Mom Talks Business

Mothers provide many interesting business lessons, don’t they? I’ll preface this by saying it was a little different 45 years or so ago when I was growing up in that mothers tended to do front-line discipline while fathers were court and, frequently, executioner of last resort.   Mothers dispensed pearls of wisdom in between the tears; fathers did the same in between removing their belts (that’s all tongue in cheek, mostly). When I was a kid, my mom frequently was the recipient of a phone call concerning my behavior.  These would come from other parents or the school and would rat out want to let her know of something I had done which they felt was out of bounds.  Most of these things involved one or more of a select group of ruffians fine young men with which I spent most of my waking hours. Inevitably, Mom would tell me not “to drag yourself down to their level” and that we’re known by the company we keep.   Therein lies the business lesson.

You can tell an awful lot about any executive by their subordinates.  This is the company that not only do they keep, but in many cases the company they’ve hired.  Any businessperson should know there’s someone smarter than they are out there and should want that person on their team.  You need to surround yourself with the smartest, most capable people you can find and constantly challenge them to reach their own standards.

Hiring really smart people has another benefit as a manager.  You find yourself listening a lot, which is probably the most important skill a really good manager (and salesperson) can possess.  Your brilliant staff will give you much to think about and, generally, will lay the foundation for whatever right answer you’re seeking but you need to listen carefully.

So once again, our moms were right.  The company we keep is pretty important and you don’t want to make yourself weaker by setting a low common denominator in your hiring.  And you thought all they could do was cook!

Did you get any other good business advice from your mom even when she didn’t know she was giving it?