Meet Don: Mr. Initiative

One of my favorite people is Don. Three years ago, I invested in a company that had numerous challenges. Don was recruited to come in and help us. And without him, I wouldn't have time to blog or do anything else; I'd be in over my head trying to deal with the stuff he does every day.

Don's a unique guy. His clients love him. To them, he's fun, easygoing, hard-working, humble - and he gets stuff done. To his employees, he's a great boss because, while he is demanding, he's also trusting. He loves to see his employees do well.

What I love about Don is that he has initiative. He's focused and as serious as a heart attack. He allows me to calm him down, to tell him everything is going to be OK. He's a pleasure to work with. I enjoy him as a friend and as an associate.

Our clients want us to be this way. We should be the ones that are more serious about their company's success then they are. We should be more exacting about our work than they are. A little bit of Don's approach can go a long way.


Barry LaBov
President, LaBov and Beyond Marketing Communications
www.labov.com

You can't teach height and you can't legislate initiative

An axiom in basketball is that, as a coach, "you can't teach height." Which means that having a tall player is a huge advantage - you can always teach a player how to shoot or dribble the ball better, but there's no substitute for being seven feet tall.

I think the same applies to business regarding initiative. No matter how hard you train a person on how to fill out a time sheet or how to dress or how to use a spread sheet, whether that employee has initiative or not is up to him or her. It's not something that's really taught.

I've been guilty of trying to instill initiative in people and failing. Just like trying to make someone seven feet tall, it's an exercise in futility.

I apologize to those who I've pushed, and I thank those I've had to calm down.


Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com

Business aviation in a sound-byte world - Part 2

Nothing has been more vilified in recent months than private aviation. The sound byte we hear from media, from Congress and even the President has been: private jets are wasteful; they're a toy for the fat cat business executive.

The sad thing that's missing in all this vilification is that a business jet can be utilized to retain and to grow clients - to increase business for companies. The business jet can actually cost less to fly to a location than commercial flights (add up the cost of commercial tickets, overnight stays, and food) and the business jet can actually allow the employees of the company to spend time at night with their family instead of being on the road.

Our agency, LaBov and Beyond Marketing Communications, is utilizing our business jet 15 percent more this year than last. We are making sure we spend as much time with clients as possible, and we are also responding to the most new business inquiries that we've ever received in our 25-plus-year history. Our business jet has enabled us to respond to opportunities and grow business.

We can operate a jet and not be wasteful. We fly with at least three employees on board, usually more (our jet can seat up to six). We fly to several locations a day if needed, so we can stretch the value of the jet. We fly all employees - it's not reserved for execs (in fact, I fly only 10 percent of the time). Our pilots are frugal - they negotiate on fuel, on landing fees, etc.

But all that info won't fit into a one-sentence sound byte. We have to fight the temptation to sound-byte ourselves into a corner. It'll take a few more words, maybe even a sentence or two, but if we want what's right, what's the truth, it's worth it.


Barry LaBov
LaBov and Beyond
http://www.labov.com/