Archive for the ‘Business’ Category
RICARDO SEMLER’S INTERESTING LECTURE AT MIT
Tags: Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Business, MIT, Ricardo Semler
Checkout these excerpts from Ricardo Semler’s lecture at MIT. You can catch more of this on the 37 Signals blog. TIME Magazine featured Ricardo Semler among its Global 100 young leaders profile series published in 1994 while the World Economic Forum also nominated him. The Wall Street Journal America Economia, the Wall Street Journal’s Latin American magazine, named him Latin American “Businessman of the Year” in 1990 and he was named Brazilian “Businessman of the Year” in 1990 and 1992.
MOST BUSINESS PLANS ARE WISHFUL THINKING
A 5 year plan is just an extrapolation added to wishful thinking. Have you ever seen a business plan that says, “I’m going to go up 5% and then down -14% and then -22% and then I’m going to recuperate a little bit and then it’s going to go to hell?” ‘Cuz that’s what happens. That’s how it looks in practice, but that’s not the way we design it. We’re willing to trick ourselves into thinking we have control as long as we do it with wishful thinking.
COMPANY GROWTH IS OVERRATED
The assumption that growth is good for companies is a very difficult one to sustain. There is no evidence whatsoever that companies that grow a lot do better than companies that don’t grow a lot.
ADMIT WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW
We don’t know where we’re going, but we’d rather not pretend that we do. Because we think pretending is a lot more dangerous than admitting that we don’t…Talking about specific numbers more than six months out is improbable. Think about the future but don’t write it down. If you write it down, you have to follow it.
MAKE MEETINGS VOLUNTARY
All our meetings are on a voluntary basis. Because if it’s getting boring, go…If no one’s left, do we really need to do this?
MOST HIRING IS LIKE INTERNET DATING
On hiring, the typical process of recruitment and selection in a company is basically an internet dating process. You say your company is Brad Pitt and she says she’s Angelina Jolie and you go and meet at a bar…You get together for two quick meetings and then you decide to get married and hope it work. Instead, we take qualified candidates, the ten that fit the bill, and ask them to come in together. Then we have whoever wants to be involved interview these people. This will go for hours. Then “the interviewers” write down the two people who they want to keep. The two who score highest come back and spend the whole day here and talk to anyone they want…The result is less than 2% year turnover.
DO NOTHING SOMETIMES
Sometimes doing absolutely nothing, even about a critical decision, will end up bringing you through a solution. The idea that we alone can be trained to “know the answer” is a very dangerous rational.
WE NEED MORE DEMOCRATIC WORKPLACES
We will send our sons anywhere in the world to die for democracy…but I’ve never seen a democratic workplace. So it’s very important for our lives except where we spend 60% of our time. There must be something wrong with that.
GOT SYSTEMS?
This post is directed to all of you entrepreneurial business owners out there. Do you “EVER” want to take weekends off… leave the office at 5pm… coach your son’s little league team… or leave for vacation without stressing over what will crash and burn in your absence?
Well, it’s all about systems. You will be enslaved to your business forever unless you choose to systematize your business. “A little hard work and some common sense is enough to get me where I want to go.” That’s a myth.
I’ve posted about it before… but I vehemently and emphatically implore you… I insist… I beg you to read 2 books that are critical to your business and personal freedom… by Michael Gerber… E-Myth Revisited and E-Myth Mastery. If you’re not a reader… then checkout the E-Myth Revisited and E-Myth Mastery audio books from iTunes. Study these resources with a microscope… examine them… implement them… master them! They are the cure for most forms of your business cancer.
Click Here to watch a newly posted video that highlights some business leaders that have experienced EMyth success.
THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE IS FROM MICHAEL GERBER’S MONTHLY
E-NEWSLETTER, THE E-MYTH INSIDER:
Documenting the processes that control business operations is where the rubber meets the road in systematizing a company. System documentation requires a business owner to analyze and define all regular business processes. In E-Myth terminology, standard operating procedures are documented using “Action Plans.”
An “Action Plan” is a form that defines the desired result, required materials, sequential steps, quality standards, due dates and staff responsibilities for individual business processes.
Once processes are formalized, the “Action Plans” become key elements in the “Operations Manual” of your business. Producing your “Operations Manual” will help your business run more efficiently, and should allow you to step back from the day-to-day tactics to do real strategic planning.
