I’d like to take a time off from the usual business blog I share here to write my thoughts on the recent Obama-Romney face off last 16th.  I’ve been following my favorite #custserv chat on Twitter when the convo was cancelled to give way to the presidential debate.  While the spar of wits and words has entertained everyone who watched, if you ask me, I was hoping to get real answers on how these candidates plan to handle the economy and change the way things are run.. for the better.  Like many small business owners out there, we’re hoping for a permanent fix, that whoever will win the presidential race will truly understand our needs – of helping us get customers and grow our businesses.

Leadership Lessons from the Obama-Romney Debate

While there have been many debates over the issue of job creation, it’s still too early to say who really won until all the votes are cast out.  I guess, the more appropriate term is a ‘stalemate’.  All of these talks aim to gain trust and respect – which you can’t win overnight.  You can’t command it or demand it either.  But to be a leader, you have to earn respect and this can mean going back to the basics, of being consistent with your message because people REALLY do pay attention.  You don’t have to be right all the time, but you must still have that positive mindset to respond to the challenge, to forgive others as well as yourself.  Enough with the jabs, I’d say, for leaders walk the walk. العب روليت اون لاين   All these talks are hollow if you can’t make an impact, a difference in the lives of people you lead. سلوتس

Getting Jobs Back

It’s not as simple as everyone thinks.  One hot topic in last week’s face off has been the issue of outsourcing jobs overseas. arabic casino   The manufacturing industry has been hit badly when it comes to finding cheaper labor cost elsewhere.  Do our candidates hope to bring back Apple’s manufacturing jobs?  While President Barack Obama acknowledge that these ‘low-wage, low-skill jobs’ won’t be coming back, Romney is pointing out on being tough on China’s currency manipulation.  Quite contradictory as that would mean making hiring labor there… cheaper?  I’ve mentioned before about having hybrid sourcing models to remedy this issue.  Besides, this is the era of globalization and I’m optimistic that we can find something that will work for everyone.

Small Business and Globalization

The idea of business expansion is always an exciting venture for any entrepreneur.  There are small businesses who are looking for new markets beyond the U.S. borders, like a modern hunt for El Dorado.  There will be challenges, no doubt, and it will transcend foreign currency, language and culture differences.  There will be legal matters to settle too, like trademark requests, privacy laws and so on – as this will differ from one country to another.  Most of them have stiff requirements too than what you’ll expect if you’re doing business here in the U.S.  While the subject of helping small businesses benefit more from international trade feels like music to my ears, we’ll just have to wait and see for this bit of encouragement to become a reality.

On the other hand, who do you think has won the debate on this topic?