Price is a representation of value. 

For a lot of people, price is a cost. Yet, they do not see the real value of the product/service. The heater in winter has real value. It has health, safety, and well-being (not to mention survival) benefits that you can enjoy for the duration of the product's life. It has to be of excellent quality, reliability, and guaranteed safety. It has to satisfy the customer's basic needs and more. 

For a lesser price, these satisfiers might be compromised, or you end of paying for more or suffer from the lack of its benefits. This equation, sadly, is lacking in most of the buying public. 

A Benz or a Bentley customer is not coming to the store for the price. It is coming because of the perceived strong value of the product. They want what it represents so as the new model of Apple smartphone or MacBook. 

Zero investment is zero accountability. Cheap investment is cheap accountability.
Price filters off shysters, jokers, and pretenders. For small businesses, it can safeguard your time from pandering to those who want more for less. 

Make no mistake and stop blaming false marketing for what you end up with.

You get what you pay for. 
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"Promise me, son, not to do the things I've done.
Walk away from troubles if you can.
It won't mean your weak if you turn the other cheek.
I hope you're old enough to understand.
Son, you don't have to fight to be a man."

Sounds familiar? Kenny Rogers 's story-telling through songs is impeccable. Gets me down the memory lane every time I hear this song. 

This article has nothing to do with silly fights and adolescent baptism of fire. This is about turning the other way when presented with situations that not only put you in a disadvantaged position but also jeopardizes your future ability to exercise your leadership and overcome challenges.

Whether you own a business, manage a million-dollar project, or run a team in your department, there are times when you are confronted with an ethical situation or a gray issue. When in doubt, it is time to reflect on the following:

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Am I acting in good faith, being firm about my intentions, objectives, and desires on this specific situation?

​Is the other party acting in good faith? Are they acting and behaving consistently with their intentions and objectives on the issue? Are they pushing too hard, delaying, or withholding important information? 

 Am I presented with a situation that is unscrupulous, way out of the normal bounds of ethics or appropriate behavior? Is the deal too good to be true or laced with conditions that will undermine my sense of control and options?

If you have answered no or maybe to the last two questions, walk away from any situation that will unnecessarily create entanglements, compromises, and deals that are not in your best interests to pursue. Find an adviser who can sort things out for you and better yet delay the decision until you have some clarity around the issues that you want to resolve.

"Walk away from troubles, son..."

Last week, I experimented in a situation using my negotiation and persuasion skills. It was a classic-high demand, low supply equation. I broached the idea a couple of months ago, accepted what is being offered, and asked for the increase. It was granted right there and then. No details needed.

Apparently, when I asked, either I get a "no" or a "yes," but I always ask because, you will never know unless you try. I had fun asking for things that can surely get me a no, but it's the thrill of asking that exhilarates me.

One lesson in enhancing your executive presence is to always ask the right question and be prepared to get what you want!

You are leaving monies on the table by not acting in the moment, acting for your (organization)  best interests, and being good at it.

​Increase your self esteem, increase your value to society, and increase your personal effectiveness. 

Mission-based organizations should think twice about creating more mission work without the full support and wisdom from a business sustainability standpoint.

Most of the time, they wrestle with the fact that since they have the work of helping, they should be able to marshal resources, support, and other important resources to fully realize their objectives. This is never automatic.

It takes a lot of courage and guts to realize that mission is not enough and will not be sufficient to carry the organization through its many stages of development.

If there is no evolution in management and business understanding, the mission becomes unproductive-"hence, give me because I give this back" will later on become subject to more critical and demanding requirements from society. This is painful to see as many organizations languish in near obsolescence without realizing their fullest potential. 

There is only one way- to review their business model and ask the most important question: if this is not working for us, can we be flexible in getting to our objectives through an alternative model of doing and being? 

Let's approach this with an open mind and an open heart.

If you look at the best people in every industry, job, or occupation anywhere in the world, you will notice that there is one thing that they do consistently, incessantly, and effectively. They engineer their evolution.

To pick at and blame the circumstances, the weather, your spouse,  the economy, the competition, the politicians, the robots, and the social media for all the bad things that are happening in your business, career, and life is like saying,  "Poor me, I have no control and maybe just curl up at home and stay safe!"

We can all do more than that!

The best competent people I know have used their assets to become the epitome of their best bankable selves, especially in the future.

The future of work is about the unique offering, abilities, and massive differentiation. To stand out in the sea of gig workers,  part-time hobbyists, and Alexas,  it is not just incumbent upon the professionals to be the best but also be the top 2% of the pyramid.

Standardization, conformity, and harmonization are a thing of the past. The new worker is an agile maven with multiple skills and competencies that can run around robots and machines out of their batteries. This new worker has high-touch qualities that eliminate the isolation in the customer experience and puts back the human intelligence missing in many transactions.

Work will no longer be a division between your social time, family time, and paying activities. These activities will become wrapped around within the lifestyle and talents of the individual. The remote will dominate the marketplace, and new products and services will serve this new arrangement which represents every other individual outside the cubicle norm.

The most evolved will win big in this new wide world of work.