WHY CREATE ACTION PLANS?
1. Action Plans can be used as templates for defining systems
2. Action Plans capture input from those involved in the process
3. Action Plans become lessons for staff training
4. Action Plans become the contents of your business’ Operations Manual
Click Here to see an “Action Plan” sample for “making coffee.”
DEATH BY MEETING
Would your staff rather walk through fire than come to your weekly staff meetings? Do your meetings leave everyone feeling dissatisfied or worse… disgruntled? Does your staff talk more “about” your meetings afterwards by whispering in the hallway, than they do “in” the meeting itself?
Meetings are such a critical element of effective organizational communication. I’ve just completed a great book; entitled
Death By Meeting, by Patrick Lencioni.
This book; written in classic Lencioni form, takes you through a fable about a leading video game corporation that aquires its smaller counterpart competitor with a sports-centered niche in the marketplace. This aquisition leaves the CEO from the smaller company desperately reevaluating his approach to staff meetings after coming under heavy scrutiny from his newly found CFO.
Anyway, I’ll let you discover the story for yourself, but I thought I’d leave you with this highly condensed summary that highlights Lencioni’s formula and regiment for healthy, productive, stimulating meetings that actually inspire, rejuvenate and add value to your business or organization. Enjoy.
MEETING #1 – THE DAILY CHECK-IN: The daily check-in requires that team members get together, standing up, for about 5 minutes every morning to report on their activities for that day. It’s a great way to keep everyone in the loop with what’s going on.
MEETING #2 – THE WEEKLY TACTICAL: This tactical meeting should last 45 to 90 minutes. There are two crucial goals: (1.) Resolution of issues, and (2.) Reinforcement of clarity.
MEETING #3 – THE MONTHLY STRATEGIC: The length of a monthly strategic meeting will vary depending on the topic(s). However, it’s advisable to schedule at least two hours per topic. This will give everyone the confidence to table critical issues knowing they will be addressed… and more importantly, that a plan to resolve them will be discussed.
MEETING #4 – THE QUARTERLY OFF-SITE REVIEW: Effective off-sites provide executives an opportunity to regularly step away from the daily, weekly, even monthly issues that occupy their attention so they can review their business in a more holistic, long-term focus and approach.
SHOOT FOR SPEED OVER QUALITY
Okay, I am not suggesting that quality isn’t important… but if you’re to compete in the marketplace of tomorrow, prioritize speed over quality. We’re living in a world where my family and I can pull up to a drive-thru window, and be driving away with a hearty full-course dinner for 5 in under 2 minutes.
I can walk into my bank tomorrow morning, and close on a $250,000 business loan before lunch.
I can order a $10,000 MacPro computer, an $1,800 30″ Cinema Display, and a $650 HP printer on Monday afternoon… and have a pile of boxes sitting on my doorstep by the following morning.
Shooting for “fast” simply isn’t good enough anymore. We’re living in a culture that more and more offers us instant gratification. People expect more, and expect it faster. The delivery of services is headed towards “real time.”
Shoot for speed over quality. Refine your business to cut your service delivery times in half… then in half again… then in half again.
IS BUSINESS PLANNING ALL IT’S CRACKED UP TO BE?
Tags: Andy Stanley, Business, Google, Leadership, Sergey Brinn, Walt Disney
Clearly, planning is crucial to your organization… but not so much because of what the plan itself yields, but rather because of what the “process” of planning yields. Plans themselves often prove to be ineffective, simply because things change… The economy changes, the market changes, we change, culture changes, and our focus changes. But the “process” of planning keeps us sharp, always evaluating, collaborating and pursuant of creative new approaches to our business or organization.
Conventional “Walt Disney” wisdom of decades past, led many to conclude that you must have a 5, 10, 15, 20 and perhaps a 25 year plan… and that you leave little to chance. That “crystal ball” mindset in today’s culture and economy is simply obsolete. It’s impossible to consistently predict with accuracy what tomorrow holds.
Best selling author, renowned communicator, and senior pastor of a leading church in Alpharetta, Georgia; Andy Stanley, was questioned at a conference about his long-term plans. Andy compared the limitations of planning… with the headlights of his car while driving at night. “The headlights of my car shine and reveal a certain and finite distance ahead of me… I can only see so far. But I can see farther and farther ahead as my car advances forward, one linear foot at a time.”
