| As a CEO, I am always interested in
| |
| | what do you want it to be?"The moral of
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| learning how other people run their
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| | this little psychodrama is that most
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| companies and how various functional
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| | people view the world through their
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| managers approach their work. I've spent
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| | functional lens without ever trying to
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| a lot of time benchmarking other
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| | see things through the whole company
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| companies in this effort. This has
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| | lens. I call this functional myopia.While
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| allowed me the opportunity to conduct
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| | this not a true story, the scary thing is
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| some original research into how managers
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| | it really feels like it could be!Let me
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| from different functions think and act.
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| | ask you this, do you believe that if only
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| It has been a fascinating experience. The
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| | the folks in the other functions really
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| way I approached this study was to ask
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| | understood your business issues, your
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| managers of various functions simply
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| | company would perform much better? I bet
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| this, "What is the sum of 2+2?"I feel
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| | you do.
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| passionately that everyone in an
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| | Now, do you believe that you adequately
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| organization needs to think and act as a
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| | understand how your company works across
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| general manager, not think and act
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| | functions and that you yourself don't
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| exclusively as a custodian of their one
| |
| | suffer from time to time from functional
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| or two lines on the P&L.
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| | myopia? Be honest! You can't point the
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| The reality is that we all have
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| | finger at the other guy in the first
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| functional areas that we work in and we
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| | question without being intellectually
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| are influenced greatly by that function
| |
| | honest with yourself in answering the
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| alone. And that impacts how we see the
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| | second question!Here's what I hope you to
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| business overall.
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| | take away from this anecdote. We need to
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| One Fortune 500 Company I interviewed
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| | run our businesses, within the context of
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| was particularly interesting in their
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| | our strategy, by the numbers. Not black
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| response.I first went to the CFO and
| |
| | and white by the numbers, but by an
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| asked, "What is the sum of 2+2?" He
| |
| | in-depth understanding of what drives
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| responded immediately, without any
| |
| | each number on the P&L and how those
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| hesitation and said, "The answer is 4.
| |
| | numbers interplay with each other. With
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| Anybody who gives you any other answer
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| | this understanding, we can raise the
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| than that is either stupid or an outright
| |
| | level of our dialogue between functions
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| liar and I want to know who they are so
| |
| | from raised voices to raised knowledge.
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| that I can have them summarily
| |
| | We can engage in a business discussion
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| terminated!" His right eye began to
| |
| | about the best solutions rather than
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| twitch and he broke out in a fit of
| |
| | fighting over whose number on the P&L
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| turrets syndrome and kept yelling
| |
| | should take the hit.Now, what does 2+2
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| "Sarbanes - Oxley" with each twitch. So I
| |
| | really equal? In business the answer must
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| just said "thanks" and got out of there.
| |
| | be greater than 4. If not, then we are
|
| Next I went to the Vice President of
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| | not generating a profit, we are not
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| Engineering and asked the same question.
| |
| | providing a return to the shareholders
|
| His response, after some considerable
| |
| | and we are not adding economic value to
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| thought, was "Well in a linear world the
| |
| | our enterprises.Rob Waite is a senior
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| answer would be 4. However since space
| |
| | executive with over 20 years of
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| and time is actually curved the answer is
| |
| | leadership experience in domestic and
|
| therefore 3.98675439 approximately."From
| |
| | international business. His successful
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| there I decided to try this question out
| |
| | track record includes start-ups,
|
| on the Vice President of Sales. He
| |
| | turnarounds, multinational strategic
|
| replied, "So you want to know the sum of
| |
| | partnerships and global business
|
| 2+2?" I said, "Yes." I think he restated
| |
| | expansions with Fortune 500 companies.Rob
|
| the question to buy some time since he's
| |
| | is also a successful author and dynamic
|
| been tripped up on math questions before.
| |
| | speaker. His most recent book is The Lost
|
| His response was this, "I believe that
| |
| | Art of General Management, was dubbed "a
|
| the answer is 4, but if that is too high
| |
| | must read for anyone who wants to be
|
| for you I can discount it a
| |
| | unstoppable in business" by one
|
| little."Finally I decided to wrap this
| |
| | well-known CEO. Also, joining such
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| line of questioning up with the Chief
| |
| | luminaries as Bill Gates, Donald Trump
|
| Legal Council. I walked into his office,
| |
| | and Suze Orman, Rob is a contributing
|
| sat down and said, "So councilor, what is
| |
| | author to the Walking With the Wise
|
| the sum of 2+2?" Before responding, he
| |
| | series from Mentors magazine.Rob doesn't
|
| stands up and quietly closes the door,
| |
| | just talk the talk, he walks the talk as
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| and then he walks over and closes the
| |
| | CEO & President of Metal Sales
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| blinds, he sits down and leans over his
| |
| | Manufacturing Corporation ( based in the
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| desk and says in a hushed voice, "So,
| |
| | Louisville, Kentucky area.
|
