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WHAT DISCIPLINES DO ENTREPRENEURS,

LIFESTYLE ENTERPRISE OWNERS,


AND EXECUTIVES
REALLY HAVE TO KNOW?

NIGEL A.L. BROOKS

THE BUSINESS LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

Article reprint
WHAT DISCIPLINES DO ENTREPRENEURS,
LIFESTYLE ENTERPRISE OWNERS, AND EXECUTIVES
REALLY HAVE TO KNOW?

Business disciplines include subject areas such as finance and accounting,


marketing and sales, operations, and information technology. However,
subjects related to the humanities and social sciences are just as relevant,
given that business is all about people. By understanding individual
preferences, such as values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors, enterprises
can better relate, build a rapport, and interact with their constituencies,
and manage their human resources.

New entrepreneurs and lifestyle business enterprise owners, and to some


extent executives and managers, are often somewhat astounded by the
breadth and depth of knowledge and skills that they require to earn a
profit. Without education and experience, they have to rely upon either
their intuition or senses, or both, to assess situations and make decisions
that influence, convince, or persuade employees to perform, customers to
buy, suppliers to deliver, investors to finance, and competitors to retreat.

Lifestyle enterprise owners have a major burden because they are solely
responsible for their enterprises, have personal capital and livelihood at
risk, and are constrained by time and money.

Beyond finance and accounting, marketing and sales, operations, and


information technology, other overlapping disciplines that impact business
include: economics, engineering, program and project management,
politics, philosophy, physiology, sociology, and psychology.
Environmentalism is an emerging philosophical and social discipline.

It may be difficult to imagine entrepreneurs, lifestyle enterprise owners,


executives, and managers as philosophers, sociologists, or psychologists.
However, understanding individual values, attitudes, beliefs, and
behaviors, and crafting enterprise values statements and guiding
principles, missions, and visions are consequences of these disciplines
among others. This understanding is essential to positioning the enterprise
and its products and/or services in the marketplace. The impact of
misunderstanding how markets accept and use products and/or services
can be significant, especially if there is potential for a major loss of
capital.

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Formulating strategy requires knowledge of competitive, economic,
environmental, political, regulatory, social, and technological trends.
Strategy impacts marketing and sales, operations, finance, information
technology, and human resources.

Economics...

The economics discipline addresses the production, distribution, and


consumption of products and/or services. The factors of production
include land, labor, and capital. Economics addresses human behavior
related to scarcity. Economic models describe the effects of price and
quantity on supply and demand in competitive markets. However, in a
networked society of telecommunications and the internet, human
behavior is also determined by abundance of nodes. For example, cell
phones, email, and websites have utility when there is a critical mass of
users, and a network operating at scale.

Engineering...

The engineering discipline addresses the transformation of natural capital


into items that are useful and beneficial to people. Both entrepreneurs and
intrapreneurs are often engaged in structural, mechanical, electrical, and
plumbing engineering opportunities for both consumable and durable
products, and the related facilities and equipment. Agriculture, mining, oil
and gas, construction, and manufacturing are engineering-based industries.
However the engineering mindset has been applied to financial and
information management disciplines also.

Program and project management...

The program and project management disciplines address the


transformation of ideas into value. Project management is the application
of knowledge, skills, and enabling technologies to the development of new
or enhanced products and/or services, processes, and systems, including
facilities and equipment. Program management is both a function that
coordinates the management of projects across the enterprise, and a set of
techniques.

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Politics...

The politics discipline addresses governance, authority, and power, and


how decisions are made, both individually and collectively, to formulate
plans, policies, and programs. However, individuals "play politics" by
positioning themselves for authority and power or protection, often at the
expense of the enterprise and its constituencies.

Government agencies establish laws and regulations that impact business


enterprises in terms of licensing, fees and taxes, and compliance reporting.

Philosophy...