Paraphrased… Every new day reveals a little more about the need for new business strategies and tactics. Plan for the short-term. Dream for the long-term.
STUMBLING AROUND IS HEALTHY TOO
On the other hand, while it’s healthy to plan, stumbling around a bit is just as healthy in balanced proportions. Sergey Brin; Co-Founder of Google, once stated, “The more you stumble around, the more you’re likely to stumble upon something valuable.”
Did you know that Google requires their senior engineers to spend 20% of their salaried work-week to pursue their own personal projects. These personal projects have nothing to do with their professional responsibilities at Google. They just invent.
The process of planning is crucial, but allot time for your executive, professional and administrative teams to stumble… to grow, to develop, to invent, to make mistakes, to fail forward. This balance promotes growth, and a happier and more fulfilled team… and ultimately a stronger business/organization.
FUEL FOR SUCCESS
A BEAUTIFUL DAY AND A CLEAR BLUE SKY
Imagine a beautiful day, a clear blue sky, and nothing but the long road in front of you. You and the family are packed, and headed to a 5 star resort on the beach for a well-deserved vacation. You’ve worked hard to earn this time away. You’ve made preparations at the office, you’ve saved the money, you’ve asked your neighbors to watch your house and water the lawn while you’re gone, you’ve prepaid the bills that are to be due while you’re away, and you’ve made all of the necessary hotel and entertainment arrangements for the entire week of your get-away. It’s white sands and crystal clear water or bust!
Now… what if… half way there and 850 miles from your vacation destination, you decide that you’re simply not going to stop for gas anymore. It’s inconvenient to keep pulling over, it slows you down, gasoline is too expensive, and your hands smell of fumes after handling the fuel pump. By not stopping for gas, you’d remove the expense, inconvenience, and risk of getting your hands dirty, but you’d also remove any possibility of successfully making it to your vacation destination.
AFTER ALL, IT’S BETTER THAN OTHER STUFF THEY’VE SEEN
Sounds like a dimwitted decision… right? But this is exactly what I see business owners and professionals doing more often than you’d imagine. They just stop. They stop prioritizing and focusing on their marketing efforts. They stop updating their website with relevant information and inspiration. They discontinue their email marketing efforts because it’s too time consuming during their busiest season. They refrain from updating their print marketing collateral because it’s expensive, and after all… it’s better than other stuff they’ve seen… right?
JUSTIFICATION WILL SCREAM YOUR NAME
Hand-in-hand with your brand, consistent marketing is the primary source of fuel that allows you to reach your ultimate destination… a successful and profitable business. You must endure inconvenience to make it happen. Yes, there’s a price… but successful marketing is an investment, not an expense. Resist the temptation to justify your marketing neglect. “Justification” will scream your name from the sidelines of the race… “Quit, you’ve run far enough… take it easy!” But justification will not lead you to victory.
DON’T BE A DIMWIT – SOAR WITH THE BEST
Besides… if your competitors thrive, and your business fails… you’ll know a truer and more intimate definition of the words… “expense” and “inconvenience.” Don’t be a dimwit. Relentlessly fuel your business with consistent and effective marketing, and you’ll soar with the best.
GOOGLE’S HEALTHY DISREGARD FOR THE IMPOSSIBLE
Tags: Business, Google, Larry Page, Leadership, Sergey Brinn, Technology
Co-founding duo of Google; Larry Page and Sergey Brin, cruised onto the stage of an academically elite high school auditorium in Israel to speak to the student body. They were met with the kind of roars and excitement that teenagers usually reserve for rock stars. Larry and Sergey entered the auditorium through a rear door… leaving behind photographers, sunglasses, a pair of hired cars with drivers, and an attractive young woman that was travelling with Sergey.
Dressed casually and pleased at their welcome, they sat down and cracked smiles. They were to speak about what they had done, how they had done it, and what their dreams were for the future. “Do you guys know the story of Google… Do you want me to tell it?” Larry asked. “Yes,” the crowd shouted.
It all began while Sergey and I were Ph.D students, studying Computer Science at Stanford University. We didn’t know exactly what we wanted to do.
I got this crazy idea that I was going to download the entire web onto my computer. I told my advisor that it would only take about a week. After about a year or so… I had some, small portion of it. The students laughed.
