The 2012 Presidential campaign has been all about jobs and the economic effect of small business.  More than half the jobs in the country come from small businesses. The high unemployment the county has suffered for four years stems from uncertainty owners have with the future.  Taxes, regulations, health care, capital availability and consumer reluctance to spend has stalled the national economy.

A deeper dive into what all those words actually mean to us should be educational.  A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers.  Only 44% of businesses survive past the fourth year in business.  The people that own businesses are often referred to as entrepreneurs.  An entrepreneur is a person who accepts risk and starts a business where none existed.

After 40 years of working for companies in the retail sector, I was let go in a change of culture for a large company.  Unlike owners of a business, large corporations are often operated by management teams. I was desired by the previous management teams, but not the last one. Despite the ADEA laws protecting employees over 40 from age discrimination, in reality employees work at the pleasure of management.

In 1964 Peter Drucker defined entrepreneurs as one who searches for change and then responds to it and exploits the opportunities. I may not have searched for change, but after six months of rejection by the finest companies in the country in a job search, I considered business ownership.  Franchising is the practice of using another firm’s successful business model and I needed to be in the 44% that succeed.

If the economic and political climate was bad for small businesses was it wise to start one?  Which of the thousands of franchises made sense? How would the costs be financed?  Should it be a sole proprietorship, partnership, or limited liability corporation? Where should it be started, as we had last lived in Pensacola and were now staying with our daughter’s family (who has our three grandchildren)?

The wisdom of business ownership stems from understanding who owns everything.  The wisdom of business ownership comes from knowing who has all the answers to every question.  The wisdom of business ownership is being surrendered to the will of God, but that follows figuring out what it is.  I had transferable skills and education for many things and could live anywhere but there was only one answer.

I love market research so I can find facts about business opportunities, but this process required asking and listening.  Despite owning (or having mortgages on) three houses in Florida we resided in a room next to our grandchildren in Leesburg Florida.  Searching for a temporary church home we discovered The Father’s House on a week the Senior Pastor was traveling but God chose to deliver his answer that day.

All questions were answered when answers were needed, all funds were provided when funds were needed, the choice of a franchise was authentically clear, and the decision to form a corporation named DOW Senior Care Inc. occurred.  We agreed to keep living in the room next to our grandchildren and provide our services as a ministry to those without funds, being profitable from those that could pay.

Reluctant entrepreneur perhaps, but my wife and I are employed by that corporation (2 jobs produced) and make up the management team.  We are a personalized eldercare referral service for seniors and their families in an area of the country that has four times the average number of seniors.  We are working to get Mitt Romney elected because as a business owner he gets it.  God owns our business and we are stewards. 10% of GROSS sales go to charity.  We are now in training with the franchise folks. The future is bright.

IMPLEMENTATION

Early in my career I believed that when I noticed something wrong it was my duty to point it out.  As I grew in management my supervisors were able to convince me that the value was in identifying the solution to what was wrong.  I have noticed that in many work situations as well as personal situations the need to point out the problem is perceived by those doing the pointing as adding value.  It is not.  Similarly, many people seem to believe that identifying the solution to the problem adds value.  While important, I wish to convince you it may not.

Any fool can identify a problem.  Any smart person can identify a solution to a problem.  Success comes to those who IMPLEMENT the solution that those smart people identify.  Business strategies may look good on paper but until they are executed no value occurs.  Personal improvement plans are important but if not enacted result in no improvement.  Most of you recognize the saying “Actions speak louder than words”.  1^st John 3:17-18 makes that case.  James 3:13 says to let the wise and understanding show by their behavior the gentleness of wisdom. 

The television show “The Biggest Loser” takes a group of overweight people each season and works to restore their health through weight loss.  I find it interesting that the problem of being overweight is understood.  Enormous money is spent by Americans every year on diets, specific foods, fitness programs etc.  Each plan has a group of people who testify to the effectiveness of the solution being provided.  Yet, statistically a growing number of Americans are overweight or obese.  It is another example of having the potential solution not work due to poor implementing of the plan.  

Why does implementing seem so difficult?  If by now you are convinced that any fool can identify the problem here is an astounding statistic.  According to a study by Corboy & O’Corrbui 70% of strategic plans in business are never successfully implemented. While there are poor strategies in business and in personal plans, the highest chance for success comes from focusing on the implementation.  While there are many flowcharts and project plans to use as tools, a simple review of the implementer is the key.  

If the one person or team chosen to implement the plan is fully aware of all the details and timelines, the most likely issue is motivation.  While that assumes the details are communicated and understood (which should be verified first), the hard work of doing it requires a desire to achieve the result.  The assessment leads to the planning but to be sustained it must become part of the culture.  Personal culture is similar to corporate culture, in a key way.  Corporate culture can be described as “this is the way we do it around here”.  Personal culture comes from “how” you do everything you do.

