In a word – Bad employees and colleagues using business development as an example for many (e.g. also professors)

Since I work in the field of business development myself, this is not a pointing finger at others, but rather a critical observation.

The world of business development is complex and demanding. It's about new business opportunities

➡️ to recognize (and actively pursue)

to develop and implement to drive the growth and success of a company. Unfortunately, some business development managers do not always seem to have the activity and industry communication necessary to effectively achieve these goals.

The importance of business development

Business development covers a wide range of activities aimed at realizing a company's business potential. This includes identifying new market opportunities, maintaining customer relationships, developing innovative products or services, opening up new sales channels and much more. Ideally, business development works closely with other departments such as sales, marketing, research and development as well as top management to ensure a holistic and strategic approach.

Challenges in business development

However, it is not always easy to conduct effective business development. It requires a clear strategic direction to identify and exploit the right opportunities. A common problem is that business development is mistakenly viewed as a simpler sales or administrative act, without clear objectives or a long-term perspective. This can result in valuable resources being wasted and potential not being realized.

The role of communication and activity

In today's fast-paced business world, communication is crucial. Business development managers must actively stay up to date with what is happening in their industry and in the market. This includes attending conferences, networking with other professionals and monitoring trends and developments. Open communication can create valuable partnerships and promote innovative ideas.

The danger of inactivity

Inactivity and a lack of industry communication can have serious consequences. Companies could miss valuable opportunities, lose competitiveness and ultimately stagnate. It is therefore essential that business development managers are proactive, actively seek out opportunities and work closely with other relevant stakeholders.

Activity and communication are key

To practice effective business development, activity and communication are key. It is not enough to rest on existing successes or to misunderstand the role of business development as a simpler sales or administrative task. Instead, companies should recognize the importance of a proactive approach, strengthened by close collaboration with other departments and continuous market monitoring.

📣 Similar topics

• 🚀 Successful business development: More than just sales
• 💡 Recognizing and seizing opportunities: The role of business development
• 🌐 Connected to success: Active communication in business development
• 💼 Setting the strategic course: The importance of business development
• 🏆 Shaping growth: challenges in business development
• 🤝 Creating partnerships: The art of industry communication
• 📊 Think outside the box: market trends in business development
• 🔄 From idea to reality: innovative power in business development
• 📈 Growth acceleration: The key role of business development
• 🔑 Active to success: Strategies for effective business development

#️⃣ Hashtags: #BusinessDevelopment #ActiveInBusiness #CommunicationInCompany #SuccessfulGrowth #OpportunitiesRecognize

The reason for incorrect appointments in professional positions is usually poor pay. This often scares experts away and leads to cheap people and people from outside the industry being hired. These people are often completely overwhelmed and limit themselves to simple administrative tasks. In the final phase, their work is often limited to the monthly compilation of figures and lists. However, these could be done within minutes with a simple push of a button by an assistant using various AI, CRM and ERP systems.

Interesting additions

1. The role of technology and automation

In today's business world, technology and automation play a crucial role. It is important to recognize that repetitive administrative tasks can be taken over by machines, but the real added value of business development lies in strategic planning, customer relationships and innovation.

➡️ It's about recognizing new business opportunities ➡️.

2. Examples of success in business development

Companies like Amazon, Apple and Google are examples of how successful business development can help create breakthrough products, services and business models. These companies rely on an integrative approach and have proven that business development can be a driving force for growth.

3. The importance of expertise

Expert knowledge in the respective industries is essential for effective business development. Investing in qualified specialists often pays off in the long term and prevents the position from degenerating into a purely administrative task.

4. Agile Business Development

In an ever-changing business environment, it is important for business development to be agile. Adaptability, quick decision-making and the ability to respond to new opportunities are critical to success.

5. Collaboration between departments

Business development should not take place in isolation but requires close collaboration with other departments such as marketing, research and development and sales to develop holistic strategies.

6. Employee motivation and retention

Poor pay and lack of recognition can lead to qualified employees leaving the company. Companies should invest in their employees to promote expertise and ensure long-term retention.

7. Avoiding silo mentality

A common problem in companies is silo mentality, where departments work in isolation from each other. Business development can only be successful if there is an overarching strategic vision that is supported by company management.

8. Emphasize customer focus

Effective business development should be strongly focused on the needs and wants of customers. Customer feedback and data should be used to develop innovative solutions.

9. Long-Term vs. Short-Term Mindset

Healthy business development should keep both short-term profits and long-term growth in mind. A purely cost-oriented mindset can limit the company's potential in the long term.

10. Continuing education and training

Companies should provide their employees with ongoing training opportunities to ensure they can keep up with the latest trends, technologies and methods in business development.

The world of business development is about identifying business opportunities, building relationships and developing strategies to move the company forward. But what happens when this crucial area degenerates into a place of ineffectiveness and administrative burden? The reasons for this can be varied, but it is important to identify and address these issues in order to realize the full potential of business development.

