20 Back to Business Basics

It still surprises me to walk around leading organisations and witness people consistently turning up for meetings late, mobile phones being used in meetings, miserable faces and sub-standard communication which causes confusion, misunderstandings and a waste of time and effort.

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The list below is a simplistic reminder of what ‘should’ be second nature to anyone who claims to be a professional in any business.

1. Be professional, follow procedures, donʼt be lazy.
2. Improve communication skills and keep people informed.
3. Avoid procrastinating. Maintain control and be effective. Plan and carry out tasks.
4. Improve delegating skills. Give authority and responsibility to others.
5. Avoid the excuse of having too much email. Manage it.
6. Maintain orderly forms, applications, desks and files.
7. Avoid arrogance – it diminishes wisdom and makes you look foolish.
8. Have a sense of humour – but not too much.
9. Emphasise long-range relationships.
10. Have wide ranges of conversation topics: donʼt be narrow-minded.
11. Be able to absorb criticism objectively and constructively.
12. Be on time for all appointments; give honest reasons for being late.
13. Always express appreciation for the time of the people you deal with.
14. Improve reasoning abilities.
15. Follow up on what you say you will do. If you you promise to call, write or deliver – do it.
16. Increase self-reliance, enthusiasm, initiative, self-control, charm, thinking, and concentration of effort.
17. Master persistence, will power, ambition, and memory.
18. Always act with a definiteness of purpose.
19. Think positive on your jobs. This determines how your subordinates think toward their jobs. Set the example.
20. Deliver on time. Consider any inconvenience caused to others by your inability to be punctual.

There is far more to being successful in our chosen fields, but failure to achieve the above is no way to win professional respect from our clients and colleagues. The most effective processes and methodologies will all be compromised if business basics like the ones above are missing.