Win/Win = Progress + Profit

When I follow the news about the bi-polarity of American politics today, I wonder how corporations would survive if they indulged in a similar lack of constructive cooperation. They couldn’t. Obstructive behavior, in-fighting, and posturing would put a stop to the progress and growth so necessary for profitable business.

Negotiation is a common element of effective work environments. The push and pull of opposing ideas is healthy and necessary to finding the best solutions to challenges. People who can articulate the value in their own perspective as well keep an open mind to alternatives have excellent potential to contribute to the achievement of corporate goals and achieve professional success.

Personal insults and intimidation may be common on Capitol Hill, but they are never acceptable in a corporate environment, and rarely encourage positive results. Passion can be high without engaging tempers and spewing vitriol. There is a lot of value in tolerance. Most corporate environments have strict official policies that protect employees from harassment. Harassment is behavior that results in a team member feeling uncomfortable, threatened, or unwelcome where they work.

Senior executives can dictate strategy, but even they almost always have someone to whom they must answer for their actions. Publicly-traded companies have a Board of Directors and Investors. Financial Analysts study how well they are managed and the value in their growth and revenue potential. Bad publicity can affect the bottom line.

Corporate politics certainly exist in every workplace. However, when goals are clear, financials transparent, and management is held accountable, petty politics are less likely to be allowed to interfere with what has to be accomplished. If a stalemate is evident in a counterproductive tug of war, leaders are unceremoniously shuffled, strategies overhauled, and/or teams re-organized.

Why do those who direct corporations seem more accountable for the results of politics than our politicians? Perhaps it’s because they don’t have to wait for an election year to suffer the results of their actions.

Business is Business

My business experience was logged almost exclusively in the corporate world. I donned “business attire” Monday through Friday to wrestle with office politics, airline travel, expense accounts, the fine points of human resource and career management, and fought through the unwieldy process for approval of annual budgets - all of which occurred in a climate-controlled environment.

Last week I brushed shoulders with scores of experienced professionals engaged in a completely different kind of business – AGRICULTURAL FARMING. A group of about 80 people, including me and Ron, attended an auction of 60 acres of farm land in Paxton (a small town in central Illinois). Among the others present were independent farmers, land brokers, bankers, and investors. The level of interest in the room was palpable, and became even more evident once the auction began. A flurry of bidding quickly went from $5,100 per acre to a final sale price of $7,450 per acre. The buyers, a local family, were congratulated with handshakes and claps on the back. To seal the deal, they wrote out a check for 10% of the total purchase price of $447,000. It was all over within 15 minutes!

It would be a mistake to misjudge the sophistication level of the auction attendees by their favored fashion - jeans, overalls, fleece, and ball caps. Farming is big, big business that requires skill and experience, and should not be characterized as merely “sowing and reaping”. Calculations are used to determine the optimum planting depth for seeds, and timing for fertilization, weed, and pest control, based on history and conditions. During critical periods, farmers work 24 hours a day to plant, cultivate, and harvest their crops, with the help of expensive specialized equipment. Paperwork is required to secure valued government subsidies and to satisfy the IRS. Farmers use the futures market to hedge against falling prices, and keep a keen eye on the commodities market to pick the best time to sell their harvested crops. All field work is accomplished at the mercy of Mother Nature, who adds a sadistic variable to the mix in the form of rain, snow, wind, drought, pestilence, and blazing or freezing temperatures.

Farming’s effect on the overall economy is broad. Here are just a few examples...  Banks provide the credit required to purchase equipment and carry mortgages. Brokers package land sales and promote them, earning their percentage. Insurance companies sell crop insurance. Large corporations invest in land farmed for profit. Grain companies haul crops and provide storage in grain elevators. Genetic plant research drives improvements in seed and fertilizers that maximize production and yield per acre. The equipment needed to prepare the soil, plant, and harvest sells for hundreds of thousands of dollars – or is made available to lease. Financial analysts track earnings of Caterpillar and John Deere, as an indicator for commodities futures.

The global business environment is complex and fascinating. The most savvy business people strive to have a broad view of how the pieces fit together and affect the worldwide economy. Business is business. Be very aware that what you do is part of a much bigger picture.

The Business Travel Talk

Whenever I sent an employee of mine on a business trip for the first time, I always invited them into my office to explain corporate policy and the unwritten rules of representing the company on the road. The following is a genericized version of this talk, which I hope will be helpful for people early in their career. Sometimes no one tells you the unwritten stuff until you get in trouble. I believe in helping people stay out of trouble.

First of all, understand that the opportunity to travel for business is a privilege, not a right. We are putting our trust in you to represent the company appropriately. If you don’t follow travel policies, the privilege will be taken away.

Make your reservations though the travel office. They will apply the policies as far as preferred airlines and prices. You will be flying coach, and may sometimes be booked on connecting flights if the price differential is substantial and the connection time is reasonable.

You have been provided with a corporate credit card to be used exclusively for your business expenses. Use of your corporate card for personal expenses is an offense that would result in termination of your employment. Keep all of your travel receipts, as you will be required to submit them with your expense report at the conclusion of your travel.

The company will reimburse you for the cost of getting to and from the airport. You can take a taxi or use your personal car. (No limos or town cars.) If you choose to use your own car, keep track of your mileage, as you will be compensated at a per mile rate. You will also be reimbursed for airport parking. Rent a car at your destination only if doing so will be cheaper than using a taxi to get where you need to go. Do not drink and drive.

You are entitled to three meals a day. Be reasonable. Don’t eat lobster every night, but I’m not telling you to eat all your meals at McDonalds either. The company does not pay for alcoholic beverages, except in cases where you have been authorized to entertain customers. Your after-hours entertainment (e.g. movies, shows) are not reimbursable. Laundry/valet expenses are not paid by the company, unless the length of your trip exceeds three nights. Use your judgment, and know that I will be reviewing your expense account in detail.

At all times during your trip, you are representing the company (even when traveling outside normal business hours). Your attire should never be overly casual, and you should be well groomed. For work and meetings with clients, dress appropriately for their environment. It’s always better to be over-dressed than under-dressed.

Congratulations. Have fun. Work hard. Make us proud. Don’t get arrested, because I won’t bail you out.