Lessons from a tough week in business

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This week was tough. I had to go through some crazy negotiations at my 9-5 and just when I thought I had managed to get through the week I found out my website was down on Thursday. I had some issues with renewing my domain name. It really got me worked up because It was gross negligence on my service provider's part. Thankfully, after a lot of e-mails back and forth, I was able to get my website up again. Don't worry, I'm not about to tell you "the ways get through a tough week and website downtime"...Lol. I'm sure you've got that covered. With the help of a colleague, I reflected on my week and I came up with some key lessons from my week. The truth is, in one way or the other, I have read nuggets on these lessons  in various books, listened to some great speakers talk about it repeatedly but, like with so many things, It never really hits home until you experience it yourself. You need a support system. Don't try to be a super person. It doesn't work. You know that thing we do sometimes? Juggle 20 tasks and tell everyone we can about it so they can ask 'Wow, how do you cope?' Well, sorry to burst your bubble. All you'll achieve is a stressed out life with everyone avoiding you because you always complain or whine about all the things your're trying to get done. The best thing is to do the things you can easily get done AND seek help when you need to. You'll feel liberated to do the things you do really well excellently. You'll actually also feel happier too. It's the asset principle. Match other people's strengths with your weaknesses or limitations.

Hands down, people who have a lot of support not only reach their goals quicker and with more gusto but they also experience more fulfillment and have more fun getting there.¹

  Integrity is not a choice. It is required  One of the highlights of my week was listening to Mrs Awoshika speak, again, at this event.   One of the key things she shared about was the importance of staying committed to integrity as business person. She shared how Integrity helped her keep her head above water and eventually paved the way for some of her key appointments. It wasn't easy. Sometimes she had to walk away from 9 figure contracts just to keep her integrity. The thing is, It's actually draining to deal with people who lack integrity. Very draining.  It makes everything unnecessary difficult. You can't trust the other party's credibility. You're constantly checking if they are being sincere or they just want to throw you under a bus. Whatever you do in business, choose to be a a person of integrity. That's how you'll stand out in the market place. Define your value code and stick to it, meet your commitments, be honest to a fault, treat everyone with respect, build and maintain trust.

Trust is a reliance relationship built on character, strength, and ability. It usually takes several good acts to build, and one bad act to lose. ²

  Easier said than done. But not that much easier. Think of it as a marathon rather than a 100m sprint. In the words of President Eisenhower, “The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionable integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office”. Or as Alan K. Simpson said, “If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters.” Have a good week people