Kind, Generous, Intelligent and Knows his Stuff – IT Entrepreneur Paul Battaglia is a man who looks after both sides in a business deal. One can learn a lot from him!
I was speaking to a business colleague today who I have a great deal of respect for. I was lucky to be supporting him in his business and I find him to be a kind, ethical and very savvy IT Service Professional.
Paul Battaglia always been a pleasure to work with and I think one of the many reasons we resonate is that we have had lots of shared / parallel experiences. One thing for sure in this case is that we are both “Nice” people.
If you have read my previous blogs, you will tell that I am extremely proud of being “Nice” and I strive to keep it that way forever. However, what can happen at times when you are “Nice” is that the wrong people try and interpret that as a sign of weakness and try something funny on you.
Paul & I were comparing notes and it’s probably nothing to do with us (it’s just life in Sydney – Yay!) and talking about people who have tried to shonk us. Be it not paying our invoices, trying to get us to consult for free, taking referrals and not giving back You know? All that great stuff I like to point out in my blogs.
We both operate with a heavy Win / Win type of mindset like my clients & colleagues. The logic behind this thinking is that:
– It’s Ethical.
– It’s Morale.
– It’s Sustainable.
– It’s Profitable for you.
– It’s Profitable for them.
– It’s great being a “Nice” Person!
I know plenty of business owners who have become leaders in their fields based on this type of thinking. Even my old Business & Marketing Mentor (Greg Hudson) about 16 years ago taught me exactly the same type of thinking – which has worked for me to this day.
This thinking just seems obvious. Of course everyone thinks like this? You know everyone? Come on, doesn’t everyone? Hello?
Of course NOT EVERYONE THINKS LIKE THIS. You only have to look at the state of our prisons, turn on any “Current Affair” show and if you are not holding your Purse tight on a train in Sydney – chances are someone will try and swipe it from you or get in there somehow when you nod off and fall asleep.
We are very Win / Win and today I am so lucky to have a base of clients & friends who think exactly like that. The reality is that a good chunk of society just aren’t geared that way and it’s a fair bet they are the reason why we have to have “Law & Order” to keep things on track.
I have found that you get people that are “WIN at any costs” and also “WIN / LOSE”.
That is you get some people that are “WIN”. Whether you Win or Lose, they really don’t care. That is they aren’t cruel. Whether you do really well out of the deal or not is “Whatever” to them. I was taken advantage of someone really bad like this in late 2013. She really played me well in the respect of pretending to be my pal to get stuff. It wasn’t that she got her kicks out of it, she just was so focused on what she wanted and that was it.
The next type are WIN / LOSE people. These can be quite dangerous and there are a few of them around. I got burned very badly by one (I am sure we all have) in that these people actually enjoy watching someone suffer and hurting others. They are the type of people that just have to do everything “Shonky”. I have even met people that will take the shonky path that is less profitable, because they have some sick type of need to have to dominate or harass people in one way or another.
Paul & I for example (and I bet you reading this blog too) are WIN / WIN type of people which is great and we need to stay that way. The importance is making sure we carefully understand the person on the other side of the table and try and only do business with people that think the way we do. This of course always isn’t possible and you quite often can get people pretend to be WIN/ WIN, but they are a snake in disguise.
My advice & thinking? Be Nice, be Kind and always look out for both sides of a business deal. However, if you end up with someone who is WIN driven – or worse WIN / LOSE driven be really careful. Make sure you have good documentation, you keep an eye on them and be really cautious. Even better if you can choose not to work with those people – you are probably doing yourself a favour!
I trust these thoughts help you and love your work!
About the Author:
Edward Zia is a Marketing Mentor, Commentator, 4Networking Leader who loves helping Awesome Entrepreneurs & Business Owners get more High Value Clients. If you like what you have read here, feel free to review more of his articles. If you love that too, check out his Premium Online Course “The Awesome Marketing Vault by Edward Zia” >> Right Here!
8 Responses
Thank you Edward Zia and Paul Battaglia. It is nice to know there are still people like you around. Now I know who my allies are.
Most people are awesome I think Alfred! That is the good news. I think about 10% are scumbags but they often do most of the damage 🙂
That’s Great Edward. Now 90% of people are my allies!
Love your work Alfred! Yes, most people are great – you just got to watch out for the rat bags. A few out there, but they can do a lot of damage.
i agree with Edward. Most people are decent. It is interesting how good my instincts are but I have delayed in acting to correct the situation. Life is a platform of constant learning.
Thanks Ed
For you and me both Paul. I make mistakes / learn things every day and I am forever pushing myself harder. That makes life fun. Yay and thank you for being a great inspiration!!!
Well said Ed. And yes, I’ve found yourself and Paul to be great.
Love your Work Awesome Sam!