A NOTE FROM THE FOUNDER: How Entrepreneurs Can Escape the "Rugged Individualism" Trap

How Entrepreneurs Can Escape the "Rugged Individualism" Trap

by Adam J. Kovitz

I was delighted to have "touched a nerve" with our readers last week with my article The War on Small Business and What One Company is Doing About It.  I have received several comments about it, such as the following:

"Dear Adam,

Great article this week!  I truly thing this is one of your finest works since I joined TNNWC back in the summer.  I thought you hit it all Right on the Head!  I don't know how much you know about companies such as Walmart, but they are notorious at holding their small business vendors hostage, often stringing them out needlessly for nearly a year on occasion.  Horrible people, really."

Several other comments were of this ilk and I wanted to continue the theme this week as I have been talking with other entrepreneurs about their own goals and objectives.  

One of the main notions that I have been contemplating is that of the "rugged individualist".  This ideal picture of one who can, on their own, brave hostile conditions and not just survive, but thrive,  is the same spirit that drove Westward expansion in the United States in the 1800's as well as the "American Dream" of owning a business, growing it and striking it rich (or at least, making a decent living).  Sounds great, right?


But there's a dark side to this individual spirit...it is way too easy to be divided and conquered, much in the way that large corporations are currently having their way with our government - because they can - at our expense (see my aforementioned article for one such example).  

Here's how we've been trapped:
1.)  We're too busy to know what's going on because we're focused on trying to keep our businesses profitable
2.)  It's much easier to ignore cats than to herd them
3.)  The few "bones" we've been thrown such as the recent Small Business Jobs Act looks great for PR, and my help a few businesses, but is impotent to solve some of the more larger, systemic issues
4.)  Many of us suffer from anxiety and depression due to tight financial strains.


Here's the good news...we can learn from history...


When we look back to the turn of the last century in the United States, we had a large influx of immigrants from Ireland and Italy as well as Jews seeking freedom from persecution.  Many of these "new" immigrants lived in ghettos with other immigrants from the same countries - they were strangers in a strange land who, quite often, were shunned by the "mainstream".  For every exclusive club set up to exclude the elite from the "dregs", the dregs put together their own social clubs and societies, many of which included theater and music.


Several of these immigrants would eventually go on to being received by the public and integrated into society - Spencer Tracy, Errol Flynn, Walter Lantz (of Woody Woodpecker fame), the Marx Brothers and the Three Stooges are all examples of those who would influence the stage, radio, the screen and even the "small" screen.


Q:  So what does this have to do with us entrepreneurs?


A:  Everything!


Aside from arts and entertainment, many of these groups formed businesses to serve their communities - miniature economies that were given the chance to grow.


As an entrepreneurial community, we too, are now strangers in a strange land.  Being forced to play a game (a.k.a., our global economy) that others have already seemingly won, or at least have tipped the scales heavily in their favor to win.  We can choose to remain trapped under the weight of an outdated system and forever be slaves to others who don't have our best interests at heart (if there's anything left of their hearts), or...

We can choose to form communities of entrepreneurs to serve entrepreneurs and their families.  We can, wherever possible, choose to do business with each other rather than support our larger counterparts.  We have the advantage of creative thinking, innovation and the desire for something other than the status quo.  

These communities, can with enough support, over time, become economies unto themselves - it doesn't matter what country such enterprises are from (I'm sure several will be international), as long as they are willing to be part of an interdependent whole.

As a matter of fact, we have the beginnings of such a structure.  We call it TNNWC Group.  It's a company, it's a cause, it's a community, it's a suite of services and publications, it's an economy waiting to happen, it's our future...we invite it to be your future as well.  

Here are the many ways you and your company can take part in our mutual future:
1.)  Keep reading us
2.)  Become a member if you're not already one - it's free
3.)  Invite your friends, family and business associates to join
4.)  Write for our publications to get your voice heard amongst our growing ranks
5.)  Take advantage of our proprietary suite of services - they are those crucial services that all emerging enterprises need for growth
6.)  Joint venture with us by providing a service that we don't currently offer by becoming a strategic service provider or a divisional president.  We are a confederation of entrepreneurs who work collaboratively to serve entrepreneurs.

Choose TNNWC, and choose success.

