The “E” Zone

The 40 Recommendations

Introduction / Contact Info

Eugen Spivak                                                                                             “To get what you want, you have to
eugen@eugenspivak.com help other people to get what they
want”  - Zig Ziglar

Introduction: http://www.yorku.ca/careers/conversations/10-11/entrepreneur.htm

Video Transcript: http://www.yorku.ca/careers/students/video/conversations/entrepreneurship_oct10.htm

Background
Management positions in: Financial Services, Government, Energy, Consulting, Telecom, and Software
Degrees: B. Sc. (Computer Science, York), MBA (Schulich)
Certifications: Project Management (PMP), Audit (CISA), Governance (CGEIT)

Goals
* If you have big enough “why”, you will figure out “how”
* One must realize that all who have accumulated great fortunes first did a certain amount of dreaming, hoping, wishing, desiring and planning before they acquired the money
* Practice the Law of Attraction (see The Secret)
* Progressive Improvement as opposed to Postponed Perfection

Journey
* Simplicity is the evidence of the most advanced teachings
* You can’t tell a wrong thing to a right person

Destination
* The harder you will work, the more luck you will get
* Life is not about answers, it is about finding a way to take to get there

Leadership
* Governing a great nation is like cooking a small fish – too much handling will spoil it
* The ability to identify and focus on the few necessary things is a hallmark of great leadership
* A true leader takes on the small tasks, not as grunt work, but because he is willing to do it
* He, who knows, doesn’t speak. He, who speaks, doesn’t know.
* Leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: “we did it ourselves”
* Use “we” instead of “I”
* Make small changes, not the big ones
* Leadership = visibility + presence

Choosing Business
* Segment, product or industry doesn’t matter – could be high tech or matches
* “Over the next 10 years, the US economy will create 10 million new millionaires. Two of the strongest emerging industries where the growth will occur are wellness and network marketing”    – Paul Zane Pilzer

Assessment Criteria for the Business
1. Little or no upfront investment
2. If things go the worst way possible, are you still comfortable?
3. Inventory management costs
4. Do you need credit to start/run your business?
5. Quality of management team
6. Quality of the product
7. Space to grow

Communication
* Assess the level of spin of the audience, and spin yourself up or down to match
* Choose level of details that you share based on level (e.g. senior management vs. professional)
* Learn and practice NLP

Presentations / Public Speaking / Facilitation
* Do the homework
* Find out what are the strong feelings of people in the audience/group as they would be driven by them, no matter how rational people seem like
* Align direction of the conversation with the strong feelings of an individual/group

Tolerance for Ambiguity
* Get comfortable with making decisions when you have 40%-70% of information that you need to make one
* To reduce ambiguity, apply the applicable framework
* If you have no idea what to do, start doing something, and frequently adjust your course along the way

Interpersonal
* Find out which of your traits of character are dominant, and which ones are not, and therefore need extra effort (Astrology, Myers Briggs – 41q.com, Strengthsfinder.com, etc)

Consulting
* Bring value in the beginning of customer engagement, before the deal is closed
* Once you are in, you are expected to perform from the first day
* Make your recommendations pragmatic, this way they have a better chance of bring implemented

Next Steps
* Average American reads 1 book per year finishing it by 60%, average CEO reads 4 books per month
* Read at least 2-3 subjects in each subject/core competency (presentation, facilitation, leadership, etc) to give you diverse perspectives on the subject
* Do you not only have the goals, but a proven vehicle to achieve them?
* How do you go from success to significance?

Top Links
* Very short overview of almost every management framework – http://valuebasedmanagement.net
* Overview of business school essentials –
http://quickmba.com
* Non Profit Board of Directors
http://www.boardmatch.org/BoardMatch/Content/Home.aspx
* Business Networking (“Hi, I’m a student at XYZ. I am interested in your industry, can we get together for coffee at the time of your convenience, and I would ask you a few questions?”)
http://www.linkedin.com

Recommended Reading
1. The Trusted Advisor (ISBN: 0743212347)
Book Summary: http://www.searlstreet.com.au/content/The%20Trusted%20Advisor.pdf
2. Management of the Absurd (ISBN: 0684830442)
3. You are in Charge, Now What? (ISBN: 1400048664)

Salaries:

http://www.payscale.com/index/US/Job

Places to work for:

http://www.canadastop100.com/competitions.html