Big Words for Small Business

The simplicity of a single word is much more than what immediately appears.

Big Words for Small Business removes the clutter and presents to you on a regular basis, one letter of the Alphabet around which a group of thinkers each write an article using a word beginning with that that letter.

By reading about these single words, you are able to come to a new understanding about various concepts, ideas and influences that can be made, to the way you operate and manage your business, how you see yourself and the things you say and do.

D is for ...

D is for

Detail
Deviation
Dialogue
Differences
Dinosaurs
Direction
Do
Downside

Deviation

In business, deviations can come in all shapes and sizes. They can hit you from all angles. They take you away from the point. It’s like the time I was talking to my children about a particular song by the singer Stevie Wonder. I happened to mention that he was blind. Suddenly the song was no longer the issue. They wanted to know how he could find the piano and if he had a guide dog.

But I’m deviating from the point here.

Dialogue

Whenever I speak to or work with any group of people, whether a small business or a non-profit organization, the one thing they all agree could be better in their organizations is communication. However, the way I usually hear about that is by someone saying “They don’t communicate very well around here. We never know what’s going on.”

I find that almost comical now – in retrospect – because I can identify with that statement.

Do, it has to be one of the smallest and most commonly used little words, but have you as a business owner ever given any thought to its importance?

Depending on how you say do, it can be either a positive little word, or it can be one of the most negative.

Remember, when running your business to do everything you can to ensure you keep a positive slant on all that you do.

Do not let the negative side of this little two letter word take over at your business.

So, do:

Are there dinosaurs in your business?

Are old ideas and ways of doing things holding you back and making you less efficient than you could be?

Every time I hear a dinosaur in a business warning bells go off in my mind.

Now I know that's a bit of a mixed metaphor, and I know that a dinosaur would be pretty obvious to see, not just hear. But what I mean by dinosaurs are things that belong in the past, an anachronism in today's world. The world has moved on and the way we do things has moved on, apart from the fact that a dinosaur in the business could be very dangerous for you.

Detail

I was sixteen years old and knew nothing about the world of work. I had led a closeted and comfortable life in my school career and did not really know what to expect in this adult world of making a living.

I arrived very green at my first job in my local hospital as a clerk. I was given what now seem fairly mundane and menial jobs to do to ‘find my way around work.’ Jobs that I did included opening the post, taking it to various offices and routine clerical duties under close supervision. I was eager to learn and quickly became thirsty to expand my responsibilities and the much older bosses seemed more than willing to encourage my keen attitude and delegate work to me.

Downside

It’s the early 1980s and Richard Branson – the founder of Virgin Records – announces that he wants to start an airline.

A record company starting an airline was unthinkable. People laughed Richard Branson off. But Richard Branson is a savvy businessman. And more than that, he knows the art of negotiating a deal.

Differences

Diversity initiatives in organizations often focus on helping employees understand differences in culture and background, ethnicity, race, and lifestyle, and then work to overcome the use of stereotypes and improve awareness, self-awareness, respect, and tolerance among people who are different.

How to address differences among employees from another perspective altogether is the challenge!

Direction

From where you stand you can head in any direction.
But which direction?

There are so many choices we can make and coming up with the best choice is what we are all seeking.

Ask yourself … am I heading in the right direction or is my business heading in the right direction?