Reading is really important to me. Mostly I read to help me with my business. What I find so interesting is that more often than not, when I read something, it’s something I already know to be true.
I don’t mean that as a “know it all,” but after you’ve been in business for as long as I have, and since I’m a student of the game, I’ve either seen it all, heard it all or done it all. That’s just a fact of life.
But, what I also know to be true is that we have to be reminded from time to time about the many things we know to be solid, fundamental business principles.
I’m re-reading a book right now titled, “It’s Okay To Be The Boss,” by Bruce Tulgan. If you’ve not read it, you should. The premise of the book is pretty much what the title says. It’s really ok to be the boss, especially if you know how to manage yourself.
One of the key points the book makes is that if you walk into a restaurant and get poor service then you should not be mad at the person performing the service. You should be mad at the boss.
If people are performing poorly then it’s because they were the wrong hire, they haven’t been properly trained or they are not doing what they have been trained to do. In all of those cases, it’s the boss’s fault.
The boss has a responsibility to hire the right people, make sure people know how to perform their jobs and then demand that they do so. The greater responsibility of a boss is to hold people accountable to do what they are supposed to be doing. It’s foolish to try to hold someone accountable if you’ve not done your job correctly as “the boss.”
Never forget, you’re not running a democracy. You’re running a business that should generate the greatest profits possible for its investors and stockholders.
Can you be a better “boss?” That’s all I’m gonna ask, Tommy Gibbs