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Added for You - The First Thing We Do, Let's Kill all the Bean Counters
If you didn’t know better, you’d think today’s business world was one big Monopoly game.Lots of corporate leaders – those inclined to be the battleship or cannon when they sit down in front of the big board – run their businesses with a cutthroat attitude and play with the company’s earnings like it’s, well, Monopoly money. This take-every-Chance-Card approach can sometimes produce short-term success, but it doesn’t guarantee against having to mortgage your Park Place and Boardwalk properties. Or going directly to jail, for that matter.In recent years, there’ve been more than a few high profile business leaders trading in their pinstripe suits for pinstripe prison uniforms, leaving the corporate landscape littered with bankrupt companies. Enron, Tyco, Adelphia, Worldcom—the list of fiscally-irresp
Conducting business is more about our interpersonal relations with customers, vendors and employees, than it is about watching dials and gauges. As the famed W. Edwards Deming once said:
"Profit in business comes from repeat customers, customers that boast
about your project or service, and that bring friends with them.
Good morning. Have you had your cup of coffee yet, because I hope
so.I'm going to lay something earth shat terning on you now, and I hope
that your readyHere goes nothing:There is something out there, a disease, if you will, an infection,
a curse.Some people, they are head of COKE, PEPSI, Ritz Carlton,
Shape magazine, McDonald's, and MICROSOFT.These people, plus lots of other super successful companies, have
gotten the disease from one time to another.LOTS of Graphic Designers, Artists and Creatives have it too-----The Disease of Bad Advertising-----------WAIT- There is something you can do to fight it off though. Don't
despair.Here's just ONE way to fight it off for good:1. Take your business card, if you have one. Chances are that yo
INTRODUCTION
Nope, its not the lawyers; its the "bean counters" that are ruining business. Let me give you an example, I know of a large machine-tool operation in the Midwest who used to be heralded for producing quality products. To this end, the company established an in-house school who taught their machinists how to build products, not just any old way, the company's way. The school was led by the senior craftsmen of the business who took pride in their workmanship and passed this on to the new employees. When an employee graduated from the school, a machinest not only knew his job, but took pride in his work and became loyal to the company due to its reputation. Even if an employee dropped out and went elsewhere, he would always recommend his former company's products because he knew they were built with quality. This school went on for a number of years and became a part of the corporate culture. However, in the 1980's the company hired a team of MBA's to look over their operations and make recommendations for improvement. You must remember, this was a time when cost cutting was the norm. After looking over the financial statements of the business, the management consultants concluded the school represented a costly overhead and convinced the company to close it down.
Shortly after the school's closure, the company started to experience a drop in morale, absenteeism and tardiness began to rise, and craftsmanship began to deteriorate. Product quality dropped significantly and the company began to lose customers, so much so, they eventually sold off their machine-tool operations and went into a totally new line of business. Keep in mind, prior to this the company was a leader in the machine-tool industry and generated substantial profits from it.
Obviously this story isn't unique as we have witnessed several such changes in the corporate landscape during the 1980's and 1990's. The point is, the bean counters have taken charge of business which has triggered sweeping changes in how we deal with our customers, our vendors, and our employees.
LOSING THE PERSONAL TOUCH
Under the bean counter approach to business, numbers are all that matter. Of course, paying attention to the bottom-line is always important, but this should not result in a callous way of operating a business. To me, studying the numbers is analogous to watching the dials and gauges of a machine. It is like watching the speedometer of an automobile. But if I observe an emergency vehicle approaching or see a drunk driver nearby, I am going to ignore the gauge and do what is proper. I am going to make a human decision and do what is best for my passengers and myself, as well as the other surrounding vehicles. If I only did what the dials and gauges told me, I would probably harm others.
The bean counter approach to business represents a very mechanical way of operating. Let me give you an illustration. I have a friend here in Florida who is the state sales manager for a home health business (a lucrative business for a retirement state like Florida). The company was recently purchased and a new management team put into place run by bean counters. After studying sales figures, management found a salesman who wasn't making his quota and, consequently, instructed my friend to terminate his employment. My friend knew the salesman in question and realized he was experiencing some personal problems. After considerable discussion with corporate management, he convinced them to let him (the Sales Manager) work with the salesman a while longer to see if he could help him. He pointed out to management, the alternative was to start the laborious and costly process of recruiting and teaching a replacement. Management acquiesced and granted the salesman a stay of execution. Over the next few weeks, the Sales Manager was able to work with the salesman, helped him overcome his personal problems and rebuilt his confidence. Since then, the salesman has gotten back on track and has been exceeding quota ever since.
