The problem in the Western world is that governments are spending money faster than their citizenry or economies can generate it. As Gerald Ford liked to say, “A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take away everything you have.” And that’s true. But there’s an intermediate stage: A government big enough to give Phil from Cathedral City everything he wants isn’t big enough to get Phil to give any of it back. That’s the stage the Europeans are at: Their electorates are hooked on unsustainable levels of “services,” but no longer can conceive of life without them.
Read the rest of Mark Steyn here.
Saturday, May 02, 2009
The Danger of the Ad Hoc
"We have procedures in place that were carefully developed in calmer times after prolonged analysis and debate. They are designed to handle just the situation we are facing."
"No. Using those will be too awkward and they won't be a perfect fit. Besides, just dusting those off won't demonstrate bold leadership. Let's cobble together, in the midst of a crisis and with limited information, an untested procedure. Let's draw on the expertise of many of the same people who got us into the crisis. Then let's hope that the new approach will somehow be superior to the established one."
"Hmm. 'New approach.' I like that."
"No. Using those will be too awkward and they won't be a perfect fit. Besides, just dusting those off won't demonstrate bold leadership. Let's cobble together, in the midst of a crisis and with limited information, an untested procedure. Let's draw on the expertise of many of the same people who got us into the crisis. Then let's hope that the new approach will somehow be superior to the established one."
"Hmm. 'New approach.' I like that."
"Do you know which philosopher said that?"
John Phillips has done us all a big favor by posting these classic mentoring sessions featuring David Brent (Ricky Gervais).
Quote of the Day
There is nothing so frightening as ignorance in action.
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Friday, May 01, 2009
Looking Down on Customers
Despite all of the books and workshops on the importance of the customer, it is not that difficult to find workplaces in which the customer is regarded as a lesser object that is barely to be tolerated.
High selection standards, an inordinate emphasis on the technical, and an extensive amount of training are often found in such places. The highly skilled workers set an informal profile of the suitable customer; i.e. the type of customer who merits their attention. Customers who fall short are quietly regarded as nuisances, whiners, or fools. Over time, such feelings are scarcely hidden.
These attitudes are thought to be acceptable because the organization's focus has moved away from customers and toward the preservation of status. The true mission is forgotten. The workers want only those customers who are worthy recipients of their extraordinary talent.
Savvy organizations will move quickly to squelch any signs of this snobbishness and redirect the focus on where it should be: Serving the customers. Tolerating even a whiff of the anti-customer attitude is a major mistake.
High selection standards, an inordinate emphasis on the technical, and an extensive amount of training are often found in such places. The highly skilled workers set an informal profile of the suitable customer; i.e. the type of customer who merits their attention. Customers who fall short are quietly regarded as nuisances, whiners, or fools. Over time, such feelings are scarcely hidden.
These attitudes are thought to be acceptable because the organization's focus has moved away from customers and toward the preservation of status. The true mission is forgotten. The workers want only those customers who are worthy recipients of their extraordinary talent.
Savvy organizations will move quickly to squelch any signs of this snobbishness and redirect the focus on where it should be: Serving the customers. Tolerating even a whiff of the anti-customer attitude is a major mistake.
Quote of the Day
Heaven is where the police officers are British, the auto mechanics are German, the cooks are French, the lovers are Italian and the Swiss run everything. Hell is where the police officers are German, the auto mechanics are French, the cooks are British, the lovers are Swiss and the Italians run everything.
- Old European joke
- Old European joke
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