by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com
The premise behind The Big Book for Small Business by Tom Gegax is to build yourself first, then build your business. Your business will grow in proportion to your personal growth. The more solidly you grow and become skilled in business skills and personal skills for business, the stronger will be your business.
When Tom Gegax made this his new priority, he left the "seat of pants" way of doing things in flight. He spent his time in grounding, planning, strategically developing, maneuvering his business navigation process.
He divided his 57 chapters of business skill areas into 11 parts. These would serve as a constructive checklist to review where you are now and what you want to refine. His ideas are very practical to what business is really like and he speaks in a down-to-earth language. The chapters are short and right to key critical points.
Gegax compares the "fly by the seat of the pants" person (of which he confesses he once was) and the ways of the "enlightened entrepreneur." The “fly by the seat of your pants” person:
--self-centered agenda
--no strategic plan but constantly putting out fires
--cuts corners in pursuit of a better bottom line
--micro manager taking a toll on employee creativity and motivation
--attacks constructive criticism
--employees exist for his beckoning call
--reluctant to hire those who could outshine him
--doesn't see what goes on around him and sees details as distractions
On the other side is the “enlightened entrepreneur:”
--takes care of himself (mentally, physically, emotionally, Spiritually)
--recognizes flexibility, value of step by step strategic planning
--takes the high road in doing all things right and proper
--supervises each person differently, getting the best from each person's best qualities that he encourages to be developed
--pulls out every one's ideas, formally and informally
--lives the attitude of helping others grow and succeed
--looks for and gets the best from people
--empathetic, upgrades quality and the competitive advantage constantly
Work as a team to define strengths and weakness in all these areas and improve and advance outstanding qualities simultaneously.
Set up Shop (Part 1)
(If you haven't done it the right way the first time, do it again.)
1. Make up your mind to build the biz or not do it at all.
2 Research the market. What's new, what's really there, where are we the best?
3. Write the business plan. Get a clear grasp of the whole picture, then come back and detail it out
4. Find funding--bootstrap, family/friends, banks, SBA, angels, venture capitalists
5. Position yourself. What makes you stand out in how you are different, name, location
6. Line up the legal ducks including legal structures, the fine print of business in your business
7. Build a strong board getting outside help, advisers, experienced where you aren't
Pouring the Foundation (Part 2)
Be very clear on your mission, vision, and values. Herein lays your strength as a business.
8. Mission critical--it should permeate everything
9. Vision check--be bold, fearless, shoot for the moon
10. Champion Core values--caring, optimistic, passionate, persistent, systems-disciplined, Spirit-filled
11. Accountability ethics--across the board in the mission, vision, values
Snatching up stars (Part 3)
Hire Power
12. Talent scouting--enlist many bounty hunters
13. Interview essentials--practical steps to finding the power people include skills, willing to learn, ambition, and heart
14. Labor legalities--know what you can ask and not ask
15. Hit the ground running--get new hires up and running by educating thoroughly, correcting immediately, encouraging endlessly
Growing the Culture (Part 4)
Seeding an enlightened environment--that thrives, enjoys, is passionate, in sync with values.
16. The Camaraderie Credo
Develop team Spirit--recognize, reward, celebrate
17. Lead the charge--21 laws of Cultural leadership
18. Honor thy employee--putting people first produces higher profits
19. HR Solutions--brand the business with employees as partners
20. Fun, friendly, and flexible--loosening up keeps grumbling down
21. Workplace wellness--nurture healthy and productive employees
22. Get personal--earn trust, listen, be humble, walk the talk
Building a Systems-disciplined Organization (Part 5)
Deming: "80% of all errors are systems errors."
23. Strategic Planning--drawing up tomorrow's Road Map; opportunities, strengths, neutralize weaknesses
24. Execution is everything--do it right (expect, inspire, teach, follow-up)
25. Resolve roadblocks--help groups/individuals solve problems
26. Add muscle to meetings--run tight (ready, set, go)
27. The best never rest--constantly explore, improve systems
Communicate Clearly (Part 6)
Remove static from your communication signals.
28. Listen up--develop skills in listening
29. Express yourself--practice writing and speaking effectively
30. Communicate expectations--achieve airtight accountability
31. Ask for advice--inquire of employees frequently
32. Face to face feedback--critique one-to-one but always reassure
33. Face your flaws--get honest feedback about yourself
Coaching others (Part 7)
Cheer, steer, don't domineer.
34. Dare to care--kindness and empathy wins hearts and minds
35. Set challenging goals--help employees grow through goal setting
36. The annual review--make it a coaching gift expansion session
37. Reward results--match incentives to outcomes
38. Good-bye and good luck--free up the future for underachievers
Educating employees (Part 8)
Guide yourself to peak personal performance.
43. Got Mission?--craft personal mission statement
44. Truth or consequences--pitfalls of unethical behavior
45. Ready, set, goals--turn dreams into destiny
46. Work the plan--goals, action steps, schedules
47. Time wise and organized--be enlightenedly efficient
48. Mind-body balance--inner team synergy
49. Spotlight on self-care--feel better, work smarter, live longer; nurture mind, body, emotions, Spirit
Business functions do's and don'ts (Part 10)
Perfect your total process, each part must fire.
