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A Renewed View of the Modern Business Culture
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Home Business, What's So Great About It?
Home Business allows you more time to do what you want.
Home Business gives you more freedom i.e. no more 9-5 job.
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Positioning in Small Business Marketing
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Cures for Small Business Inferiority Feelings
Is someone stealing your entrepreneurial energy and enthusiasm
by trying to make you feel inferior? Operating a small business
is challenging enough without losing any of our drive.
As individuals, we need social approval. We tend to feel
inferior when people threaten to remove or diminish that
approval.
Some bureaucrats put us down or act superior. Most business
bullies are unaware when they are attacking the self-esteem of a
small business operator. Mere representatives of a power
authority will try to belittle successful entrepreneurs. There
are people who do not appreciate the superior skills required to
manage a successful small operation.
These derisive forces can be managed.
The first step is to recognize some symptoms coming from persons
who are:
* designated some authority with very little discretionary
power entrusted to them
* obsessed with their own personal insecurities
* lacking competency or permission to negotiate a reasonable
arrangement
* bound by strict regulations
* supervised by an overbearing boss
* predisposed to acting superior during most interactions with
others
* reflecting the accepted behavior of their organization's
culture
A small business owner/manager is wise to acquire some antidotes
and defense mechanisms to avoid being made to feel inferior.
Prevent and Defend with some of these tactics.
* Replace the word "small" with "independent" when describing
your business.
* Frequently repeat to yourself all your accomplishments,
battles won and the lessons learned from the ones you lost,
handicaps overcome, major crises survived, etc. This is not
unlike that old trick of imagining an overbearing person
standing naked in front of you.
* Remind yourself and others of your multi-functional
acrobatics performed in accounting, budgeting, marketing,
negotiating, problem solving, conflict resolving and other
functions requiring intelligence and expertise.
* Be well prepared by frequently rehearsing your list of
rebuttals and "defusers." Questions are most effective.
* Occasionally interject truthful statements that imply
slightly exaggerated facts or status. For instance, if your wife
and children help out in your business, refer to them as staff
members and imply sub-contractors are regular staff. Take care
to avoid embarrassment from challenges.
* Have you ever visited an office where a short person has his
or her chair cranked high while your chair is lower with a
backward slanting back that makes you feel you're slouched in a
bean-bag? Whenever I encounter this situation, I remain standing
and win far more often than I lose. Instead of leveling the
playing field you lift yourself to
higher ground. When
challenged to sit down, ask if the positioning is fair.
* Seek out the true source of power because the people who do
hold the strings of power usually have huge responsibilities for
preserving public trust and delegate the details to
representatives. They are your best persons to resolve an
impasse. Even their power could be undermined. Since they are
highly experienced in wiggling off the hook, teach yourself to
become a skillful angler because it's fun reeling in the big
ones.
* When you sense a situation is appropriate or you want to have
fun experimenting with some ploys for determining maximum
effectiveness, go for it. Try saying things like, "I'm just a
mischievous little guy with a big mouth" (hidden threat of
public exposure or whistle blowing) or, "I'm not intending to go
public," of "I'm not planing to complain to your boss." While
you are saying you are not going to do something, you have
implied it is a possible action for which you control the
deferment. I have used a little humor for easing adversarial
tension by saying, "Do you know who I am?" When they
questioningly reply, "No?" I declare with a sigh of relief,
"Thank God for that!"
* Recall the film, The American President (1995), with Michael
Douglas acting as President Andrew Shepherd. His opponent ended
each attack by saying he was running for President. Finally,
Michael's character lashed out with, "... and I am the
President!" If your small business is incorporated, you can
rehearse delivering that line with the same authority.
* While you're learning to act, practice being very indignant
which is partly true if you are feeling slighted.
* Fifty-five years ago, Stephen Potter wrote some humorous
little books on Gamesmanship and One-upmanship. The underlying
principles and tactics remain pertinent to this day. Many
contemporary books on negotiating offer tips for avoiding an
inferior position.
* Put the day's "teapot tempest" into perspective. At least, in
your own mind. This helps you to not feel inferior.
Make your objective to prevent being made to feel inferior. Make
your goal to be a happy and successful leader. Counterattack
with humility to avoid placing yourself in an embarrassing
position by overplaying your hand.
Convince yourself you are a Captain of Industry. Regardless of
the size of your operation, your role is to manage, influence
and control the forces around you and your domain. Feeling
inferior doesn't help.
About the author:
Gerry McRae offers advice, coaching and guidelines for writing
business plans on his website, http://www.UncleMaxSays.com. He
has written his own business plans for several successful
enterprises and has coached hundreds of students and
practitioners in writing plans.
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