💰 Wrong appointments due to lack of incentives

The problem often lies in the undervaluation and therefore poor pay of business development experts. It's tempting to save costs by hiring people who are cheap but often from outside the industry. However, this lack of expertise can lead to administrative activities instead of strategic planning. It is crucial to provide appropriate incentives to attract and retain qualified professionals.

🔧 Manageable administrative tasks instead of strategic vision

Another problem arises when those who are supposed to have strategic responsibility are overloaded with administrative tasks. This overwhelm can lead them to limit themselves to simple administrative work instead of developing long-term goals. It is important to create clear divisions of tasks and ensure that experts can concentrate on their actual tasks.

📊 Numbers and lists as a replacement for real development work

The final phase of such an undesirable development is often the creation of monthly reports that offer little added value. These numbers and lists could just as easily be generated by assistants, as they do not provide any deeper analysis or strategic perspective. However, business development should aim to move the company forward rather than getting lost in superficial statistics.

🏢 The role of company policy

Company politics can have a big impact on the development of the business area. When cost reduction is valued over quality and strategic vision, it can lead to a vicious circle. Investments in qualified specialists and resources are essential to ensure effective business development and ensure long-term success.

💡 Solutions for successful business development

• 📈 Value of Expertise: Recognize the importance of expertise in business development and offer competitive compensation to attract qualified experts.
• 🚀 Clear responsibilities: Define clear roles and responsibilities to ensure experts can focus on strategic tasks.
• 🎯 Set long-term goals: Focus on long-term goals and strategic planning instead of getting lost in administrative details.
• 🤝 Interdisciplinary collaboration: Create close collaboration between different departments to develop holistic business strategies.
• 💬 Open communication: Promote open communication where ideas can be exchanged and innovative approaches can be discussed.

Business development has the potential to transform companies and enable growth. By taking the right measures, you can ensure that this area does not become a placebo for administrative tasks, but provides real value for your company.

📣 Similar topics

• 💡 Experts in business development: More than just numbers and lists!
• 🏆 The Art of Strategic Business Development: Paths to Success.
• 💰 Recognizing valuable expertise: Investing in business development professionals.
• 🚀 From administrator to designer: The evolution of business development.
• 🌟 Strategies instead of statistics: The true task of business development.
• 🔑 Key role business development: quality before costs.
• 🌐 Beyond departmental boundaries: synergies for successful business development.
• 📊 Using data with vision: The future of business development.
• 👥 Collaboration for success: Business development as a team effort.
• 🌱 Growth through business development: opportunities and challenges.

#️⃣ Hashtags: #BusinessDevelopment #StrategicPlanning #Expertise #BusinessGrowth #Collaboration

Yes, an intrinsic proactive attitude is very important for business development. Let me first explain the two concepts:

1. Intrinsic motivation

This type of motivation comes from within a person. It refers to someone approaching tasks or activities out of their own interest, enjoyment, or personal drive, rather than simply following external rewards or punishments.

2. Proactive attitude

A proactive attitude means taking initiatives, taking responsibility, and actively moving toward changes or opportunities rather than just acting reactively when situations arise.

It's all about this

Business development is about identifying new opportunities, building relationships, developing the market and developing growth strategies. An intrinsic proactive attitude is extremely important in this context for the following reasons:

1. Take initiative

Business development requires actively recognizing opportunities that are often not obvious. An intrinsically motivated person will naturally seek out such opportunities and take initiatives to find new directions for the company.

2. Endurance

Business development can be challenging as it is often associated with uncertainty and rejection. An intrinsically motivated person will be more willing to persevere despite obstacles and learn from setbacks.

3. Creativity

Proactive people tend to be more creative as they constantly look for new solutions and approaches. This creativity is crucial to finding and implementing innovative business opportunities.

4. Personal responsibility

An intrinsically motivated person takes responsibility for their actions and decisions. In business development, it is important to take responsibility for the success of new initiatives.

5. Adaptability

The market and business landscape is constantly changing. A proactive attitude makes it possible to adapt to changes more quickly and recognize new trends.

6. Customer focus

Business development often involves interacting with customers and identifying their needs. An intrinsically motivated person will be more focused on creating value for customers.

7. Other factors

However, it is important to note that a combination of intrinsic motivation and proactive attitude are not the only factors that define successful business development. Industry knowledge, interpersonal skills, strategic thinking and teamwork are also crucial.

An intrinsically proactive attitude shows a deep inner drive to take responsibility and take initiatives. She represents a person who seeks opportunities, promotes innovation and is willing to go the extra mile. This attitude is extremely valuable in the business world because it can lead to creative solutions, continuous improvement, and committed collaboration.

However, it is important to understand that this attitude does not equate to a willingness to offer their work or skills at minimal value. The expression “for an apple and an egg” describes a situation where someone offers their work or services at a very low price that is not reasonable. An intrinsically proactive person values ​​their skills and commitment, which may lead them to seek fairer compensation for their work.

