Texas Border Business
By Dr. Gilberto de los Santos, Professor Emeritus
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS RIO GRANDE VALLEY
Often the most effective way to improve your business is to improve yourself, first.
Reminds me of an epitaph on an Egyptian Tomb of someone who died over 1,000 years ago. (no, I am not yet 1,000 years old) An epitaph is an inscription on a tomb in memory of a dead person. The epitaph read something to this effect:
Here I lay, soon to die.
When I was young, I wanted to change the world, but the world would not change.
So, I decided to change my country, but alas it too did not want to change.
So, I decided to change my community, but it too would not change.
So, I decided to change my family, but by then my children were now grown, and they would not change.
I realize now that I had it all wrong. I should have worked on myself, first! And perhaps by my example my family would have improved. And perhaps by the example of my family, my community would have changed, and they in turn would have changed my country, and my country would have changed THE WORLD.
Wise CEOs consider their employees as a second family and treat them as such. They get to know their employees and their employees’ families. Whether they notice it or not, CEOs are being watched by their employees, they are role models, just as they are role models for their families.
Let’s explore some of the basics.
- Do you often use the names of your employees?
- Do you know something about their families?
- Do you greet your employees with a handshake?
- Do you establish good eye contact with your employees?
- Do you look for good work done by your employees?
- Do you recognize good work done by your employees?
- Do you mentor any of your employees?
- Do you sometimes ask advice from your employees in their area of expertise?
- Do you include your employees in important decisions that impact their jobs?
- Do you begin the day at the office with a smile or a grunt? (Sorry couldn’t resist this.)
These are basics that can literally change for the best the culture of your company—if you are not now doing them. However, you probably realize the culture take a long time to establish and a long time to change—so be patient and persistent—because it works.
May you have a most productive and successful 2023!