All my best,

Adam

www.TNNWC.com
http://adamjkovitz.blogspot.com

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A NOTE FROM THE FOUNDER: How Entrepreneurs Can Escape the "Rugged Individualism" Trap

A NOTE FROM THE FOUNDER: Self-entitlement (and Why We Deserve It)

Self-entitlement (and Why We Deserve It)

by Adam J. Kovitz

One of the biggest complaints I hear about from employers of the baby boom generation of their millennial counterparts is their frustration at their sense of self-entitlement.  This self-entitlement manifests itself as narcissism, overconfidence and self-centeredness and leaves others wondering if today's college graduates are really properly prepared for the "real" world that awaits them in business.

According to Jean M. Twenge in her article, Self-entitlement of grads can be a curse,  a study in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence found that:

"two-thirds of college students believed their professors should raise their grades if the student simply explained that he or she was trying hard. One-third believed that if they attended most of the classes for a course, they deserved at least a B in the class. Almost a third thought they should be able to schedule the final exam around their vacation."

From where did these kids get this?

From us, according to many millennial experts;  the combination of Child Protection Laws of the 1980s and 1990s, the increased connectivity and resources offered through the internet and the availability of mobile smart devices seems to have provided a "triple witching" effect on our future leaders and business innovators.

The problem:  growing up in a world of "you can do or be anything you want as long as you put your mind to it" and "everyone gets a trophy, whether they win or lose" is great until it comes into direct conflict with the "real" world of economic Darwinism, fierce competition where ruthlessness and cold-bloodedness is rewarded.

In the "real" world, politicians are entitled to live by a different set of standards and laws than the people they are supposed to represent.  

In the "real" world, business leaders who cause the largest recorded environmental disasters are entitled to participate in yacht races while entire ecosystems die and thousands lose their means of economic support as a result.

In the "real" world, those who understand the ways of money are entitled to profit by separating "fools" from their own money despite years of earning their trust.

Those "durned" kids...

In my humble opinion, we have to look at the examples we're setting and understand the consequences of the disconnects between what we espouse and what we truly live.

If we did that, we would have only two viable scenarios:

1.)  Either, educate our kids at the youngest possible ages to understand that the world we have brought them into is more than likely to treat them like cattle.  It is unfair, unjust and uncooperative.  It is designed to enslave them and keep them alive long enough to outlive their revenue-producing usefulness, or

2.)  Continue to educate our kids the way we have (perhaps tempering the entitlement with personal responsibility) and change our current "real" world into something that is more in alignment with the intentions of our message to them.  Let's cooperate, let's coexist and let's find ways to unite, as we all are deserving of the greatness we imagine for ourselves.

Which do you choose and what do you truly deserve?

All my best,

Adam

www.TNNWC.com
http://adamjkovitz.blogspot.com

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A NOTE FROM THE FOUNDER: Self-entitlement (and Why We Deserve It)

DOUGLAS CASTLE RANTS: The Inherent Power of an Organized Group

The Inherent Power of an Organized Group

Synopsis

When a number of people gather together in the genuine spirit of cooperation and collaboration, and in the sincere interest of solving any problem or in achieving any goal, the likelihood of the Group’s success at its accomplishing its agreed mission will increase exponentially with: 1) the size of the Group; 2) the quality of the Group’s strategic plan; 3) the diversity and complementarities of the resources and skills brought to the Group by each Member; 4) the level of resources and skills brought to the Group by each Member 5) the ability of the Group’s elected or appointed leaders to keep the Group’s focus on the mission and to responsibly empower each Member (through careful delegation) to his or her highest and best skills and purposes; 6) the strength of the bonds of trust and empathy between each and all of the Members of the Group, and 7) the righteousness or goodness in the objective sought. – Douglas Castle

This article, written for publication in The National Networker Weekly Newsletter, is part of a series of explorations into the notion of the Next Entity – the Global Interworked Cooperative Business Community (GICBC). Join us at http://bit.ly/JoinTNNWC . You’re welcome and there is no charge for Membership.

