posted 05-20-2004 11:03 PM         

A Chinese company and an American Glass company decided to have a canoe race on the White River.

Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race.

On the big day the Chinese won by a mile. Afterward, the American team became very discouraged and morally depressed. The American management decided the reason for the crushing defeat had to be found.

A Management Team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action. Their conclusion was the Chinese had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering, while the American team had 8 people steering and one person rowing.

So American management hired a consulting company and paid them an incredible amount of money. They advised that too many people were steering the boat, while not enough people were rowing.

To prevent losing to the Chinese again next year, the American rowing team's management structure was totally reorganized to 4 steering supervisors, 3 area steering superintendents and 1 assistant superintendent steering manager. They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 1 person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder.

It was called the Rowing Team Quality First Program, with meetings, dinners and free pens for the rower. Even new paddles and medical benefit incentives were promised for a winner. We must give the rower the empowerment and enrichments through this quality program.

The next year the Chinese won by two miles.

Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower for poor performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles, and canceled all capital investments for new equipment.

posted 05-21-2004 11:00 AM         

quote:

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Originally posted by tangled up in BLUE:
that pretty well sums it all up

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posted 05-22-2004 04:20 AM         

I'm the CEO of my own small business (a medical office) and we do quite well. We don't have meetings. We don't pay ourselves more than we can afford. Oh, and we have this funny habit of showing up at the office six days a week and engaging in profitable labor, a practice for which we have coined the term "work."

posted 05-22-2004 08:48 AM         

But I thinkl the idea of self employment is to eventually make money without the work part. (At least my idea)

I'm seriously thinking of transitioning into real estate over the next 5-10 years. Tired of collecting Sales tax, FICA, Unemployment taxes etc. for the government.