Over the course of having a few jobs, and paying close attention to each of my bosses or managers, I’ve observed a few methods of running a business. Some of the things were great, and some were horrendous. Some of the things I saw resulted in the business continuing to make money, while I’ve also seen a couple of businesses shut down due (in part) to bad management methods. So here are a few.

“If you give something a certain level of importance, that is the level of importance it will have to the rest of the organization.”

Does that make sense? It should. If the boss says something matters (or doesn’t matter too much), it stands to reason that the employees will have the same priority – or lower. You see, most of the time followers do not rise to a higher level than their leader. So what is a leader (i.e. manager or boss) to do? Quite simply, he is to learn to prioritize tasks and let his wishes be known throughout the organization.

“Give your employees the right tools for the job.”

A very good manager told me this. In his experience, people become frustrated and will quit when they are given a job yet not provided good tools to do the job. The tool could be a real tool like a wrench or a hammer, or it could be a good projector, or it could be the proper kind of computer, or it could be a telephone headpiece, or it could be a software program. Whatever the job is, the tool(s) given to the employee should work well and help them get the job done better. If not, the employee will become unhappy and leave.

“Prepare your employees for their next job.”

More organizations are on the lookout for keeping employees “stuck” right where they are than anything else. In fact I’ve been in many organizations where I (and others) were jealously guarded. Then I worked for a company in which the boss told me (paraphrase) “I’m going to lose 100% of these employees, including you, eventually. Every one moves on to something else. So while they’re here, one of my jobs is to improve them as people and as employees.” This was a guy who genuinely cared about the lives of his people, and it showed. He was always available to give good advice when asked, and I’ve seen that he’s kept in touch with employees over the years even after they’ve gone to other companies in different states. It makes sense to me: it’s better to have your employees leave as friends who respect you than just “past employees”.

“Let your employees exercise their strengths within the company.”

This is the habit of managers who know how to assemble a great team: they put together a group of people who can do certain things, and then they allow them to do those things. Not only that, they encourage the team members to push their own limits, to exercise creativity, and to experiment. Does a boss wind up with a lot of mistakes on his hands, when he allows this sort of behavior? Sometimes. But he also ends up with a lot of innovation, a lot of energy within the company, and lot of happy employees!

“Focus on doing what you know how to do.” 

This might seem like the opposite of innovation, but what it’s a lesson taken from the book Good to Great and it’s actually a good thing to keep in mind. While innovation often means venturing into unknown territory, the majority of the time a company (and an employee) should focus on what they really are good at doing. They (and the company) will experience more success in that regard than in the occasional discoveries and innovations that come their way. So – trying new things is wonderful, but the bread-and-butter is in the doing one thing really well.

There are many things we can learn from our colleagues, and I’m always observing new lessons. The ones I’ve shared here are just a few that I’ve learned. What have you learned, in your own observations?

I don’t mean to criticize just to be a jerk. But this company sure does things in a haphazard and disorganized fashion.

They opened up a bakery cafe about 6 months ago, with plans to open up a few more restaurants. They hired dozens of managers for the four or five different eateries before they all opened. So from the very beginning at her new job in the bakery, at least a dozen or more managers are all arguing over how things should be done, though most won’t even be staying at the bakery but are waiting for their restuaraunt to open. Employees have come and gone. The menu has been changed a few times. Prices have been raised. It’s very chaotic.

Just last week, the second restaurant opened. And while the food was mostly good, it was mass confusion. There’s a wok station. A pizza station. A salad station, and the regular menu. It was overwhelming. They are trying to offer too many varieties of food, like a cafeteria, but more upscale. Is it a restaurant or a cafeteria or a Whole Foods? Can good pizza and good noodles be made in the same place? How do you order your food? I am sure they have a few kinks to work out since this place just opened.

But when it comes to running a business, it really is better to be a master than a jack-of-all-trades. Focus your energies and efforts. Find your niche. Be a Master in your trade. You will develop a stronger business sense and avoid unnecessary confusion and wasted time and money. Be the best at what you do in your particular craft, not some handyman who does a little of this and a little of that.