Interestingly, research shows that people with intrinsic motivation who find joy and fulfillment in their work tend to perform better and develop more creative solutions. These qualities are invaluable in dynamic business environments because they can help companies stand out positively and achieve long-term success. Therefore, it is wise for organizations to not only look for employees with an intrinsically proactive attitude, but also to ensure that they are appropriately recognized and compensated to maintain their motivation and productivity.

“A lot of chatter about company policy, equal rights, etc., but ultimately the financial value, recognition and respect in the form of an appropriate salary is so not reflected that you almost get the impression that the company has little substance and that it is just trading about empty words.”

It is unfortunate when companies emphasize values ​​such as equality, ethics and commitment in their communication, but are unable to embody these values ​​in an appropriate way in practice. The discrepancy between stated principles and actual actions can lead to disappointment and cynicism among employees.

There are numerous articles and reports pointing out such discrepancies. An interesting example is the gender pay gap. Despite many companies publicly committed to equal rights, there are often still significant pay gaps between male and female employees, particularly in leadership positions. This shows that a commitment to equality does not necessarily go hand in hand with appropriate measures to eliminate gender-based injustices.

The area of ​​“greenwashing” is also relevant. These are companies that present themselves as environmentally friendly and sustainable, but actually do little or nothing to minimize their environmental impact. This highlights how a superficial façade of sustainability without substantive effort can end up undermining consumer and employee trust.

In today's socially connected world, companies are increasingly exposed to public opinion and criticism. Posts on social media, review platforms and the press can help expose dishonest behavior by companies and stimulate open discussions about the discrepancy between rhetoric and reality. Companies that act truly authentically tend to have a better chance of achieving long-term success and gaining the trust of their employees, customers and the public.

When professors show great commitment and activity in their part-time work, but limit themselves to the minimum in their actual role as professor, this raises interesting questions about prioritization and efficiency in the academic world.

On the one hand, such behavior could indicate that the professors are involved in projects or activities outside of their main role that mean more to them personally or that seem more financially lucrative to them. This could indicate a mismatch between the incentives for a professor's primary position and the incentives for secondary positions.

On the other hand, this phenomenon could also indicate structural problems in the academic system. It is possible that the reward mechanisms in higher education are not sufficiently aligned to adequately reward excellent teaching and research. If professors do not receive enough recognition or support in their primary jobs, they may be forced to direct their energies elsewhere to advance their careers.

It is also interesting to consider this behavior in the context of the changing higher education landscape. In times when universities increasingly have to look for external sources of funding, part-time jobs may have become a necessity for many professors in order to raise funds for their research projects or the institution itself. However, this could at the same time lead to their actual tasks being neglected.

Overall, the behavior of the professors described highlights the complex incentive systems, structures and challenges in the academic environment. It calls for reflection on the underlying reasons for such behavior and possible solutions to ensure that excellence in all aspects of academic work is appropriately recognized and rewarded.

Professors who are agile and committed in both their part-time work and their main role as a professor face an interesting balance. Here are some important aspects to consider:

🧑‍🏫 The role of a full-time professor

The main task of a professor is to impart knowledge, conduct research and generate scientific knowledge. This requires in-depth specialist knowledge and the ability to explain complex topics in an understandable way. Professors should promote academic excellence and accompany students on the path to becoming competent professionals.

🤝 Commitment to part-time work

In addition to their main work, many professors are involved in various areas, be it in industry, consulting or public institutions. This enables them to gain practical experience, make contacts and incorporate current developments into their teaching. Part-time jobs can also improve the finances of the university and the professors.

🚀 Benefits of engagement

• Practical relevance: Part-time activities allow professors to gain current practical experience and bring it into the classroom.
• Networking: Through external activities, valuable contacts can be made that lead to research collaborations or career opportunities.
• Income diversification: Side gigs can provide financial stability and support research projects.

🛑 Challenges and limitations

Despite the benefits, challenges can arise:

• Time management: Balancing your main job, side hustles and personal life requires careful planning.
• Conflicts of interest: Possible conflicts between the interests of the university, students and external partners must be avoided.
• Quality control: The quality of teaching and research must not suffer as a result of secondary activities.

🌐 Responsibility towards the university

Despite their external activities, professors' primary responsibility to the university and students remains. The quality of teaching and the maintenance of academic standards should not be neglected.

📣 Similar topics

• 📚 Finding the balance: Main professional tasks and secondary activities of a professor
• 🔗 Challenges and opportunities: Dedicated professors in practice
• 🌟 Networking and careers: The advantages of part-time jobs for professors
• 🕰️ Time management and quality: The balancing act between teaching, research and commitment
• 🎓 Academic responsibility: Professors in the area of ​​tension between their main job and practice

#️⃣ Hashtags: #ProfessorsEngagement #Secondary activities #TeachingAndResearch #UniversityQuality #CareerInTheAkademie