Definition of Terms

For the purposes of this discussion, the following terms are used in the following manner:

1). The size of the Group = the total number of Members;

2). The strategic plan = the “road map” to be used as a guide and reference for the Members of the Group to follow in order to proceed from the day of the Group’s formation to the day of accomplishment of its mission;

3). The diversity and complementarities = the variety of skills and resources brought to the Group by each Member, and the manner in which those skills and resources can be applied to each incremental step of accomplishing the mission;

4). The level of = the degree of competence at accessing and applying any resources of skills by a Member;

5). The ability = the same meaning as in the term “level,” above;

6). The strength of the bonds = the cohesiveness, pervasiveness and persistence (especially when challenged) of these critical interpersonal elements;

7). The righteousness and goodness = While these may be seen to be subjective terms (and understandably so), a Group focused on accomplishing a mission that is in harmonious accord with the highest values and ethics of its Members will tend to follow a straighter course to completion, with less discord along the way. It is also, in essence, easier to put one’s unfettered intellectual abilities, strength and actions to something that is a matter of pride and principle. Shame and subterfuge detract from the probability of success in any individual or Group endeavor;

8). Exponentially = in an increasing, compounding multiple. Exponential expansion is far greater and faster than simple arithmetic expansion. Two minds working collaboratively are a force far greater than the mere sum of the two minds…three minds working collaboratively are a force far greater than the product of two minds working collaboratively.

Note: I often use the term “Critical Mind Mass” to represent the number of individual (i.e., Member) minds working collaboratively to achieve a breakthrough idea or action. One of the ultimate products of exponentiality is an accelerated possibility and increased probability of a breakthrough or multiple breakthroughs.

9). Cooperation = an interpersonal configuration in which each of the Members agrees to abide by a set of rules or principles agreed upon and set forth by the Group, and does so;

10). Collaboration = an interpersonal configuration in which each of the Members uses his or her resources and abilities to enhance the thoughts or actions (through something akin to an infinitely expanding feedback loop) of each of the other Members, and of the Group.

If a Group is to optimize the potential advantage of its power, each of the Members must perform a critical role for the benefit of the entire Group. A Group is a multi-cellular organism, with each Member comprising one of its vitally-needed, constituent cells. Non-functioning or under-functioning cells diminish the organism’s ability to survive and thrive. Agitated and dangerously conflicted cells operating contrary to the accomplishment of the organism’s mission and with a propensity to enlist or transform other cells to act similarly are analogous to cancers – not only will they diminish the organism’s ability to survive and thrive, but, if left unchecked, they will tear the organism apart, causing it to collapse upon itself, terminally disabled.

Cellular cohesion is absolutely necessary; insidious, contagious and unproductive conflict is fatal. It sounds trite, but it is true of the cells of any organism, or of the Members of any organization – “United We Stand, Divided We Fall.”

Those who seek to immobilize, conquer and enslave others, deliberate seek to divide those others, and to turn them against each other. Sadly, we Humans tend to be an insecure and short-sighted lot, and we fall into this trap repeatedly…never knowing that the only victors will be those who are behind the scenes; the puppeteers seeking to rob us of power, confidence, momentum and the joy of community.

Despite my having said this, please bear in mind that some element of conflict (emerging from within the ranks of the Members or cells) can be productive if it takes the form of reasonable analysis, reassessment, or refinement.

A question, a pause for further thought, or a suggested change (when presented in the proper spirit and forum) can be sources of conflict, but they are like the body’s own sensorial feedback – they serve the higher purposes of possible course correction and the potential acceleration of the accomplishment of the mission. In the Human experience, questioning very often fosters the creation of better solutions, or reaffirms (by testing and tempering) the validity of an existing system of belief or a chosen course of action.

An Example of Group Potential Being Actualized

QUESTION: What might a well-organized, focused, dedicated group of 100,000 persons accomplish during a single year, if each Member would contribute, on average, the sum of $10.00 per month for each of the twelve consecutive months?

Here are a few examples. This list is by no means exhaustive, and it does not include popular but notoriously historically ineffective activities, such as signing a petition, staging a demonstration, boycotting a product from any country, or other such activities. These are all means of getting attention, but “raising consciousness” is merely one of the first steps in the productive process of creation of great new things, or of changing the existing, flawed institutions or policies. To truly effect change, you must work both within and outside of the established systems, and you must take precipitous action. Our Group can:

• Purchase a controlling stake (or at least enough of a stake to call a shareholders’ meeting and require an audit of the books or a vote on a critical issue) in one or more publicly-traded companies;

• Start an independent credit union;

• Start a venture capital fund and create numerous entrepreneurial “incubators”;

• Create a branded affinity “credit card” ;

• Negotiate deeply discounted health and business insurance plans for self-employed persons and smaller-sized (by employee count) emerging enterprises;

• Act as a co-operative and to obtain discounts from choice vendors and service suppliers;

• Get any website, blog site, person, product or brand to be listed in Google’s top ten ranked research results;

This is indeed something worth thinking about. More importantly, by far --- it is something worth planning and doing.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

