| BUSINESS MINUS YOU |
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| RESPONSE did for them wasn’t
“what Steve would have done.” When I awoke and saw the work,
it was first-rate. Too late. The client hadfled. Hire people you can trust. After all, sooner or later, you’re going to have to trust the people you hire. You should have at least one other person in the company who is legally authorized to sign checks and make decisions in your absence. A second backup is also a good idea, in case you and backup number one are taken out in the same plane crash. I suppose an important corollary would be: fire people you can’t trust, and without delay. I shudder to think about a couple of past employees whom I, under delusions of being a great guy, kept on much too long. They’d have wreaked havoc had they still been around this year. Have great customers. One of the benefits of entrepreneurship is having some choice in who your clients are. RESPONSE clients and employees rank among my best friends. They are great, honorable people who, with the exceptions noted above, stuck with us through my ordeal. I’m grateful, and fortunate. Go home. For most business people, the problem isn’t the long hours a job can initially demand. It’s cutting back once the long hours are no longer needed. Being stuck in a bed surrounded by not-very-hopeful-looking doctors made me realize there was no guarantee I’d make it to “someday when I retire.” I emerged with affirm resolve to spend evenings and weekends at home instead of at the office. I’m happy to report that the time I’d planned to take “someday” I now make a point of taking daily. (This is admittedly more of a personal note than a “Business Without You” tip. Thank you for indulging me. ) |
At
the Risk of
Sounding Cavalier More than ever, I have a keen awareness of my own — and of everyone’s — mortality. I’ve had to acknowledge that, beyond good health practices, there’s only so much I can do to encourage the Reaper to keep his distance. There are, however, some things I can do to spoil his fun. At the top of my list is enjoying life while it’s here. Right behind it is making sure that my family and business are in great shape, no matter what. Apologies if my light-hearted treatment of this subject has made me appear cavalier. On the contrary, I take appreciating life — along with sound planning for unseemly eventualities — very seriously. I encourage you to do the same. |
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