So optimism is important, he went on. You have to be a little silly about the goals you’re going to set. You need to have a healthy disregard for the impossible, said Page. That’s a really good phrase. You should try to do things that most people would not!
FORTUNE 500 COMPANIES ARE TYPICALLY NOT AS LARGE AS THEY APPEAR
I can cite more than one instance in which one of my business development staff had celebrated their big meeting with that large “trophycase-worthy” prospective corporate client. “Finally!” they gasped. Their mouths watered at the sheer prospect of landing this huge new client with buldging budgets and liberal spending policies. Their years of feeding on business chum had finally paid off… or so they thought.
After landing their so called “big fish” client, they rapidly discovered a different reality than they’d previously expected. They learned that Joanne; Marketing Director for a large medical system conglomerate, had less money in her budget than several of our existing “maw & paw shop” and new business startup clients. And that ubiquitous billion-dollar oil and gas company they’d been stalking for months, was run by a CFO that survived the Great Depression… and who’d rather personally vacuum the offices each night, than pay for the opulent luxury of a janitorial service. Who woulda’ thunk it?
Don’t underestimate or under-appreciate your prospects and existing clients that have yet to appear on the cover of Forbes. According to the International Information Program, 99% of all independent enterprises in the country employ fewer than 500 people. Furthermore, some 19.6 million Americans work for companies employing fewer than 20 workers, 18.4 million work for firms employing between 20 and 99 workers, and 14.6 million work for firms with 100 to 499 workers. Agressively seek out smaller fish in bigger ponds. You’ll live longer.
Secondly, when you “are” going fishing for that large corporate prospect, manage your expectations. Understand that large corporations are extremely compartmentalized, and budgets are reluctantly passed down to department heads. Recognize that your proverbial foot-in-the-door might be a great step, but it’s likely to be the first of many on a long and strenuous journey.
Please feel free to share your comments. I’m always thrilled to know if I’ve helped you, your business or organization in any way. – Brian
SATISFIED CUSTOMERS WILL NOT GROW YOUR BUSINESS
Mandy; an executive at Microsoft, is looking to potentially recruit the services of a business consulting company. She remembers that her long-time friend and contemporary in Chicago had previously recruited a particular consulting company for similar purposes. Mandy calls her friend in Chicago to inquire about her experience.
In speaking with her friend in Chicago, she replies to Mandy… “I was satisfied.”
Does her lukewarm response inspire Mandy to pursue, let alone recruit the services of this consulting company? No. Absolutely not.
Continue to better your services and the experience of your clients. Don’t fall victim to the Lake Wobegon Effect, by believing that you’ve already arrived… that you’re better than you actually are.
You can always be better. Probably much better. Relentlessly refine and improve your services. Be exceptional!
Please feel free to share your comments. I’m always thrilled to know if I’ve helped you, your business or organization in any way. - Brian
AMAZON’S 13 SUCCESS SECRETS
HighScalability.com offers some secrets to Amazon’s amazing success based on interviews and writings of early employees. You might not be running an online ecommerce business, but many of these principles apply to virtually any business. Listed below are just 13 of their responses. I hope you find this post interesting and beneficial to your business.
1. Teams are small. They are assigned authority and empowered to solve a problem as a service in anyway they see fit.
2. They work from the customer backward. Focus on value you want to deliver to the customer.
3. Force developers to focus on value delivered to the customer instead of building technology first… and then figuring how to use it.
4. Start with a press release of what features the user will see and work backwards to check that you are building something valuable.
5. There’s bound to be problems with anything that produces hype before real implementation.
6. Getting rid of the influence of the HiPPO’s, the “Highest Paid People in the Office.” This is done with techniques like A/B testing and Web Analytics. If you have a question about what you should do… code it up, let people use it, and see which alternative gives you the results you want.
7. Create a frugal culture. Amazon used doors for desks.
8. People’s side projects, the one’s they follow because they are interested, are often ones where you get the most value and innovation. Never underestimate the power of wandering where you are most interested.
9. Have a way to rollback if an update doesn’t work. Write the tools if necessary.
10. Look for three things in interviews: enthusiasm, creativity, competence. The single biggest predictor of success at Amazon.com was enthusiasm.
11. Innovation can only come from the bottom. Those closest to the problem are in the best position to solve it. any organization that depends on innovation must embrace chaos. Loyalty and obedience are not your tools.