Bean counters do not understand or appreciate the true business of a company. They make knee-jerk reactions based strictly on numbers, not on human intuition or social interaction. It is no small wonder the corporate world has become dehumanizing. I know of a medium sized semiconductor business in the Southeast who also experienced a similar phenomenon. The company was founded by a man with little formal education, but a lot of "street smarts." He took a hands-on approach to the startup of the company which grew in leaps and bounds. As the company settled into maturity, the founder began to slow down and brought in a new management team to take over the reins. His new management team had some pretty slick business school credentials but, inevitably, they were nothing more than bean counters. Under their watch, corporate growth was arrested and the company's stock diminished radically. Today, a company that was at one time a robust and thriving business with loyal customers and dedicated employees is a mere shadow of its old self.
Conducting business is more about our interpersonal relations with customers, vendors and employees, than it is about watching dials and gauges. As the famed W. Edwards Deming once said:
"Profit in business comes from repeat customers, customers that boast
about your project or service, and that bring friends with them."
Your logo is the most important graphic element in which you will invest for your business. You should own the logo in many file formats. Having a library of logo files will enable you to send vendors the types of files they need (for example, other designers, printers, or other service providers).There are two major categories that I will cover in this article — color variations and
file-type variations.Color VariationsYou should receive your logo graphic from your designer in all of the file types
listed below in the "File Formats" section (unless otherwise noted) in the following
color variations:Pantone color or CMYK color
Pantone color (if applicable) — If you intend to have your business cards or other
materials printed professionally, choosing Pantone colors makes
Shortly after the school's closure, the company started to experience a drop in morale, absenteeism and tardiness began to rise, and craftsmanship began to deteriorate. Product quality dropped significantly and the company began to lose customers, so much so, they eventually sold off their machine-tool operations and went into a totally new line of business. Keep in mind, prior to this the company was a leader in the machine-tool industry and generated substantial profits from it.
Obviously this story isn't unique as we have witnessed several such changes in the corporate landscape during the 1980's and 1990's. The point is, the bean counters have taken charge of business which has triggered sweeping changes in how we deal with our customers, our vendors, and our employees.
LOSING THE PERSONAL TOUCH
Under the bean counter approach to business, numbers are all that matter. Of course, paying attention to the bottom-line is always important, but this should not result in a callous way of operating a business. To me, studying the numbers is analogous to watching the dials and gauges of a machine. It is like watching the speedometer of an automobile. But if I observe an emergency vehicle approaching or see a drunk driver nearby, I am going to ignore the gauge and do what is proper. I am going to make a human decision and do what is best for my passengers and myself, as well as the other surrounding vehicles. If I only did what the dials and gauges told me, I would probably harm others.
The bean counter approach to business represents a very mechanical way of operating. Let me give you an illustration. I have a friend here in Florida who is the state sales manager for a home health business (a lucrative business for a retirement state like Florida). The company was recently purchased and a new management team put into place run by bean counters. After studying sales figures, management found a salesman who wasn't making his quota and, consequently, instructed my friend to terminate his employment. My friend knew the salesman in question and realized he was experiencing some personal problems. After considerable discussion with corporate management, he convinced them to let him (the Sales Manager) work with the salesman a while longer to see if he could help him. He pointed out to management, the alternative was to start the laborious and costly process of recruiting and teaching a replacement. Management acquiesced and granted the salesman a stay of execution. Over the next few weeks, the Sales Manager was able to work with the salesman, helped him overcome his personal problems and rebuilt his confidence. Since then, the salesman has gotten back on track and has been exceeding quota ever since.
Bean counters do not understand or appreciate the true business of a company. They make knee-jerk reactions based strictly on numbers, not on human intuition or social interaction. It is no small wonder the corporate world has become dehumanizing. I know of a medium sized semiconductor business in the Southeast who also experienced a similar phenomenon. The company was founded by a man with little formal education, but a lot of "street smarts." He took a hands-on approach to the startup of the company which grew in leaps and bounds. As the company settled into maturity, the founder began to slow down and brought in a new management team to take over the reins. His new management team had some pretty slick business school credentials but, inevitably, they were nothing more than bean counters. Under their watch, corporate growth was arrested and the company's stock diminished radically. Today, a company that was at one time a robust and thriving business with loyal customers and dedicated employees is a mere shadow of its old self.
Conducting business is more about our interpersonal relations with customers, vendors and employees, than it is about watching dials and gauges. As the famed W. Edwards Deming once said:
"Profit in business comes from repeat customers, customers that boast
about your project or service, and that bring friends with them.
