by David Chapman
Staff Writer
Jim Stallings is a guy on the go.
As IBM general manager of global markets in the IBM Systems and Technology Group, Stallings travels the world and also consults by phone regularly with clients in Australia, China and Africa.
“It’s a 24-hour day in my world,” said Stallings.
He met recently with about 60 small business owners and entrepreneurs associated with the Beaver Street Enterprise Center to launch the organization’s first “Leadership Lessons from the Top” program to offer advice that was helpful to him and the company.
One theme prevailed throughout his presentation at The University Club.
“The world is changing,” he said. “You have got to embrace technology, leverage technology.”
He said technology assists business owners keep up in ever-changing markets and allows them access to greater opportunities than before.
For example, Stallings said Africa is “going to be bigger than China” in terms of economic opportunity.
He cited the continent’s overall lack of infrastructure as an attractor, not a detractor, and its many English-speaking countries as examples of opportunity.
Stallings also advised the business owners to focus on continuously improving the value that their products and services provide while simultaneously finding ways to drive down costs.
He said that when business owners struggle for clues about how to do so, they can look to an unlikely source — the competition.
“Oftentimes what’s working for them is something you’re not doing,” he said. “If you don’t drive down costs yourself, your competition will.”
He also offered “dos and “don’ts” for business owners.
• Don’t: Think employees do not appreciate what owners do for them; hire for limited responsibility; assume people will leave once they are trained; or hire people who are similar to them in style.
• Do: Assign mentors and reward both the mentor and mentee; overinvest in key people; crossover train; and lead by example.
Success doesn’t come from just finding a profitable balance in the books. Stallings said it also stems from the choices business owners make in their personal lives because business often requires around-the-clock attention but owners also need to balance.
“The (work) world is turning into 24 hours a day,” he said. “You’ve got to be mentally and physically tough.”
That includes Mom’s advice of sleeping at least eight hours a night, eating a proper diet with enough fruits and vegetables, and exercising.
Beaver Street Enterprise Center will host more educational opportunities for small business owners to learn from successful business professionals, said Jackie Perry, the center’s executive director. The goal is to hold a program each quarter.
The timing of the first meeting coincided with a celebratory week of IBM turning 100 and Perry said the first group benefited from Stallings tips.
“I thought Jim gave some great insight to them,” said Perry. “It’s information that can help them grow.”
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