The practice of business is not all fun and games. (Just in case you had not noticed!)
The second definition of “smarts” in the Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus, online issue, is “sharp stinging pain.”
How this applies to doing business it is really not too difficult to conjure up. It is the trusted colleague who goes behind you, cutting you out of the deal. It is the friend who uses another business, not yours. It is the gallant effort to sell a product and not making the sale. It is the competitor who lies about you or your service to win a transaction. I could go on and apparently, since these examples are rolling off my finger tips easily, my own “smarts” have been remembered.
The question I am raising in this writing is what to do about the smart?
Do we as business professionals walk away with no comment and try to forget? Do we go after the person who injured us? Do we just quit because obviously we are failures? Do we learn from the experience and change our ways? What is the most professional response, the one that will position us best for future success and for personal comfort?
I will leave it at that and respond as others weigh in.