All motivation is self motivation.  While others can provide a climate to make it seem more normal, as they do on The Biggest Loser, it is the internal belief that makes it happen.  Implementer’s view of themselves must be as achievers rather than attempters.  Completing every detail with excellence must be “how things are done”.  If that is not the description of the person or persons chosen to implement a strategy, anticipate poor results.  If you are the implementer of your person strategies, change your view of yourself to match the desired result.  If you oversee the team, check their view of implementation culture.

A New K.I.S.S.

It has been 630 days since I wrote a blog.  Previous to that I wrote monthly for more than five years, sharing wisdom from my experiences.  That December 2010 post identified from trends what 2015 might look like. Keep me accountable until then, but rather than start a new blog, I have chosen to publish under the same Wilkins Wisdom heading of The Wisdom Of.......The only change will be the regularity, rather than monthly I will publish when I have a subject to share.   Please share with your friends as you desire.

We are familiar with the advice of K.I.S.S. such as “keep it short and simple” or even the more common “keep it simple stupid”.  I propose a new K.I.S.S. that is applicable to all of life’s situations as a thought structure.  Acronyms are great pneumonic devices so the K.I.S.S. provides the structure to remember.  Your work life, personal life, or even spiritual life can gain from using the new K.I.S.S. methodology.

K stand for Keep, as in keep doing it, whatever it is just keep doing the same thing in the same way.  I stands for Improve, as in find ways to improve what you are doing.  The first S stands for Stop, as in stop doing what you have been doing.  The second S stands for Start, as in start doing something you were not previously doing.  As you can see, the steps apply to any situation being analyzed.

Critical thinking skills vary from person to person but most adults arrive at solutions when problems are presented.  The better solutions are the most efficient, produce the desired results the quickest, and improve the life of those that seek them.  Write down a problem or gap that relates to your area of work.  Then work through the four questions that come from the K.I.S.S. method. 1) Should I just keep doing the same thing in the same way? 2) If not, is there a way I can do the same thing in a different way that is better? 3) Should I stop doing what I was doing, and if so what are the ramifications? 4) Should I start doing something in addition to what has been done to positively affect the item that was written down as a problem or gap?  K.I.S.S. = Keep/Improve/Stop/Start

Write down what you determined by going through the steps, then read it and consider the time period for implementing your solution.  Now try the system out on something from a relationship or other area of your personal life.  Work through the same steps after writing down what you were seeking a solution to.  Writing things down is part of the plan of success in this method.  There may be multiple entries for one or more of the steps in the process, but focus on the biggest ones.

Implementing steps other than K requires a timeline for achievement.  When will the improvements, stopping or starting take place?  Who will make the changes? How will it happen?  Write the when, who, and how under the planned change.  If it involves anyone besides yourself you have the responsibility of convincing them why it is a better way.  The written notes will be important if this is needed. Adjustments to planned activities may need to take place from their input.

I mentioned earlier this could apply to all areas of life.  Think of any area and challenge that statement.  Goal = I wish to be closer to God.  The process will walk you through activity or the lack of activity causing it.  Goal = I wish my marriage was stronger.  The process will walk you and your spouse though the activities or lack thereof in your marriage.  Goal = I wish my employees performed better.  Goal = I wish our sales volume was higher.  Goal = I wish my taxes were lower.  Give it a try.

FUTURISTS

After more than 5 years of writing a monthly blog on wisdom, this edition will be my last.  Our family has grown with marriages and grandchildren during the past 5 years.  I once wrote that a futurist looks at the present to explain the future.  With that in mind, here are some of my predictions for how different the world will be 5 years from now. 

• The Newspaper era will be over.  After decades of reading a daily newspaper, the majority of my news is gathered on-line.  Younger people not only do not subscribe, they don’t even use news websites very often.  Those of us that still want it will pay for it.  A subscription for various news sources on my I-PAD will come soon.

• Paper checks will be extinct.  It is very costly for the financial system to process checks, and on-line banking is rapidly becoming acceptable.  I’ve done the vast majority of my banking on-line or at ATM’s for many months.  The security of debit and credit cards have improved, so no more bills to mail in with a paper check.                                                    

• The Post Office system will be gone.  Private companies like UPS and Federal Express too most of the shipping revenue years ago.  E-mail and newer on-line communication removed the cards and letters.  The elimination of the paper checks and the electronic junk mail options will be the final nail in the coffin.

• The Baby Boomers won’t retire.  An entire generation of Americans will not only live longer than their parents, but will work longer.  The “new normal” economy will keep a large number of workers on the job for an extra 5 to 10 years.  Unknowns about Social Security and Medi-Care will be the motivation to keep working.

• Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, but the wired land line of the past will be gone.  Individual cell phones, smart phone applications and new pricing will end the idea that houses need phones.  GPS additions to cell phones handle any 911 concerns, so cutting out the home phone line is a natural.

•   Television has moved from broadcast signals to digital cable, but is poised to disappear as we thought of it growing up.  Cable shows have already gone mainstream, and streaming video capability makes internet access to all kinds of content available.  Screens may continue to grow but content won’t be “televised”.

• The long awaited arrival of “the cloud” will be a reality.  Content will not be on hard drives connected to computers, but in server farms that store all the pictures, videos, movies, documents, records, and music.  Access with small mobile devises, as well as that I-PAD mentioned earlier will be the norm.