The philosophy discipline addresses understanding and knowledge, and is


the practice of developing concepts and guiding principles that impact
attitudes, beliefs, values, and behaviors. This discipline is relevant to the
development of aspirational and inspirational statements that motivate
followers to action, including employees, customers, suppliers, investors,
regulators, and competitors. Such messages are not only used in
transformational and empowered leadership situations, but also in
enterprise and product and/or service branding, which impacts marketing
and advertising, and ultimately sales.

Physiology and sociology...

The physiology discipline addresses human function. Physiological


considerations are necessary for compliance with occupational, safety, and
health laws and regulations, and for product design. The sociology
discipline addresses how individuals are influenced by groups, and the
products and/services that they either use or avoid. Such understanding is
particularly useful in mass marketing efforts, and in the definition of
market segments.

Psychology...

The psychology discipline addresses the human mind and behavior, and is
essential to understanding the preferences of employees, customers,
suppliers, investors, regulators, and competitors. Maslow's Hierarchy of
Needs and Jung's Psychological Types are two examples of psychological
theories that are relevant to business.

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Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs states that human needs are instinctive and
characterized by levels of motivation for satisfying deficiencies or growth,
and hence products and/or services. Maslow suggested that everybody has
a "philosophy of the future" - what their ideal life would be like in about
five years time. Their answer reveals where they are today - useful input
for strategic planning, product development, marketing and sales.

Jung's Psychological Types are personality models and styles from which
many personality tests used in business are derived. Every individual has a
personality style - specific personality characteristics that determine their
preferences.

Every entrepreneur, lifestyle enterprise owner, executive, and manager has


to know their own personal style and those of others. Understanding
personal styles:

● Increases the likelihood of success in both social and professional


relationships...

● ...which is based upon the ability to relate, to build a rapport, and to


interact with others by...

● ...being able to entertain, inform, convince, persuade, and negotiate


with them

***

By understanding personal styles, the humanities and social sciences


disciplines can be applied using the enterpriship model - transforming
mindset into action with relationships and order based upon the
preferences of constituencies. That way, theoretical concepts earn practical
value.

Understanding personal styles is an enterpriship (entrepreneurial,


leadership, and management) competency.

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For more information...

For information about audiobooks, books, earticles, ebooks, and eseminars


offered by The Business Leadership Development Corporation visit
www.etailia.com

For more information about the discipline of enterpriship visit


www.enterpriship.com

To assess your individual competencies in thirty minutes or less, claim


your opportunity for instant access when you go to
www.individualcompetencies.com

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About Nigel A.L Brooks...

Nigel A.L Brooks is a management consultant to entrepreneurs, business


enterprise owners, executives, and managers, and the enterprises they
serve. He specializes in developing the entrepreneurial, leadership, and
managerial competencies that build sustainable advantage from vision to
value. He is an author and a frequent speaker.

He obtained his professional experience as a partner at Andersen


Consulting (now Accenture, Ltd.), as a vice president at Booz Allen
Hamilton, Inc. (now Booz and Company), as a senior vice president at the
American Express Company, as president of Javazona Cafes, Inc., and as
president of The Business Leadership Development Corporation. He has
been a contributing editor for the Bank Administration Institute magazine,
and has served on boards of entrepreneurial networks. He was educated at
the University of Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom.

His clients are in the financial services, food services, high-tech,


manufacturing and distribution, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, professional
services, retail and wholesale, transportation, and government industries.

He has experience in North and Latin America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.

www.nigelalbrooks.com

About The Business Leadership Development Corporation (BLD)...

The Business Leadership Development Corporation is a professional


services firm that works with entrepreneurs, lifestyle business enterprise
owners, executives, and managers, and the enterprises they serve.

BLD develops entrepreneurial, leadership, and managerial competencies


that achieve performance excellence by building sustainable advantage
from vision to value through:

 Strategic Management Consulting


 Executive Coaching and Mentoring
 Professional Training via The Center For Business Leadership
Development (CBLD)
 Motivational Speaking

www.bldsolutions.com

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THE BUSINESS LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
13835 NORTH TATUM BOULEVARD 9-102
PHOENIX, ARIZONA 85032 USA
www.bldsolutions.com
(602) 291-4595

© Copyright 2008-10: The Business Leadership Development Corporation


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