Gregor Allan's Blog

The naturally gifted are everywhere. Yet we only truly notice them when they effortlessly trump our best efforts. From a students perspective, I see individuals casually compare 90 and higher averages on midterms that they never studied for where the class median was 53 percent. As an athlete that competes internationally (and sometimes wins), I cannot help but notice those that seem to casually shrug off advice, do a slack warm up, never even bother to look over their equipment and then proceed towin their respective events. The Australian Sports Commission wrote an article detailing exactly how phenoms operate.

In the business world, phenomenal individuals exist as well. In sales, they are the ones with the toothy golden smiles that close every deal, in operations, the guys that can effortlessly “turn around” a failing system, and in finances, they are the individuals who can seemingly make money appear out of thin air. Everyone wishes they were like them.

I don’t think they are good for much.

You heard me. All the talent on earth doesn’t make up for a dedicated, constant, and irrepressible work ethic. The ability to sit down and grind is invaluable to businesspeople, regardless of the task that they face, because I guarantee that one day, in the Big Leagues, the golden smiled salesman is going to go toe to toe with a guy who’s got teeth that shine just as brightly, yet put in his hours and made the best proposal anyone has ever seen. That guy, the one who worked for it, will get the deal and the naturally talented will fall to the wayside. Play it smart; hire someone willing to do the grind.

SOURCE: http://www.ausport.gov.au/sportscoachmag/coaching_processes/no_shortcut_to_the_top_for_naturally_gifted

Sources:http://www.vancouversun.com/news/There+will+pipeline/10122968/story.html?__federated=1

The Nothern Gateway pipeline is necessary. The Conservative government has recently given it the go-ahead because of it’s instrumental ability to boost the entire Canadian economy. Yet there are forces that stand in the way of this multi-billion dollar economic powerhouse: the Native-American coalition hell-bent on keeping Enbridge off of their ancestral land.

Over the past years, and certainly into late 2015, Enbridge and the Canadian government have been working tirelessly to slowly win over and sign on the 40-plus Native bands that have land affected by the pipeline. These bands are necessary for the pipeline’s success as they are creators of key trends.

Specifically, Native-American bands like the Nak’azdli affect Enbridge’s regulatory, societal and cultural trends. They force the giant corporation to step gently and safeguard the environment as well as take decisive steps to prevent spillage and maintain the cultural significance of the land. Even with these concessions, and how Enbrige is more than willing to share in the profits of the pipeline, bands like the Nak’azdli are still vehemently opposed to the pipeline.

I believe this position to be hypocritical. The Naz’azdli and every other Native band are reliant on gas stations and fossil fuels for power and employment, yet cry foul when it does not suit them perfectly.

Though the Naz’azdli’s position influences the pipeline’s development and design in a way that is undoubtably positive for the environment, I strongly believe that for the good of not only their economy, but that of all of Canada, that they should accept that they have made a critical difference as a external factor on Enbridge’s business model and take a financial cut, shake hands, stand in a neat row and help convince other reluctant Native bands that sometimes minimal sacrifices must be made so that 33 million individual’s economy can benefit.

Source:http://blogs.ubc.ca/adamseston

Adam Seston’s blog post from early September illustrates how it is necessary for a business to be responsible to the community for it to even survive in today’s markets, let alone flourish and prosper. He is absolutely correct.

I also believe that this outlook is absolutely inefficient and overly idealistic.

Sure, it’s great that companies have excellent PR, and that they know how to hold hands with minorities and community leaders, but frankly, if I am a shareholder in a business, their responsibility to me is not to be the friendliest, most eco-sensitive, community-orientated firm of the day that everyone loves. A company that I have put my faith and financial capital into should spend it’s every moment creating innovative, efficient, effective and long term ways to make me, the shareholder, money.

In the days of John Pierpont Morgan, banker and financier in 1920’s Wall Street, there were practically no rules. Firms fought tooth and claw for every percent of market share, and a lot of people got hurt by this blatant disregard for ethics. But oh boy, did they make money. Their profit margins were legendary, and the investor that were lucky enough to hitch onto firms like Standard Oil or J.P Morgan in the early days emerged fabulously rewarded for their confidence.

I’m not calling for a return to the doggy-dog world of of the Roaring 20’s, I am asking a simple question: have we gone too soft? Have our emotions impeded a firm’s ability to get a bit of moral dirt under it’s nails to keep itself afloat and keep us earning our just dividends? Only the future will tell.