•  Privacy will be referred to as a concept that is unreasonable to expect.  The sharing of content around the cloud, the numerous cameras tied to the system, and improved advertising will make it seem normal.  Your interests and tastes will be shared with companies that will provide you what you want (as long as it’s not privacy).

• Gasoline driven cars will still be the norm, but electric cars will begin to make inroads into the market.  The ability to store energy will see a technological breakthrough.  The ability to quick-charge or swap out batteries at a cheaper cost than gasoline will make the electric car future a bright one, while disappointing oil company executives.

•  The political upheaval of the Tea Party will continue, swept along by the still working Baby Boomers.  The generational divide created by that upheaval will have a very negative effect on the country.  Taxes and government programs will fall into  two-tier process where each generation will be governed differently than the other.

• Women will make rapid in-roads in business, management, and politics.  The consensus building that is more natural for women will pay dividends in the higher paying jobs and eliminate what previously was called the glass ceiling.  The 2016 presidential candidates will be led by women from all three parties (yes three).

•   Internationally China will make its economic power known throughout the world.  After a terrorist attack, they will replace the USA in the battle against radical Islam.  India will become a vital partner of the United States when China places a puppet government in what was Pakistan and Afghanistan.  Europe will experience civil war.

The Bible provides a vision in the book of Revelation what the end of the world will be like.  Fortunately for us, many of the previous 65 books give us a vision of how we should live until then.  Over the past 5 years I’ve tried to illuminate that vision for my readers and for my children and grandchildren.  Check out http://www.wfs.org/ if this entry intrigued you.

SUSTAINABILITY

The idea that something is to last in our instant gratification society may sound strange, but it is important to consider.  Often the use of the word sustainability is used by environmentalists or ecologists in reference to the earth.  By definition it means to meet the needs of the present without compromising the future.  The definition of needs and the length of the future is what make sustainability controversial.  Humanity got along without oil for thousands of years and the argument about its use now is about how long the supply will last.  This blog is far more expansive that the environment, though.

When I was 19 I noted that successful men drove nice cars and lived in nice houses, so I rented an upscale “bachelor pad” apartment and bought a Cadillac.  The car insurance was more than the car payment due to my age, but I figured since the rental leasing company, the banker and the insurance salesman all seemed so willing, I could afford it.  Since those three costs alone exceeded my paycheck you can correctly guess my lifestyle was not sustainable.  The definition of need versus want is as obvious in this illustration as is the lack of sustainability.  The economics of our government is no different today.

As a person, as a family, or as a nation, sustainability is not only important but must have a source.  Hebrews 1:3 says “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by His powerful Word.”  The power of God is described in Isaiah 46:4: “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you.  I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”  Genesis 1:1 says “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”.  Genesis 5:1 says “When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God”.  He is the source.

The environmentalists fussing over the projection of oil reserves or the economists fussing over the national debt, or even the multitude of adults who live lifestyles that exceed their income are all concerned by the limits they perceive as controlling.  It is human nature to try and gain control by expanding the limits or controlling what exists.  The theory is that our minds can conceive unlimited resources OR societal control of allocations of limited resources.  The ecological movement, as an example, focus on what is bearable, viable and equitable.  The fairness of the allocation is the equitable view of what exists today.

If the source of sustainability is the human mind, rather than God, how much future must be accounted for to prevent compromising the future with the present?  If the source of sustainability is God, as I am trying to convince you of, the length of the future is known.  He not only knows the future, He provided a roadmap of how to live life for each human.  The sustainability of each person, each family unit, each nation and the entire planet rests on recognizing the truth and commandments provided in His powerful word.  The social, economic, and environmental considerations conceived by the human mind are not enough.

This is being written right before the 2010 midterm elections that prompted an outrage from fiscal conservatives about government spending, since it is not sustainable.  This election cycle followed the 2008 Presidential election that brought an administration claiming to be environmentally focused and socially sensitive for the same reason.  Previous generations of American politicians grasped the spirituality requirement of sustainability for a society.  Sustainability is the capacity to endure.  Your family, business, job, church, state, nation, society and planet will NOT endure in the long term.  

The eternal perspective for each of us is far more than our earthly view of life.  While we battle over debt, environmental policies, lifestyles, and governments recognize the God factor.  While I have strong opinions about all those things they are temporal.  Life for our physical body is followed by death, while life for our soul is eternal.  I defined sustainability in the first paragraph as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the future.  The length of time we are stewards of our body, disciplines, personality, family, and societal responsibilities is far shorter than the eternal aspect of our soul.  

Stewardship describes the responsibility we each have for sustainability.  Mark 8:36 asks “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul”?  The BIBLE acronym has been described as “Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth”.  It clearly shows each one of us how to apply those instructions to our individual situations by the interaction with the very spirit of God.   That process is called prayer and 1^st Thessalonians 5:17 says to pray continually.  Ephesians 6:18 says “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests”.  Life is full of decisions that will affect an unknown future.  Please check with the source before deciding.