Cirrovista - Family Tips and Principles for Men

Who Cares What Time It Is, We Have Eachother

Our friends Hal and Cheryl took us to the top of some rugged, green El Salvadoran mountains to a restaurant hidden among the coffee plantations called Cabana de Aponeca. It was a long drive on narrow, winding roads and we stretched our legs. Flocks of green parrots, fluttered overhead, and the iridescent blue and purple butterflies magically filled the air, with hundreds sitting on the ground with wings together. It was supposed to be an afternoon trip and then we would return to Oscar and Pati's house for dinner. At least that was the plan.

We ordered colorful drinks, coconut, guava, lemon, orange, and talked and reminisced about old times. They were Americans that had lived in El Salvador for 25 years and had established a large, growing institute where people learn life skills, principles, and values for living.

It was a privilege for me to be there to teach on the topics of finances, stewardship, planning, and micro-businesses and home businesses. As time went on, my son Caleb got very hungry, though we had lunch several hours earlier. I reminded him that Oscar and Pati were having us over for dinner in a few hours.

You know, we Americans generally make a plan, stick to it, watch the clock, and if we are on the way to work and we see someone we know, the tendency is to quickly say "Hi", and say something like "I'm late for work, can’t talk now." They accept this as normal and let us go. Time is a commodity, diced and measured, plotted and tracked. Time is "money" and we "live to work." Our American values are quite different than Hispanic cultures, which are Latin in root.

As we talked, Caleb got increasingly hungry. Hal got him a menu, and I thought we were making a special case for him, but soon everyone was looking at menus! It took a lot of years for me to learn this principle, which is in Hispanic cultures the relationships tend to be are more important that work or time schedules. Time is not linear but it organic and flows naturally, and promptness is based on the relationships and people you are with, not the people you will be with. It can be unacceptable to leave for another engagement because it sends the message that "others are more important then you." If I don't stop to chat to a friend I bump into on the way to work, it says "I think my work is more important that you."

If you think Oscar and Pati were offended that we arrived very late, and not as hungry as we could have been, think again. They know this and it is acceptable to go with the flow and not be on time. In America, if a worker comes late, it may be offensive and the worker may be thought to be lacking in character, or they had better have a good excuse. If we come late to a meeting, we apologize, and there are actually degrees of apologies needed if you are 1, 5, or 10, or 20 minutes late! (the sorry look, verbal 'sorry', 'really sorry', 'sorry and a good explanation,' etc. It is good to know, however, that some people cultures are not ruled by the clock, but by the love of friends and family, and work is good but it doesn't rule lives to the point edging out social relationships and, again, family. Obviously there are strengths and weaknesses between each culture, the American work-time-task centric and the Hispanic relationship-organic-flexible cultures. One culture can turn out tons of great gadgets and products and dominate the economic landscape, the other fosters close family and familial ties which not only define who they are but it is also their social security safety net. One culture tends to have less-connected families and friends, and the other is has an economy that may plod along more slowly.

Frequent trips to Latin America have me questioning some of my work values, relationship depths, and other values as an American. I decided that a little more time with friends and family, a little more relaxing at the coffee shop, and learning more of the art of conversation were all good things to strive for. However, it's important to stay relevant to the culture you live in, and since I live in America I'll try to be on time for that dinner date. But, I'll be more understanding when my Hispanic friends are late.

Here is some suggested reading in breaking out of the American cultural patterns:

Distant Neighbors - A Portrait of the Mexicans

by Alan Riding

The Germans

by Greg Nees

Au Contraire! The French,

(another Latin culture…), By Gilles Asselin and Ruth Mastron

A Businessman in Japan

Best wishes for you and your friends, from Cirrovista

VISION

Helping People in the First and Third Worlds with God's Love, As Manifested through Microbusinesses (Mbiz)

Are you a Microbusiness (Mbiz) Entrepreneur (E) or Missionary (M), or aspire to be one?

