense of intuition that entrepreneurs consciously develop and it sharpens with age. It combines spiritual inspiration with knowledge and functions like a guide when they're in unfamiliar territory. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Resource Box - The following books can be found at your local library: THE START-UP ENTREPRENEUR by James Cook; HOW TO MANAGE A TURN-AROUND by Stanley J. Goodman; MARY KAY ON PEOPLE MANAGEMENT by Mary Kay Ash; and BE A LEADER PEOPLE FOLLOW by David L. Hocking. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ (c) copyright 1990 STRICTLY BUSINESS! BBS Product Catalog System(tm). UNICOM Information Services.