You are probably thinking to yourself, our example is painfully obvious. However, sometimes the obvious is not so obvious, to the oblivious!
You’ve heard it said, “The person who knows HOW is often working for the person who knows WHY!”
A Call That Made My Day
We love hearing inspiring stories from our clients and prospects, especially if it confirms our mission. Just a few days ago, a call came in from “Roger” that made my day.
“Hey Philip,” Roger almost shouted, “you’ve got to hear this! You know Sean, my production manager, who I recently made GM? Well, in the training room today, he addressed a group of our lead technicians for restoration projects. Sean’s frustration was evident, as he told the Techs they needed to “get it together!” In fact, Sean was going over all the ERRORS the techs have been making, and showing them the COST of what he called “STUPID mistakes.
Roger, the Boss, Nearly Jumped Out of His Chair
“Philip, you know me,” Roger said, “I was about to jump out of my chair! Actually, I moved to the edge, thinking it hard to believe our GM was somehow puzzled as to WHY these mistakes are being made. Furthermore, I know he knows HOW to stop the stupid mistakes; because, we have what I think is the best quality control system in our industry. About the time I thought I would lose it, Sean pulled out our Day 1 Project Quality Control Checklist and held it up for all to see. Still frustrated, he said, “Guys, THIS quality control checklist addresses every ONE of these stupid mistakes. Folks, we need business control systems, just like we need our restoration job management software to tack projects.”
Roger was ecstatic. “Philip,” he said, “Sean then turned to me and said, ‘Roger, you know when you raved about your systems, and WHY you had such a detailed quality control system? Remember, I told you I was ON-BOARD with your plans to make the systems even better? Well, I’m confessing to you, I thought your systems were over-kill and foolish. However,” Sean said, “I’m telling you now, I’m really AM on-board now! In fact, I see the affects of these stupid errors on our business and it’s not pretty.” He turned back to the technicians with a humble look.
When Sean was production manager, it was obvious that he had some know-how; but now—as general manager—what he finally understands is the WHY! Sean now knows the REASON for reliable business control systems that keep a business on track and growing.
Did I mention? Great systems work!