Then after you are established and things are running smoothly, then consider expanding into other areas or even another business. But trying to do too much too soon will only serve to overwhelm you.

Build momentum. Focus. Succeed.

Everyone likes super powers and that’s why super heroes are so cool. Too bad super powers are all imaginary, right? Well, yes, if you’re talking about being invisible or having x-ray vision. But, there’s much to be said about real mind power that anyone can wield and that can drastically affect your life. What could this awesome super power be? Positive thinking, and it’s for real.

A while back I wrote an article about The Secret being a big money-making scam. It is a scam, and there’s a lot of other pop psychology garbage out there, too. With the plethora of self-help information available, you really need to pick the meat from the bones to get the worthwhile stuff and bypass all the crap. But don’t mistakingly assume all positive thinking theology is garbage because you will miss out on something very powerful and life changing.

“Positive thinking is a mental attitude that admits into the mind thoughts, words and images that are conducive to growth, expansion and success. It is a mental attitude that expects good and favorable results. A positive mind anticipates happiness, joy, health and a successful outcome of every situation and action. When the attitude is positive we entertain pleasant feelings and constructive images, and see in our mind’s eye what we really want to happen. This brings brightness to the eyes, more energy and happiness. The whole being broadcasts good will, happiness and success. Even the health is affected in a beneficial way. We walk tall and the voice is more powerful. Our body language shows the way you feel inside. Positive and negative thinking are both contagious. All of us affect, in one way or another, the people we meet. This happens instinctively and on a subconscious level, through thoughts and feelings transference and through body language. People sense our aura and are affected by our thoughts. Is it any wonder that we want to be around positive persons and shun negative ones? People are more disposed to help us if we are positive. They dislike and avoid anyone broadcasting negativity.” – Remez Sasson

OK, so there you have a short explanation of what positive thinking is and how it affects yourself and others. But what you really want to know is how can positive thinking get you more money and greater business success. Well, here are some interesting points about that:

1. Positive thinking improves your health overall, and gives you greater resistance to catching the common cold. So less sick days means more productivity and more money.

2. According to a Stanford Research Institute study, success is 88 percent attitude and 12 percent education. A positive attitude brings success which brings more money.

3. A national survey examined why salespeople fail. 15 percent of the respondents attributed failure to “poor training,” another 15 percent said “poor management” and another 20 percent said “poor communication skills.” A full 50 percent, however, said that salespeople fail because of “lack of positive attitude.” Less sales means less money.

4. Positive thinking decreases negative stress. Stressful living can actually kill brain cells and low self-esteem shrinks your brain up to 20%! Then your IQ, ability to get happy and achieve personal success goes right down the drain- along with your mind power and positive thinking. I think it follows that dead brain cells, a shrunken brain, and stress do NOT bring in the money!

5. When hiring, employers look for optimism, a characteristic of high achievers. A job brings in the money.

6. A fascinating study found that self-made millionaires worry much less that people who earn as much money but have not achieved millionaire status. So how can optimism help you become a millionaire? Optimists are much more likely than pessimists to make the goal of becoming a millionaire and then work towards that goal. Their focus is on more money, not getting out of debt – on the positive, not the negative.

Now, I could go on and on about positive thinking and how it affects your business success and money, but I think we all get the picture. Having positive thoughts and a positive attitude positively affects your work. It’s not magic. It’s not mysticism. It’s just a bit of psychology and human interaction at the business level. So forget all the self-help fluff and the scams, but do not scoff at the power of positive thinking.

Three main reasons YOU won’t be in the Forbes top 100 or even the top 100,000:

1. You don’t know how. You are not money savvy. You don’t the many options for making money (besides a job) and increasing the money you already do have. Investments, stocks and bonds, and the like just aren’t your thing. You never seriously think about your finances and never plan. Sorry bud, but you are what you think about and what you do and this applies to finances as well.

2. You spend too much. Most people, if they sacrificed for a time and stopped spending as much as they make, could put enough money aside and start building a nice nest egg that will continually grow. Most people equate any type of monetary gain with some type of physical gain (aka buying more things). The news of a raise immediately sends them into consumer mode and visions of new designer clothes, a bigger house, an expensive vacation, or other purchases start dancing in their head. They earn money to spend and never use money to make money.