50. Supply management--strengthen every link
51. Marketing--increase brand quality
52. Sales--increase market share
53. Customer service--make them feel at home
54. Finance, accounting, and it--take it beyond bean counting
Weathering worst case scenarios (Part 11)
55. Relationships on the rocks--rescue key people who jump ship
56. Natural disasters--coping with catastrophes; natural, personal, public relations
57. It's strictly business--dealing with brutal bankers and cut throat competitors
Look at The Big Book for Small Business as a quality performance guide. Have your teams use this list of 57 areas to determine the top 5 priority "to work on areas" and take a month to work on just them. Follow the suggestions of the chapter(or refer to other books dealing with the same topics). Then identify the next 5 to work on the next month. Use this to rate yourself as a business and where you are now, your strengths and where you need to spend more time in developing. It takes all of these doing well to be a solid business... create systems and monitor so that systems don't fail, but thrive.
The most important part is you... develop you and help others develop personal and business skills. Healthy people in mind, body, emotions and Spirit, make companies healthy. Sickness breeds sickness.
Gegax has a total business system for a total person. His premise is you must be one in self before your business will be synergistic, and integrated as one great business system.
http://www.gegax.com/about.html
Supernatural Spiritual Power is manifested when all things are One.
One in God, One in each other, in all things, in all processes.
The more we are one in ourselves, and then become more as one with each other, miraculous forces go to work for us... beyond our knowledge, our abilities. The Miraculous begins to happen simultaneously among many.
"Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is One body and One Spirit, just as you have been called to One glorious hope for the future. There is One Lord, One faith, One baptism, and One God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.”
(Ephesians 4:3-5, NLT)
We all are One in Spirit and exist as One to Build stalwart strength among and for each other.
"Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ."
(Ephesians 4:12, NLT)
The full standard of Christ is living expressing all of His Power as part of our unified existence… personally, relationally, economically. We exist to do the work to equip the Body of Christ to perform at optimum levels. When we merge everything into one, that is functionally interacting with each other, we create a syncopated flow among each other. This energizes all parts to perform Supernaturally.
Why do we not see this in a spectacular way, today?
The very nature of Society prevents our personal molding into being One In Spirit, the Spirit of the Universe. The demands of normal activity keep us busy doing things and not naturally growing into One with each other in relationships of intimacy and proactive interest in each other... which would form an empowered synergy through everyone.
When we are One in Spirit, love, die-hard commitment, the Spirit of God Himself works with us and on our behalf. Geffry Fields, Jesus is Us, goes into more detail about the Magnitude of Being One:
1. One with God... Jesus Spirit. This is first and foremost that each person cultivates this in themselves (Being One with Jesus Spirit) or the rest won't work. This has to be committed to and functioning in each person for the Profound Mystery of Spirit to work.
Through time in the Secret Place of the Most High, in meditation, prayer, Scripture reflection, time in connected Spiritual thought, it is cultivated.Those who say they do (but don't) and come together with others are not necessarily in sync with everyone. They actually draw from everyone instead of contributing. It was impressed on me to come "prepared in Spirit" so to be a contribution. When all do this the result is outstanding.
2. One in ourselves. Our central command post is our Spirit... Jesus Spirit...which guides the mind and distinctively channels our thoughts, which then the mind directs the body what to do. When this is in alignment as One (and the body is not fighting the mind, or the mind isn't debating with the Spirit), we as individuals become a Supernatural Force. The biggest war is in the mind, within ourselves... win that one and we have just reached one of the biggest milestones to reach in our lives.
3. One with each other. When each is allowing Jesus Spirit to control and direct each of us, we can create strong alignment here. It is natural when we all are yielding to the same direction of the same spirit... Jesus Spirit. This is the major area. It may have its biggest affect within a husband/wife relationship where the highest degrees of intimacy (Spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically) can be formed. One of the first things God did when He created man was form them as a dual-team…husband and wife as One. This was God's ideal idea from the beginning.
Jesus in the Bible sent His disciples out in pairs. Businesses today are finding the power of cohesive teams in that they many times out perform a highly educated professional.
4. One with all who believe. A society like this would be the most wonderful society in the world. If those who follow and believe in Jesus Spirit, that within itself can start a power-train encroaching into changing the dynamics of the world around them. When One as believers, it is promised in the Scriptures that the Presence of Jesus will manifest and all His capabilities will be overtly demonstrated. That is we will visibly see it happening in our lives in many ways.
5. One in Communication. This will increase our abilities in understanding each other. Again, as we are aligned in the same Spirit, we, without effort "get it" when communicating. And in some cases, we don't need to use words.... we just seem to know. This is a subject of its own and can be very Supernatural in expression. We have the capability to be in long distances from others and know what is going on with someone else.... when two parties are fine tuned in Jesus Spirit. This can be cultivated and happen as a normal part of our lives like calling someone.
6. One in ownership. Individual possessive nature is lost when people are the same in Jesus Spirit. Everything we have is part of Us, and we don't see things as our own. This goes into complete contradiction with how our society thinks and acts. "It's all mine." …as many wish it to be all theirs.
But the reverse is the character of Jesus Spirit as One. In our hearts we want all to be well, do well, and help each other out. We see ourselves as united as one. We pull together and are genuinely happier for others' successes than our own. We truly love each other and want better for others than ourselves. So, we share what we have freely as we see others as a part of ourselves... connected as One in Jesus Spirit.
Surrender yourself to let Spirit have His way with you. In prayer become One within the Presence of God's Spirit. Allow of God's essence become US... within, among, as One, with each other.
The benefits… a wonderful new world!
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