One of my hero’s is the World War II General, George Patton. In my generation he became popular during the movie by his name Patton”. General Patton was played beautifully by George C. Scott. An academy award winning actor and movie! Basically he “Got Things Done” at the operational level and at the strategic level. His understanding of the big picture and the ability to execute the details is legendary. The German military considered him their most feared enemy.
Here are some fundamentals to apply in business from the General:
- Know what you know and know what you don’t know. (You don’t know what you don’t know). {Form a master mind group and get involved with The Alternative Board (TAB) to learn what other entrepreneurs have to share.}
- Never stop until you have gained the top or the grave. (A person must never stop studying, thinking, working, learning and doing. Every time you do something wrong, you learn from it. Every time you do something right, you gain confidence and insight. You must never lose your ambition to do better then you are-to be great.) {Do more Great work and less good work}
- No one is thinking if everyone is thinking alike. All sorts of suggestions, ideas, concepts and opinions must be allowed to promote an environment of learning and imagination. Learn from each other.
- Say what you mean and mean what you say. Don’t beat around the bush and speak in glittering generalities. Choose your words carefully and economically. Too many words and ambiguous words only confuse an issue.
- A good solution applied with vigor now is better than a perfect solution applied 10 minutes later. {He was a little more graphic- but you get the idea}
- Success is how you bounce on the bottom. These hindrances are unimportant, though, except as learning opportunities. Accept these difficulties, learn from them, put your past behind you, and get on with your life and career.
- Lack of training is one of the greatest problems facing American business today. {We see this from organizations that cut training to save some dollars but loose hundreds if not thousands from non-productive staff with lack of refresher training}
- Any man, who thinks he’s indispensable, isn’t.
- The purpose of business today is to stay in business and to provide jobs for the nation’s workers through the use of innovation, research, constant improvement, and equipment maintenance.
- Make sure you know where the source of trouble is as well as the trouble itself. Be alert to the source of trouble.
- By perseverance, study, and eternal desire, any man can become great.
- Do more than is required of you. Self–motivation is the key to being one step ahead of everyone else. You must be a self-starter.
- Do not fear failure. Fear is an excellent learning experience-at least you will know what not to do in a specific situation. Don’t be fearful of retribution by management when doing your best.
- Do not make excuses, whether it’s your fault or not. Admit your mistakes, learn from them, and focus on the next battle.
- Give credit where credit is due.
- Go forward. You must keep up with the times and the most current technology. {Engage with a technology partner to keep your business abreast of useful productivity tools often found in today’s technology}
- Loyalty must be a two-way street- from the top down and from the bottom up.
- Use what you know works – stick to the basics.
- Never do less than you can with the skills, tools and abilities you have at your disposal. Above all, never criticize yourself.
- Make your plans to fit the circumstances.
- Never make a decision too early or too late.
- Select leaders for accomplishment and not for affection.
- Nothing teaches as well as personal experience. Learn to do by doing. {This is similar to my experience in 4-H as a youth and leader.}
- Strategy and tactics do no change. Only the means of applying them are different.
- There is only one type of discipline, perfect discipline.
- A business cannot be run on personal feelings. It must make profits and avoid losses. Employees are not hired because they are friends; they are hired because they have ability.
- There is nothing “fair” about business.
- You’re never beaten until you admit it.
Which of these can you apply to improve your business relationship development?