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DOUGLAS CASTLE RANTS: The Inherent Power of an Organized Group

TEAMWORK - CREATING TEAMS THAT WORK: A Committee Is Not Necessarily a Team

Teamwork - Creating Teams That Work with Douglas Castle

Dear Readers:

A committee is not necessarily a team; axiomatically, a team is not necessarily a committee. The misperception on the part of many people regarding these two very different creatures (which bear a superficial resemblance to each other because they are each groups of people assembled for a particular purpose or to accomplish a specified mission) is largely responsible for their hesitancy about being involved in teamwork. To use a simple comparison, the functional difference between a team and a committee is at least as great as the difference between a brainstorming session and a military field operation... or perhaps (and more memorably) these two types of groups are not unlike chocolate mousse and freshly-churned organic fertilizer: they look quite similar, but taste rather different.

People are often resistant to the notion of teams because they tend to look at them as if they were committees. It would do us some good to understand the distinctions which characterize the two.

COMMITTEES

• are groups which are generally organized for the purposes of discussing, debating or evaluating an issue;


• are groups which permit a great deal of open, ideological discussion about broad possibilities;


• are groups in which the participants are each engaged in trying to pursuade the others about something, often amidst a great deal of heated argument, speechmaking, stalling, bullying and, on rare occasion, an actual duel fought with pistols [it has just been brought to my attention that this is now illegal in some states, but hurling epithets is not only permitted, but is considered fashionable];


• are groups in which the members tend to pull against each other, instead of pulling for each other -- the participants are each acting as self-advocates, and as independent entities;


• are groups which engage in a very cumbersome, fatiguing process in order to produce an idea, or several suggestions -- the only time that the participants act harmoniously is when they decide to call the matter at issue to a vote.

Most notably, the end-product of the committee process is, at best, a decision, and not an action. Very often organizational boards i.e., of directors, trustees, governors, advisors, ministers) are committees instead of teams. When time, money and lives are not at issue, committees make for fun sport, with lively debate, an exchange of ideas, and some decisions. A committee resembles a circle, with all forces pointed toward the center, while a team resembles an arrow, pointed in a specific direction and targeting a location or objective outside of the group itself.

TEAMS

• are groups of people who are assembled to achieve an identified objective, solve a particular problem, or to create a tangible product through their combined and cooperative efforts;


• are groups wherein each individual plays a contributory and complementary part in a calculated process, along a defined path, and with a shared vision of what, specifically is to be achieved -- each individual has a specific responsibility and accountability to the group, not unlike each cell in one living organism. Individual objectives are either in accord with the team's objectives, or they are subordinated to the team's objectives while the team is accomplishing its work;


• are groups of people organized around a leader or a facilitator, and unlike a committee, where the titular chairperson might be merely a moderator with a working knowledge of Roberts' Rules of Order, this leader or facilitator is ultimately responsible to coordinate the efforts of each of the members to attain the specified objective;


• are generally action-oriented, and once launched, have very little time for extensive debate, argument or "theorizing";


• are groups of people who are dependent upon each other to achieve an objective that is greater than any one individual team member could achieve individually.

In a recent conversation with Mark Sturgell, CBC, the president of Performance Development Network (http://www.pdncoach.com ), we discussed the "default setting" to which most members in poorly-organized or poorly-run teams tend to revert: "This d---ed team isn't working because of interpersonal issues."

Mark, who is an expert at "fixing" malfunctioning teams sees this as a misdiagnosis. If a team isn't functioning, the problems are not generally of an interpersonal nature, but of a structural, business nature. Mark cites numerous examples where, on private interview, 1) teammates did not even agree on the team's mission, or did not understand the nature of the mission at all; 2) teammates did not have clearly-defined responsibilities, or an understanding of their role in terms of its relevance to the whole team effort; and 3) teammates were not communicating with one another as effectively or as frequently as necessary.

Knowing the difference between a team and a committee, and conducting your activities or leading the group's activities accordingly, is a key analytical skill that every entrepreneur and networker must cultivate. There are two completely different behavioral codes -- and they must never be confused. Too many improperly-constructed or poorly-managed teams degrade into committees, and too many committees turn into personal free-for-alls.

Teams can be enormously productive entities, provided that they are viewed and operated as businesses instead of as sporting events.

-- Douglas Castle, THE CASTLE CONSULTANCY

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TEAMWORK - CREATING TEAMS THAT WORK: A Committee Is Not Necessarily a Team