12. Everyone must be able to experiment, learn, and iterate. Position, obedience, and tradition should hold no power. For innovation to flourish, measurement must rule.
13. Embrace innovation. In front of the whole company, Jeff Bezos would give an old Nike shoe as a “Just do it” award to those who innovated.
Please feel free to share your comments. I’m always thrilled to know if I’ve helped you, your business or organization in any way. - Brian
YOU’RE ONLY AS EXPERT AS YOU APPEAR
Tags: Business
One day in Dallas in 1997, a woman took her siamese cat to her veterinarian for routine inoculations. The vet noticed something that the cat’s adoring owner had missed. The cat seemed to be walking just slightly out of balance. Concerned… the vet began probing the animal with his fingertips. In this process, the doctor noticed a tiny growth behind one of the cat’s ears… a cyst that could be malignant.
The vet explained this to the owner, then anesthetized the cat, and opened an incision behind the cat’s ear. The vet located the growth, lanced and removed it, stitched up the incision, and sent the cat home later that day. He saved the life of this cat.
As a regular practice, the cat’s owner was given a survey. Among the questions was this simple one… “How do you rate your veterinarian’s medical skills?” The owner had the typical 1-10 choices, with 1 being the least competent, and 10 being the most competent. The doctor’s fellow veterinarians would’ve scored him with a 10. Most agreed that most veterinarians would’ve missed that diagnosis, and that cat’s tumor would’ve become fatally inoperable.
How did the client rate the vet? A 7 out of 10. Pretty good, but certainly not excellent, much less exceptional. How could this be? How could an expert doctor that performed beyond reasonable expectations be rated as a mere 7?
The answer was in his coat. He didn’t wear a labcoat that day. Pet owners give the lowest scores to vets who fail to wear labcoats… the next lowest to those who wear “blue” labcoats. On the other hand, the second highest ratings go to vets that wear “white” labcoats. Which vets get the highest rating? Those that wear white labcoats “and” stethoscopes… by a wide margin.
Like it or not… you’re only as expert as you appear.
SELL BETTER BY SELLING FASTER
When selling your company’s products or services to your prospects, tell them quickly in a way that stops them, engages them with the necessary information, and nothing more. Skip the fluff, filler and balderdash, and tell them succinctly what they need to hear.
Learn from crime novelist, Elmore Leonard, author of Get Shorty. Asked why his novels are so popular and easy to read… his answer was… “Simple, I just leave out the parts that readers skip anyway.”
Business’s often wonder how long their key sales brochures and marketing collateral should be. The best answer is… use as many words as you need to say exactly what the readers want to know, and not one word more.
Communicate like Elmore Leonard, catch my eye, catch my attention and quickly tell me what I want to know. Tell me quickly and clearly.
EMPLOYEE HIRING AND SELECTION
Every executive and HR leader understands how difficult it is to discover new talent for their organizations. It’s even more difficult to accurately measure the compatibility; of that newly found talent, to the existing team and positional requirements. I’ve recently heard of a study that the cost for an employee’s turnover is anywhere from 50% to well over 100% of an employee’s annual wages. You can even
CLICK HERE to run your own calculation.
I’d like to recommend the Caliper organization. Caliper can help your business to determine whether an applicant really has what it takes. Their Caliper Profile is a personality assessment instrument that objectively quantifies an individual’s competencies, and identifies candidates with the strongest potential.
I was initially introduced to Caliper several years ago when I was personally being recruited for an executive role in a Florida based organization. I’ve also utilized Caliper’s team and resources to screen potential candidates for LOUD! Creative Group. Their profile assessments aren’t just computer based. For each evaluation, I had the opportunity of discussing a candidate’s results with a professional to accurately interpret the results.
I’d personally recommend Caliper to your organization. It’s one of the better investments you could make in your own organization. I’ve included a permanent link to Caliper in the links section of this blog.
IT’S ALWAYS AND ONLY ABOUT THE TEAM
Tags: Business, Jim Collins, Leadership, NFL, Superbowl
It’s February 4th, 2007, Super Bowl Sunday… The Indianapolis Colts deliver an astonishing victory over the Chicago Bears with a 29-7 victory. I still remember it. The Indianapolis Colts; a team built for indoors found its footing on a rain soaked track. But there they stood… victors! Peyton Manning; quarterback for the Colts, was elected MVP, and Coach Dungy became the very first black coach to win the championship, beating his good friend and protege Lovie Smith in the game that featured the first two black coaches in the Super Bowl.
