newCFO » KAIZEN

Are small things proxies for BIGger things?

lorenzo — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 23:15:55 +0000

A salesperson is rude to you on a sales call. A customer service representative lies to you about the features of a product that you are researching. While parking on the back of a restaurant you spot the kitchen help in dirty clothes, smoking, and with a glimpse of the kitchen you can see that it’s a mess. You know of the person that you just met, and he’s lying to you about a past job. You discover that one of your employees pads the expense reports by inflating mileage, and expensing meals with the spouse.

These are small things, but are they proxies for larger things?
Can you trust a company that hires a customer service manager that tolerates – if not promotes – lying to prospect?
Will a messy restaurant be clean as well?
Can you believe anything a liar says?
What job performance can be expected by someone who steals from a company?

In the larger scheme of things, both in the personal and corporate world, I have witnessed these happenings, and I have witnessed that it is let go, and in many cases it is expected, and justified by the ready-made sentences: “Buyer beware”, “Gaming the System”, “Focusing only on what’s important” and variation on such themes.
BUT . . . there are HUGE advantages to deal only with people and companies that can be blindly trusted 1,000%, so why not refusing to continue any further dealings with people and companies with deceiving practices? How can anyone expect or justify to behave one way during certain circumstances, and behaving diametrically opposite during other? To the skeptics I will concede that YES, you might be wrong 5% of the time (I doubt it). Sure it might be expensive and painful to let go someone just because of a small indiscretion; or refusing to do business with one company may result in higher costs or less revenue. But isn’t the alternative a self-fulfilling prophecy where things can only get worse? And weren’t those things flowed to begin with?

Where does your company stand on this issue? Where do your people stand on this issue?
Will you attract better customers, managers, workers if you had better standards?

Do birds of feather really flock together? They did at Enron, Artur Anderson, MCI, Adelphia, Tyco . . .

Something to think about

lor3nzo — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 17:13:37 +0000

Q.: What’s the difference between Art School and Business School?
A.: In Business school you don’t get to practice what you learn (are case studies and business plans without execution business practice?)

Pasta with vongole

Q.: What’s the difference between Music School and Business School?
A.: In Business School you don’t get to practice what you learn (are case studies and business plans without execution business practice?)

Q.: What’s the difference between Cooking School and Business School?
A.: In Business school you don’t get to practice what you learn (are case studies and business plans without execution business practice?)

On a related note: you have resolved to finally learn a new skill, let’s say swimming or to speak Italiano. Would you take lessons from someone who doesn’t know how to swim, and doesn’t speak Italian?

Something to think about.

Life, Business, and the art of playing guitar

lor3nzo — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 16:59:18 +0000

Do you play guitar? You should! Here’s why:

Musicians have more fun: ask around
It’s portable fun: once you start playing guitar, you’ll start collecting gear, somehow it comes with the territory. Buy a cheap guitar and take it with you at the beach, camp, wherever you go.
It’s social: start playing and people will stop talking, turn off cell phones, detach from their iPod, and start humming, some will sing, and the most courageous may eve dance. You’ll make new friends, and get to know amazing people. (Add dog if you are single).

But wait! There’s more: learning to play guitar will embed in you the most valuable business tool there is: Project Management:

Plan: make one (online resources etc..), buy one (Books, methods etc..) or hire someone to make one fore you (teacher)
Perfect Practice make perfect: only by playing constantly and on a regular basis you will progress on the plan. 30 minutes every day will yield greater results that 3.5 hours every Sunday.
Use it or lose it: put practice off long enough and you will find that you have fallen behind where you were the last time you practice.
Learn by doing is the only way to learn: how many books on swimming can you read and never jump into the water?
Push the envelope: practicing every day what you know will get you nowhere. Set the task too high and you will fail without learning. Set the bar every time a bit higher, practice slow, then increase speed, practice until the conscious efforts grows enough neurons to become habit or second nature, a part of your new you; then move on to the next task.
Enjoy the process, the process is the destination.

Can you say the same about your business tools and habits?