Here are Six Characteristics of Microbusiness Entrepreneur (MbizE) and Microbusiness Missionary (MbizM) Success:

1. Passionate
2. Strong Moral Consciousness and Social Awareness
3. Not Limited by the Forest, but Seeing Trails between the Trees
4. Going Towards a Goal, Not Away
5. Quick Understanding
6. Looking at the Fringe
7. Disregard of Conventions

1. Passionate. Difference between a salesperson and a microbusiness (Mbiz) or entrepreneur(MbizE) is the amount of passion the person has. This is the main characteristic that is needed. Selling someone else’s vision rather than personally owning that vision dramatically increases the probability for success.

Salespeople will switch to another job if things get tough. Entrepreneurs persevere and develop working relationships with others, and even investors, in explaining and enlightening others with the vision that they are passionate about it. When (not if) things get rough entrepreneurs don’t just quit because their passion motivates them to think outside the box and find unique and different solutions to problems. Passion and perseverence overcome problems and brings success if you are an Mbiz entrepreneur (MbizE).

2. Strong Moral Consciousness and Social Awareness. Mbiz missionaries(MbizMs) hold that they belong to a team that is connected to others relationally, built on the foundation of God’s love. Relationships are built with those who use the products or services offered for a useful and meaningful purpose, as well as partners who provide raw materials or equipment that support the MbizM. The relationship with others is more important than the money . Regular ‘salesmen’ only see the business as a buying and selling operation to make money through the business. But, the MbizM helps satisfy the needs of others in order to improve or enrich others’ lives and add value for them in some way. Salesmen just hawk their wares and do not care about what the purpose or vision is.

MbizMs in the third world often have a spiritual perspective in their lives, driven by relationship and love for others through a love of God. They view this work as being part of a mission that is greater than they themselves, and it drives them and affects their behavior. MbizMs seek to show the love of God to those in need and believe that the love of God can be shown, to people in need, by providing useful goods and services or teaching them to think “outside of the box” in finding ways to support and feed their families. One man who sold tires never had enough money, it was either feast or famine. MbizMs showed him how to analyze his sales patterns, and even in the tropics of El Salvador tire sales did indeed have a pattern and that the man learned how to save when sales were good, and to think ahead and use the excess to live comfortably through the lean times. The knowledge of planning and data analysis was a foreign concept but the knowledge transfer allowed the man to even expand sales during the tire sales season.
Regular MbizEs can also be MbizMs if they seek to help others overcome with right motives.

3. Not Limited by the Forest, but Sees Trails Through the Trees. When lost in the forest, the usual thought pattern is to be focusing on the mass of trees. Generally, however, MbizEs will look for the trails through the forest trap. They quickly look for options and possibilities. They see the forest as a new opportunity to blaze a new trail, and find a new success route! They are sure that there are many answers to the problem, and seek solutions that many times may come from outside of their own thought patterns (sometimes a forest in itself!). Such solutions may come from others or from reliance upon God, or both. MBizEs seek to crack old thought patterns; and they are sure that there are many other good answers. Finding other solutions requires a willingness change in position or perspective, and be willing to entertain new ideas, principles, or ways of thinking.

Brick makers in Mexico will convert green bricks into fired bricks using large brick piles with cavities filled with wood and used motor oil. They cause a lot of air pollution which then affects the health of people in the nearby cities. Mbiz missionary engineers went in to help find a solution to the problem. Outrcries from people in the city, and sickness, looked as though they would lose their livelihoods. Using modern kiln designs it was found that encasing the bricks in an oven, and routing the offgases into a second green brick pile, one could filter the black smoke which would come out 98% clean, and it would pre-dry the green bricks and require much less fuel. The first fired brick pile would be removed and filled with green bricks, and the now dry green brick pile would be fired up. This pattern would alternate. Such a solution was a win-win for both businessmen and the people nearby! Mbiz missionaries used new knowledge to those without, and thereby adapted and solved an age-old problem.

4. Going Towards a Goal, Not Away. Mbiz entrepreneurs go in the direction where want to go, and not away from it. The story goes that T. Edison tried many thousands of times to get his light bulb to work, and viewed failure as a learning opportunity, ruling out those filaments that didn’t work. When faced with failures, the MbizE will focus on what the desired outcome is, e.g. what is possible or the desired goal of the venture? MbizEs don’t focus on behavior modification, e.g ‘I don’t want too look like a money mongerer’ or ‘I don’t want to look like an Amway Salesman.’ These are not the focus or the goal, but all work should move him/her closer to success, and every step should viewed as getting me one step closer to realizing my vision/dream.

