Tag Archives: management

March 12, 2014 · 8:49 am

The “DOH” Factor

I did something really dumb yesterday and I thought it might be instructive. After all, as I tell my clients, the reason you hire someone with as much experience as I have is because I’ve already made most of the stupid mistakes. Why not learn from my stupidity?

A friend was excited to learn that very high-speed internet was coming to her town.

Homer Simpson

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

She sent me a link to the local article about it.  I scanned the first paragraph and saw “Google Fiber” and assumed that’s what she was talking about.  I had read that Google was bringing its gigabit internet service to her town a couple of weeks ago.  Being the good-natured sort, I replied that yes, I was aware of it when it was news a couple of weeks ago.  Snark quotient off the chart, I know.  She calmly said, “No, not Google.  Read it – it’s a local company.  They’ll be here before Google.”  My apology was immediate and sincere.

We all do that, I think.  We’re so trained to multitask that our brains get good at parsing little pieces of information, evaluating them, and deciding whether and how to act upon them in an incredibly rapid fashion.  Maybe it’s become too fast.  As my faux-pas demonstrates, taking the time to get all of the available information might delay an opinion but it will probably make the quality of that opinion – and the decisions we make based upon our opinions – much higher.

Homer Simpson is one of my favorite characters but I’m not so sure he’s a great example for any of us as a businessperson.  “DOH” is a word he says on a regular basis, not that anyone would accuse him of moving in an overly rapid manner.  Taking our time – just a bit more time – to gather information more carefully and completely can help eliminate the “doh” factor.  I’m going to try to do just that – you?

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February 17, 2014 · 10:02 am

Happy President’s Day!

Today we celebrate the birthday of George Washington and of course since the government decreed this a holiday it will never occur on his actual birthday (true!).

1795 - 1823

1795 – 1823 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In many places, the holiday also celebrates Lincoln’s birthday – these two men were born on dates only 10 days apart although separated by 70 years or so.  Since today is a holiday for many of you, I thought I’d get in the “day off” spirit by reposting something from 2009 that still is good advice – Washington’s, not mine!

It’s no surprise that almost 282 years after his birth, George Washington has some business thoughts.  Now before you click to the next blog, let’s remember that this is the man who predicted the European Union a long time ago except that he called it the “United States of Europe“.  His open letter to the American People, written as he left office, raises themes that are even more true today.  He urged Americans to unite for the good of the whole country, to avoid permanent foreign alliances, particularly in Europe, and to keep morality first and foremost in government.

Turns out he had some pretty good business advice as well although I’m not sure he intended it as such.  So, let’s follow his advice to “Let your Discourse with Men of Business be Short and Comprehensive” and look briefly at a few quotes.

Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire, called conscience.

We’ve discussed that point many times in this space.  It’s impossible to do good business while doing bad things.

My observation is that whenever one person is found adequate to the discharge of a duty… it is worse executed by two persons, and scarcely done at all if three or more are employed therein.

Right-sizing, in other words, but also giving people responsibility and the freedom to act.  I suspect that he knew a lot about conservation and deployment of resources from his time near the Delaware.

Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble.

Oh boy.  Is there a better quote to sum up all that has gone down in the housing and mortgage industries?  Don’t do bad deals and you’ll sleep better!  And finally:

Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company.

For whom you work and with whom you do business say a lot about YOU!  So Happy Presidents Day and let’s remember the people behind the holiday as well as what they had to say.

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February 12, 2014 · 10:48 am

The Kid On The Bicycle

We didn’t get our newspaper this morning.  Not the end of the world, I know, but humans are creatures of habit and one of mine is skimming the paper while I have my breakfast.  We didn’t get it yesterday either.  These are not weather-related issues; other than the bitter cold, the weather is fine.  I reached out to the NY Times yesterday – they had another paper here by early afternoon.  Hopefully that repeats itself today.  I also let them know that these two incidents have become more common of late and I’m getting concerned.

Why am I telling you this?  No, it’s not my usual ranting about some slight.  There is a business lesson in here.  Strangely, I used to use this exact thing as an example many years ago when I would meet with advertisers to talk about media planning.  I’d talk then about the newspaper business and how many millions were spent hiring reporters and editors, salespeople and printers.  I’d talk about the money invested in paper and in presses and in ink.  I’d mention the thousands of people who print and publish and distribute a newspaper.  Which is then given to a kid on a bicycle to get to the home.  My point then was about the junior people were entrusted with taking marketing plans and advertising strategies and making them happen efficiently without a clear understanding of everything that had gone on previously.

The point today is a similar but broader one.  I’ve subscribed to home delivery of the Times, according to my account, since 1992.  My lifetime value to them is already into the tens of thousands of dollars.  The kid on the bicycle (ok, it’s a guy in a car that needs a muffler) has me wondering if I am better off just buying the paper and maybe not every day.  By comparison, the other papers I take have come every day without fail.  The last link in a huge business but the one that has a long-time customer questioning the product’s value.

We all need to think about who rides the bicycles in our businesses.  A beautiful office can seem less so if the receptionist is rude to guests.  The aforementioned junior person who executes plans by rote with no real understanding of “why” is that same weak spot.  As managers we need to ride along behind, checking off each delivery.  We need to make sure the delivery kid knows the route and we need to motivate them to do their job as well as we do ours – maybe even better (don’t throw the paper in the mud, kid).

Who rides the bicycles in your business?  Who is the last link between your brand and your customer?  When was the last time you paid attention to that link?  Any thoughts?

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