By Tom Borg
July 15, 2010
When it comes to running a company, there has been a lot said about making sure you have the “right people” on the “bus.” Let’s take that thought process a couple of steps further.
The president and owner of a company I worked with, at one point in time, had a very successful company. This run lasted for almost 30 years. However, times continued to change and he didn’t. He reached a point where he felt the “old way” was the “only way” to do things. His demeanor made it clear that if his salespeople were going to continue to work for him, it was going to be the “old way” or “the highway.” Many of his independent contractors tried to tell him of better ways that were being used by his competitors. He would hear nothing of it.
Finally, this owner made a big deal out of who he wanted to include “on the bus.” Those who were still with the company, (many had left) and had disagreed with him were bluntly asked to leave. Today the company is a shell of what it once was. I heard recently that those who were left were asked to take a substantial reduction in pay. It’s sad, but true.
There is a paradigm that some business owners and presidents have and that is, the more successful they once were using a certain business philosophy, the harder it is to let go of it and replace it with something else that actually works better. This is like the captain of the Titanic. He would not have left the ship even if there were enough lifeboats.
Regarding our earlier example, if this person would have asked himself a few questions before deciding who he was going to “keep on the bus,” he might have gleaned some insights that would have led to a better outcome. Some of these questions could have included:
• Was he really driving the bus or merely aiming it?
• Did he know what he was doing or merely letting his ego wing it?
• Did he have a current driver’s license?
• Did he continue to read and take training to educate himself about the latest domestic and international trends and changes in the industry?
• Did he have the right road map or GPS? Did he know where he was going?
• What kind of maintenance or repair was the business in need of?
• Was the product or service outdated, needing modification or replacement?
• Was he willing to stop and ask for directions? Could he have consulted with other successful business owners or qualified consultants?
• While in transit, was he willing to communicate with and listen to those who were on the bus with him? Did he have a continuous dialogue with his managers and employees?
What I am trying to say here is that the world of business is not the same as it was 365 days ago. Multiply that by 10 and it diminishes the effectiveness of our former thought process for running a business effectively. Our greatest strength might be to consistently identify our greatest weaknesses and address them. As the saying goes, “none of us is as smart as all of us.”
The entire world is changing and we need to be flexible and do the same. If not, we will meet with failure in “common hours” and our company will serve only as the latest obituary in the business section of the local news publication.
Tom Borg is a consultant, professional speaker and trainer. He is president of Tom Borg Consulting LLC. He works with the managers and employees of businesses and nonprofits in the area of professional development and customer service training. He is the author of the book/CD “Making Service Count.” Contact him at tomborg@comcast.net.