5. Quick Understanding. An MbizE/M in difficult situations will move from the forest to the tress and back very quickly. After evaluating the macro/micro picture quickly, they will set upon a solid course of action. Others may worry in a non-productive manner, and be gripped with inaction. They would be overwhelmed by the macro picture, and fearful of taking action because there are a myriad of actions possible leading to an inability to be decisive.

If my roof leaks during a rainstorm, can I quickly see the big picture forest? e.g. water damage, mold, loss of property in damage – and them move quickly down the trails through the trees – get tarps to temporarily cover the hole, and call a contractor in to repair it. How fast the MbizE/M does this and then moves toward a positive solution is what sets them apart from others who may be locked in a mindset.

6. Looking at the Fringe. MbizE/Ms are always looking at the fringe, or thinking outside the box of convention. They will do so in such a way as to look for unconventional solutions, and which will add clarity to their focus and keep them sharp. They are always considering risks, options, and preparing themselves in a state of readiness, and keeping their tools and response actions (keeping their powder dry). They are passionately refining their techniques by exploring (learning) what's happening on the fringe/edge. Conventional thinking, or conventional wisdom, may be rapidly replaced by fringe thinking as the norm. For example, when the masses of people in the 1920s partied and took on debt (7 year mortgages) and borrowed stocks on margin, those who lived within their means and kept cash on hand (gold), were on the edge. When the market crashed many were wiped out, but those who kept a surplus saw their purchasing power rise x10. The wealth transferred quickly from the debtors, those who leveraged themselves with real estate debt, to those who ‘kept their powder dry’ in gold. Upheavals occur. Linear thinking, or projecting past experience and patterns upon the future, will not prepare us for change, or the future when upheavals occur. Helping those in the third world challenge such linear thinking is foundational.

In Kenya, the In-Step Foundation, and many other MbizMs help improve health of people in the communities that use springs for water. They explain new ideas, how animals contaminate the water that people drink. This simple fact leads to action where they then build a cement embankment to hold water and a metal spout to pour it on to the ground. Animals may drink from the ground but people take water from the spout. Hundreds of lives have been saved by exporting new (simple) ideas and technologies across time zones.

7. Disregard of Convention. MbizEs and MBizMs are inclined to break convention and ‘normal’ thought patterns. They are willing to apply knowledge across sectors and barriers, and not follow the crowd. They believe that just because everyone is doing it doesn’t validate it as the right way. Rather, as in the investment world, Warren Buffet and his mentor Benjamin Graham, would say ‘be fearful when everyone else is optimistic, and be optimistic when everyone is fearful’ or ‘buy straw hats in January’ which means in the winter you can buy summer hats cheap because they are out of season or fashion – so load up the truck as an true investor (buy LOW, and hold, vs. mainstream mantra of ‘buy and hold’). MbizEs and MBizMs can apply all learned principles across sectors. For example, good business thought patterns from the first world can be applied to the less-educated in the third world, just as the principle of buying low when the market crashes in one financial sector, applies to all other sectors because it is the same principle, buy LOW and hold. As one Proverb says “There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is death.” Most people follow conventions and suffer for it, thinking outside the box increases the chances of being trapped.

Conventions fall all the time. Typically, things on the fringe of ‘normal’ move to the conventional. This occurs in stages. For example, in the beanie baby mania of the 1990’s people on the fringe bought them because they were cute. In the next phase, it moved to certain sectors of the population as ‘cool.’ Finally, it went mainstream where everyone was buying them, and prices skyrocketed. Then it became commonplace (normal) to own them. It is now the new convention, and many lost a lot of money as they ‘invested’ in illiquid beanie babies (ala the Dutch Tulip Mania of the 16th century, the South Seas Company stock mania and the mania of the 1920s. History is replete with examples of conventions that failed.