Understanding the Psychology of the Business Environment

Psychology of the business environment can be internal or external! Staff or customers.

If you really try to understand what people need and want in the work environment, then you are on your way to success. A mistake a lot of businesses make is when they develop a product or service, they think of how yhry would like it. For example, when I worked with technology companies I had to keep telling the techies to make the technology more user friendly. Because we are selling to the average Joe, not 3rd level engineers.

Aside from the dot-com fiasco, why were there some dot comes that were so successful. Google, Amazon, Yahoo, EBay, Price Line etc. Because they understood human nature and behavior. They made websites that allowed people to get stuff fast, easy and cheap without having to leave home.

When asked how did you get so successful, many entrepreneurs answered “I just gave people what they wanted”

So stop paying so much attention to your own thoughts and try to get into the mind of the buyer!!

In the same respect, leaders who understand human behavior can motivate and inspire their staffs to be happier, more productive and more efficient. How many times do you see bosses who are brilliant but clueless on how to treat people, how to motivate their staffs and how much their leadership style is hurting the company.

So when you are looking at getting your MBA, look at the schools that also focus on teaching students Interpersonal leadership skills!!

Now What do We Do?

The news about the economy keeps getting worse and worse. Every time you here about another bank crashing, more foreclosures, stocks tumbling, it can weaken your motivation and cause you to stop being proactive in your career, your company and your personal life. Its a common fact that when things get bad, human nature tends to put people into a defense mode where they become more fearful and more unfocused. They tend to dwell more and more on the bad news. And the media sure does not help.

In my years of studying people you can see why successful people become successful. They rarely go into defense mode. They consistently keep looking for opportunities and trying to build momentum. The tougher times get, the more focused and determined they become.

I just got back from a networking meeting where people were talking gloom and doom and one successful entrepreneur had a positive response for every scenario people brought up. His mind was constantly clicking on how he can leverage bad situations to produce prosperity for him and his family. His demeanor was infectious!