Do you do the Whole Job?

The man who does his job precisely as he would do it if he owned the business may see the day when he will own that business or a better one.

The best-managed companies are those in which management creates opportunities for employees to own a piece of the business through various types of stock-ownership programs. Management has found that when individual employees are also owners, they are more loyal, more creative, and more cost-conscious. They also work harder and are more responsive to customers. If you have the opportunity to participate in employee stock programs, do so. If possible, extend the same opportunity to your employees. If such programs are not available to you, conduct yourself as though you were already an owner, and sooner or later you will be. It is inevitable that when you think like an owner, you will eventually become one.

When you treat your competitors with the courtesy and respect you would like, most will respond in kind, and the result is a stable, productive, profitable industry. On the other hand, an industry or market that is composed of vicious, unethical competitors will soon destroy itself. When you are asked how your products and services compare with those of your competitors, speak respectfully and politely about your rivals, but use the question to shift the discussion to your company and your products. Acknowledge others’ good points, and then move on. If you complain too much about the competition, prospective customers may wonder what they are missing and refuse to buy until they have compared your products and services with those of others. 

Friendly cooperation will get you far more than unfriendly agitation in any market.