After all…you are completely responsible for the results!  I am still reflecting on the article I wrote last night and that event, although it only lasted one and a half days, taught me a lot…regrettably not on the topic I went there to learn.

You will meet lawyers, consultants, accountants, and friends who will all advise you one how to run your business, your life, or both. Throughout your journey you will meet some people who are more convincing than others. You may even get involved in a group such as the one I mentioned yesterday that is very powerful in the sense they can convince a large number of people that they have all the answers.

Be careful. We all want to believe that someone holds the answers we need so that we can be more effective at our lives and our work. The key to this blog is that you want to consider the source. Does the company practice what they preach? Do they run by the very principles they are asking you to follow? As businesspeople we spend a lot of our time trying to search for clues that betray people who tell us something we want to hear. We want to ascertain that they are genuine. Consider a person who made an appointment with me, wanting me to get involved in a ‘business deal’ that was worth millions yet he was wearing a Rolex knock-off. Last week a woman called our office for help in immigration and business law. She informed us that she was worth $100 million. At the same time, however, she could not afford a $5,000 retainer. Welcome to life and the business world!

Similarly, you will have people or all types helping you with business philosophies. Read, attend seminars, and meet people. Try to get the best from each one, but before you even consider using an idea in your arsenal, put on your glasses and consider the source. Does the company or person suggesting this idea, in simple English, do what they say? If not, run, don’t walk away, and go on to the next idea, and monitor it as well. There ‘are’ no perfect answers. We are in a day and age in which a bank can collapse…and we thought we could always trust them…nothing is sacred anymore and you are still the chief and you are still accountable….good luck out there!

Steven Riznyk