3. You don’t really want it. Yep, that’s why everyone wants to be rich but few actually are rich. All other reasons hinge on this one. You just don’t have the drive, the passion, the ambition. Being wealthy and having that lifestyle sure is appealing, but the amount of work it takes to get there is not and most people are not willing to work that hard. You may have great ideas, a great personality, a great education, but none of those things will make you rich. Wanting it enough will make you rich. That ambition will make you work harder and never give up until you get there. You will stay focused and nothing will permanently deter you from you goal- not personal set-backs, not catastrophic events, not even failing in a particular business venture- nothing. You have one thing on your mind and that’s what you will do in spite of everything else. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

There is no magic formula to becoming wealthy. There is no secret. But there is plenty of money out there to be had and you will get as much of it as you determine.

Start by tracking how you spend your time for a few days. Then analyze the data and identify problems areas. Most time-wasters (whether it’s spending too much time gazing into the fridge looking for a snack or so-called “legitimate” web surfing) are the result of a few bad habits that cause you to lose valuable time and productivity.

The most common time-wasters and ways to avoid them:

1. No Plan. Few people actually plan out their daily,weekly, and monthly activities. But by making a realistic to-do list, you will be able to prioritize your tasks and allot time to complete each task. Utilize the various business planners and technology, such as PDAs and software, to help you see what needs to be done and then do it within a scheduled time. This way, you won’t spend your days wondering what to do next and accomplishing less than you should.

2. No Schedule. Many home-based entrepreneurs have a haphazard approach to when things get done; they start the day whenever and have no method or time-table for finishing tasks. To be more productive, set a workable schedule for your daily, weekly, and monthly activities. Schedule in time for breaks, snacks, taking and returning phone calls, e-mailing, etc. By using a schedule, you will avoid one of the most common time-wasters and won’t be left scrambling around trying to finishing an important task, wondering where your time went.

3. Disorganization. How many of us spend countless minutes looking for necessary paperwork, phone numbers, or e-mails? The more organized you are, the more efficient you will be. Have a place for everything and put everything in it’s place. Don’t leave work-related things scattered all around the house. Don’t throw all work-related papers in one large indiscernible pile. Invest in products and a system to help keep your office organized and save yourself the unnecessary stress and wasted time that comes from being disorganized.

4. Too Many Distractions. Working from home can be very challenging, especially when it comes to distractions. There are personal phone calls, family and friends who don’t understand that you are working, and a myriad of other little things that distract you from your work. That’s why it’s important to have a separate and private work area where you can work without distractions. Don’t take phone calls all day long: set up your voice-mail and then return calls and/or have a set time when you make and receive business calls. Make sure family and friends understand that you are, in fact, working and are not accessible. Don’t spend all day checking and replying to e-mails or surfing the web. Limit access to yourself and you will have more undisturbed time to accomplish tasks. This is key to successful time-management.

5. Lack of Focus. Multi-tasking and over-loaded schedules give the appearance of productivity, but they can actually be detrimental. Focus on the task at hand and you will finish faster (an do a better job) than if you are juggling a handful of jobs at the same time. S-L-O-W down to get more done.

6. Getting Caught Up in Busy Work. At some point, depending on your business and how you manage it, you may find yourself struggling to complete endless small tasks and unable to spend as much time doing the more important, bigger tasks, such as growing your business. While this may be a good sign that your business is growing, you will soon become frustrated and bogged down with all the small jobs that can eat up hours of your time. This is when you know it’s time to hire some help, even if it’s only part-time or on an occasional basis. Find someone who can do all those small tasks (like filing, handling the mail, taking messages, etc.) while you spend your time in more productive, prudent pursuits. Just make sure it’s financially feasible to have some assistance and do this only when you have dealt with the other 5 time wasters. You don’t need a helper so you can continue to waste your own valuable time!

Effective time-management is vital to any successful venture. Maximizing your most valuable resource, time, can increase your business’ productivity, profits, and organization, while helping you also find more time for yourself and for those people who are most important to you.