I worked with Scott Frederick for several years and was excited to see him tweeting recently about his business tenets. The ideas seemed like a natural for a guest post. I think you’ll enjoy them and find, as I have, that Scott has a variety of talents and interests. Some are obvious (marketing professional), but as he notes in today’s guest post, you have to dig to find out about some of the others (Hollywood Dad/video producer, sports enthusiast), because he won’t hit you over the head talking about them!
As a humble marketing professional and Hollywood dad, it’s not my nature to be overtly outspoken regarding my values or beliefs. Growing up in Michigan, I admired Detroit sports icons Al Kaline, Barry Sanders and Steve Yzerman. The trait shared by these three successful competitors is that, although they spoke softly, their actions resounded loudly.
Much like Al, Barry and Steve, I prefer not to overtly proselytize others to my professional and personal (and religious) beliefs. Normally I prefer leading by example and letting my actions speak on my behalf. The past couple weeks though, I have tweeted twelve of Scott’s Business Tenets representing opinions formed across a 20-plus year career as a participant in corporate America. These tenets represent the good, the bad and the ugly of my professional experiences.
I was humbled when Mike asked me to provide a guest article based on the tenets for Brainzooming. On the other hand, it’s absolutely fitting since I would probably not have forced myself to write down my business philosophies had it not been for Mike’s inspiration and accomplishments with Brainzooming.
Let me start by underlining that these are my own personal opinions and don’t necessarily reflect those of the organization for which I work. This caveat is appropriately reinforced by a simple review of the word “tenet” itself:
ten·et n. An opinion, doctrine, or principle held as being true by a person or organization.
I submit these twelve tenets for your consideration as you think about your own experiences, philosophies and values.
- There is no “I” in “SUCCESS” (but there is in EGOTIST). I learned this tenet early (from a family member no less). Nothing’s more annoying than to have someone talk about the miraculous feats THEY accomplished for their company. Name any successful corporate project, and there’s more than one individual who made it happen (even though corporate compensation doesn’t always reflect this).
- Create a vision of the end result and you will sell the means to get there. My experience has been it’s very difficult to get executive endorsement on projects they can’t “visualize.” However, if you can create a clear vision of what the project will provide (e.g., pictures, facts, financials, etc.), obtaining executive approval becomes much easier.
- A great attitude is more important than great aptitude. Show me someone with a great attitude, and I can teach them to do anything. Show me a disgruntled employee with all the skill in the world, and I’ll show you an empty office (eventually).
- The personal brand must not supersede the company brand. This one is tricky because everyone should work on improving their personal brand. This is particularly important when the company doesn’t seem committed to its own brand. However, I have observed cases where an individual’s personal brand seems to take precedence over the company brand. Ultimately, this sends the wrong signal to employees working very hard to build the company brand.
- The most effective marketing managers are multi-dimensional professionals – not narrow specialists. This tenet stems from working for a company that often had very few marketing resources compared to its industry peers. Even if I were running my own company, however, I would much prefer to have marketing professionals who can perform a variety of tasks, rather than one-trick-ponies who are only good at shuffling work back and forth.
- Working hard and working smart are the best combination. I value a strong work ethic almost as much as integrity and attitude. But working hard is not a substitute for working smart – rather it’s the perfect complement.
- Democracy is good, but responsibility without authority is not. When employees are given a tremendous amount of responsibility but no authority to get the work done, it leads to frustration and wasted time and resources. Differing opinions, ideas, and perspectives are always welcomed. At the end of the day, though, people must be empowered to make final decisions individually.
- Repeat, repeat, and repeat your message, and people will finally get it. This is perhaps the most self-evident of the tenets. But experience suggests time and time again that repetition really does work.
- Dry humor is better than no humor at all. This tenet is a little narcissistic since my humor is as dry as it comes. But in all seriousness, working in an environment lacking any humor at all is never fun for anyone.
- Every employee should end the work day feeling as if they made a contribution to the success of the organization. This is a very obvious tenet. The hard part is actually making it so. Organizations and managers that don’t believe this tenet are really missing out on the power of their people (or they need to recruit Brainzooming to help them define success and prioritize their goals).
- Nothing and no one is perfect, but that’s no reason not to attempt it. Ask anyone that’s ever worked for me and they’ll probably tell you I’m too much of a perfectionist. The funny thing is I am as imperfect as they come. However, I try not to use this as an excuse for not trying to make all of my work as perfect as it can be. That is the only expectation I have of others as well. Don’t be perfect – just try.
- Reality Therapy: What do you want? Is what you’re doing getting what you want? What should you be doing to get what you want? Saved the best for last. I actually learned this from one of the most capable training professionals I have ever known. If you are ever faced with a conflict, these are three of the most powerful questions you can possibly ask. And that’s not fiction, its reality!
With new experiences and learnings, I am sure there will be more tenets along the way – and some may even change with new perspective. My humble advice is you consider reflecting on your own experiences and attempt to write down lessons you have learned. Who knows – someone you know might ask you to be their guest blogger for the day! - Scott G. Frederick
