I have often looked at folks who are managers or executives in huge international companies and wondered ... "Would I have the skills, knowledge and ability to do what they do?"

I suspect that many owners and managers of small to mid-sized businesses do that. We feel like maybe it is through a fault in our character or a shortcoming in our abilities that we are relegated to the small business world while many friends and colleagues have gone on to big business.

At the same time, whenever I have been involved in an organization made up of individuals who come from both sides of that "small or big" business fence, I have noticed that the small business guys tend to be the drivers. They tend to be better at building consensus, coming up with creative strategies, and making things happen. (Now, that said, I have known some wonderfully talented big business folks, too -- I am just speaking in generalities here.)

I guess that what dawned on me yesterday is that, while big business guys may go a little "deeper" in particular areas, especially with numbers and charts and research, the small business folks are the ones to be applauded for their breadth of knowledge and for their people skills. Often, the big business folks only have to work with people from their own areas of expertise. That can be fairly easy because they probably all have a similar "bent" to them. However, the small business person has to work with folks from all sorts of backgrounds ... people skills are critical to their success.

The small business owner, in the course of a day, will work with finance, marketing, sales, purchasing, and operations -- all before noon. They have to have strong knowledge of all facets of what it takes to successful run a business. Their people skills require them to communicate properly with, among many others, general workers, managers at all levels, salespeople, customers, vendors, bankers, competitors, and attorneys -- and to do all of those with the skill of an experienced statesperson.

A part of me still wonders -- would I have been able to do the work required by "big business"? But then I look at the roundedness (um, yeah) I have achieved in small business ... and perhaps the ability to be myself a bit more rather than always worrying about "politics" (though you have that issue in small business as well) and I figure that I am okay where I'm at.