Now imagine this… How far do you think either of those two teams would’ve made it through the season if the main qualifier for being on the starting line was longevity on the team, or politics, rather than talent, contribution and performance? Not very far… wouldn’t you say?
Why do so many businesses and organizations promote people to leadership positions based on tenure or nepotism rather than performance and contribution? The insanity of that philosophy and methodology is palpable to me.
Run your business or organization like a championship football team. Promote those that add value and deliver victories over, and over, and over again to your organization.
In his book; Good To Great, Jim Collins emphatically exclaims that we must always ensure that we have the right people on the bus, and just as importantly, that those people are in the right seat of the bus.
Your team will either make or break your organization. Value them over your customers, but expect much from them. Do you have the wrong people on your bus? Or perhaps you have the right people on your bus, but they’re in the wrong seat?
I assure you that it’s your team; not your customers or clients, that determine whether your organization scores victories over your competitors. It’s always and only about the team.
THE ENTREPRENEUR, THE MANGER & THE TECHNICIAN
It’s not secret that I am an enormous fan of Michael Gerber and his literary resources on how to successfully build a business. While Michael Gerber has written numerous best-selling books on building a world-class business, it’s my belief that E-Myth Revisited, and E-Myth Mastery should both be legally mandated prerequisites for anybody applying for a DBA, S-Corp or LLC. I believe the resources in these 2 books are just that crucial to the success of any business.
Listed below, Michael Gerber summarizes the differences between the entrepreneur, the manager and the technician. He highlights the strengths and weaknesses of each, while pointing out the danger that erupts anytime the wrong person is at the helm of a business.
You can read this “CEO Report” article in its entirety by simply clicking here. I hope you enjoy, and share this with your colleagues.
THE ENTREPRENEUR
The entrepreneurial personality turns the most trivial condition into an exceptional opportunity. The Entrepreneur is the visionary in us. The dreamer. He lives in the future, never in the past, rarely in the present. He’s happiest when left free to construct images of “what if” and “if when“. He is our own creative personality; always at its best dealing with the unknown, prodding the future, creating probabilities out of possibilities. Every strong entrepreneurial personality has an extraordinary need for control. Living as he does in the world to concentrate on his dreams. Given his need for change, he creates a great deal of havoc around himself, which is predictably unsettling for those he enlists in his many projects. This then becomes his world-view: a world made up of both an over-abundance of opportunities and dragging feet.
THE MANAGER
The managerial personality is pragmatic. Without The Manager there would be no planning, no order, no predictability. He lives in the past. He craves order. He compulsively clings to the status quo. He sees problems. He creates neat, orderly rows. Without The Manager, there would be no business.
THE TECHNICIAN
The Technician is the doer. “If you want it done right, do it yourself” is the Technician’s credo. He loves to tinker. Things aren’t supposed to be dreamed about, they’re supposed to be done. He lives in the present. He loves the feel of things and the fact that things can get done. He’s happy when he’s working. To him thinking is unproductive unless it’s thinking about work that needs to be done. He’s not interested in ideas; he’s interested in how-to-doit. All ideas need to be reduced to the methodology if they are to be of any value.
PUT ANOTHER WAY
The Entrepreneur dreams, The Manager frets, and The Technician ruminates. To The Manager, then, The Technician becomes a problem to be managed. To The Technician, The Manager becomes a meddler to be avoided. To both of them, The Entrepreneur is the one who got them into trouble in the first place.
SUMMARY
The fact of the matter is that we all have an Entrepreneur, Manager, and Technician inside us. And if they were equally balanced, we’d be describing an incredibly competent individual. The Entrepreneur would be free to forge ahead into new areas of interest; The Manager would be solidifying the base of the operations; The Technician would be doing the technical work. Unfortunately, the typical small business owner is only 10% Entrepreneur, 20% Manager and 70% Technician.
The Entrepreneur wakes up with a vision. The Manager screams “Oh, no!” And while the two are battling it out, The Technician seizes the opportunity to go into business for himself! To The technician it’s a dream come true. But to the business it’s a disaster, because the wrong person is at the helm.