Are you a small or medium sized business that is struggling to survive? If so, where is your business located? Each year, millions of small to medium sized business owners experience business debt and end up seeing their dreams fail. The majority of the time, the business concept was right on, but location was the problem. Yes, the location. If you are trying to operate a business, but you are located in an area where your business cannot reach its highest potential, you may end up experiencing problems. However, you don’t have to keep on experiencing those problems. You can seek assistance from a mail forwarding service.Mail forwarding services are typically run by an individual or a company that offers a number of services to business owners; business owners just like you. With mail forwarding,
The bean counter approach to business represents a very mechanical way of operating. Let me give you an illustration. I have a friend here in Florida who is the state sales manager for a home health business (a lucrative business for a retirement state like Florida). The company was recently purchased and a new management team put into place run by bean counters. After studying sales figures, management found a salesman who wasn't making his quota and, consequently, instructed my friend to terminate his employment. My friend knew the salesman in question and realized he was experiencing some personal problems. After considerable discussion with corporate management, he convinced them to let him (the Sales Manager) work with the salesman a while longer to see if he could help him. He pointed out to management, the alternative was to start the laborious and costly process of recruiting and teaching a replacement. Management acquiesced and granted the salesman a stay of execution. Over the next few weeks, the Sales Manager was able to work with the salesman, helped him overcome his personal problems and rebuilt his confidence. Since then, the salesman has gotten back on track and has been exceeding quota ever since.
Bean counters do not understand or appreciate the true business of a company. They make knee-jerk reactions based strictly on numbers, not on human intuition or social interaction. It is no small wonder the corporate world has become dehumanizing. I know of a medium sized semiconductor business in the Southeast who also experienced a similar phenomenon. The company was founded by a man with little formal education, but a lot of "street smarts." He took a hands-on approach to the startup of the company which grew in leaps and bounds. As the company settled into maturity, the founder began to slow down and brought in a new management team to take over the reins. His new management team had some pretty slick business school credentials but, inevitably, they were nothing more than bean counters. Under their watch, corporate growth was arrested and the company's stock diminished radically. Today, a company that was at one time a robust and thriving business with loyal customers and dedicated employees is a mere shadow of its old self.
Conducting business is more about our interpersonal relations with customers, vendors and employees, than it is about watching dials and gauges. As the famed W. Edwards Deming once said:
"Profit in business comes from repeat customers, customers that boast
about your project or service, and that bring friends with them.
Machiavelli emphasized on building a strong organization structure where responsibilities and accountabilities are clearly defined and offender should be dealt with no mercy. As per him an organization or kingdom can be built on the support of either the people or the nobles.“A principality is created either by the people or by the nobles, accordingly as one or other of them has the opportunity; for the nobles, seeing they cannot withstand the people, begin to cry up the reputation of one of themselves, and they make him a prince, so that under his shadow they can give vent to their ambitions. The people, finding they cannot resist the nobles, also cry up the reputation of one of themselves, and make him a prince so as to be defended by his authority. He who obtains sovereignty by the assistance of the n
Bean counters do not understand or appreciate the true business of a company. They make knee-jerk reactions based strictly on numbers, not on human intuition or social interaction. It is no small wonder the corporate world has become dehumanizing. I know of a medium sized semiconductor business in the Southeast who also experienced a similar phenomenon. The company was founded by a man with little formal education, but a lot of "street smarts." He took a hands-on approach to the startup of the company which grew in leaps and bounds. As the company settled into maturity, the founder began to slow down and brought in a new management team to take over the reins. His new management team had some pretty slick business school credentials but, inevitably, they were nothing more than bean counters. Under their watch, corporate growth was arrested and the company's stock diminished radically. Today, a company that was at one time a robust and thriving business with loyal customers and dedicated employees is a mere shadow of its old self.
Conducting business is more about our interpersonal relations with customers, vendors and employees, than it is about watching dials and gauges. As the famed W. Edwards Deming once said:
"Profit in business comes from repeat customers, customers that boast
about your project or service, and that bring friends with them.
The 21st century leader is one who empowers others to be leaders. Managers and supervisors must now embrace the techniques, challenges and benefits of Facilitative Leadership.Consider the following quote:The old world was composed of bosses who told you what to do and think, told you to keep your head down and mouth shut, and made all the decisions, .....In the new world, no manager can know everything or make every decision. Now, to be successful, a manager has to work in partnership, in collaboration, with everyone, and tap everyone's ideas and intelligence. Managers now are coaches, counselors and team builders...Their job is to find people with talent and skill, and help them work together toward a common purpose.From: Ron Zemke, 'The Call of Community', TRAINING, Vol.33, No.3, 1996,
Conducting business is more about our interpersonal relations with customers, vendors and employees, than it is about watching dials and gauges. As the famed W. Edwards Deming once said:
"Profit in business comes from repeat customers, customers that boast about your project or service, and that bring friends with them."
Keep in mind, Deming understood the need for statistical analysis and watching the bottom-line, but he also realized they were nothing more than the dials and gauges of the business.
CONCLUSION
Under the bean counter approach we have lost the personal touch for conducting business. Companies have become cold and calculating, certainly not the types of businesses we want to work for or with. Always remember that bean counters believe conducting business is simply manipulating numbers, not in building products or servicing customers. Yet, for some unfathomable reason, we have put them on a pedestal and expect them to competently guide our companies. But the only thing I see them guiding is our foreign competitors who take over our market share.
To paraphrase William Shakespeare, "The first thing we do, let's kill all the bean counters."
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