Believe me I Know...

If seeing is believing then this owner operator had it all, he really did think that he was right, every time without fail. His business struggled through the recession and cut back severely because of it, but now that that was over it was now time to look forward to new and exciting opportunities, this is where his vision failed him dismally.

He said that he knew all the right things to do when things picked up, he said he would know how to handle things, but all in all he did regularly say, believe me I know. Well why should I not trust him? He has been through the wars before, he has run a business for a long while and now that things were easing he would surely come out on top. However a few things started to ring a bell of discontent from within. Call me a doubting Thomas if you like but there was that nagging feeling, that intuitive sensation that left me wondering down deep in my heart.

Getting past the ego

Most of all it was the people that kept ringing his business to say they wanted to be paid, then there were the ones that dropped in to get paid and finally the affect that this was having on the staff. The old syndrome of the boss has lost the plot was now in full swing. They had begun to say 'How long before we all go down the tube?

This started a ripple or domino effect, for me it's the 1% effect. This is where many small things add up to a big end product effect. Either way it can cause many problems at all levels.

Strangely the bank Manager would ring to have a chat, after repeated visits the boss would come back even more tense than before wringing his hands with worry. Times were not getting easier; indeed they were getting tighter by the minute.

Probably the hardest thing for me at the time was finding a way to penetrate his ego, his wife couldn't, and she threw her hands up in disgust and handled things in a less than pleasant manner. But for me I was working to assist him and the organisation out of this hole, except for one moot point, he never empowered me to do just that. He paid lip service by saying 'Believe me Steve, when the time comes to reward you for what you are doing I will certainly do so' However this would never be, he was a stubborn as an ox, nothing would stop him from doing things his way, even if he knew he may have been wrong he felt he had to save 'face.'

Seeing the problem

In subsequent dealings with other organisations I found that there was a whole new world emerging between the hassle and the hard times that we were experiencing, now more than ever people were starting to carefully utilise the reserves they had skilfully put away for a rainy day and get the multiplier effect going again so that all could benefit and see the dividends paying off. As for our man he had withered his reserves during difficult times and was now in no state to do much more than hope and pray that things might magically improve. But where had he gone wrong, what should he have done and how could he do better next time?

Suggesting results

Easy to see things from the outside and make suggestions, and there is no real way of knowing if they will be of benefit without trying them, but with a business man like this one, how would you ever get a chance! This guy was wanting miracles and getting more problems. So what had he done wrong? Well it really is just a few small things,

1. He got mixed up in the fact that his workers would not perform well under pressure, in part due to the fact that he would snoop around in such a way that he was looking for problems and dramas at every turn he would create problems. At one point a worker had spent over an hour finding the most applicable way of solving a production problem and the solution was still not quite right, but better than the starting point no less. The boss joins in to add his ten cents worth and promptly takes over spending the next hour learning what had just been learnt! The worker was humiliated and the boss is none the wiser, suggesting that they try to do better next time. Within no time the whole factory was 'a buzz' with a blow by blow description of what has taken place and now rest assured that it will happen again, They said in unison around the lunch table “But believe me I know!"
2. When the going gets tough, the tough get going, well this guy surely did, he made sure that every one that he came into contact with knew of his plight, that times were tough and that he was a poor lost soul and they soon got moving, out of his way! But imagine our intrigue when he decides to utilise his last few $$ to move to what seems to be a more prominent position a few suburbs away. This could have been a good idea yet the lack of research he undertook meant unforseen expenses that caused a huge blow out in expenditure!
3. Morale of staff had dropped to an all time low, in moving premises we had gone from a reasonable set up to a much older set up where the insulation was non existent and if the temperature in winter had dropped to 5 degrees overnight then you could rest assured that it would be that way in the factory, and the reverse was true in the summer. The amenities needed work and no one was prepared to fork out the cash and so they remained the same.
4. Customer service was almost nonexistent and at times they had to wait far too long for service, many would walk out and not return. Voting with their feet I think is appropriate here! In time the regulars got to understand that his business was working from one day to the next and each one seemed progressively worse. Many a time they would get a full on lecture regarding the status or otherwise of the organisation and the feeble market forces at play. This should have rung alarm bells in his head, but alas he did not hear, see or feel the warning signs because "Believe me Steve I know!"

Not getting the answers - expecting miracles and getting dramas!

So things were dismal, and even to this day he struggles and fights to maintain the status quo not knowing if things will pick up, and not feeling sure if he can go on and create a greater sense of positive outlook on the situation.

What were the barriers?

Barriers? What barriers! I can hear him now, his mind ticking over trying to grasp at straws and wondering if things would be okay for tomorrow without being able to handle today. The barriers were many and often minor, but due to working in the business and not on the business, meant that he would be forever in a position of not really being able to understand. He could not clearly see his position and believe me the whole process needed work!

In Summary

Why no action taken? If there is one thing that he would not do is take effective action. He really did not want to know about making changes that may work, he only wanted to plod on in his own mire and almost seemed to feel so comfortable with his situation rather than make any changes to set others at ease. Unfortunately this can be the case for many people in charge of a business and in time they only seem to let things get worse before they can get better. For many they have neglected getting advice as if they will feel a lesser person for asking for 'help' this is not the case, but often the 'ego' just seems to get in the way.

Work things out logically in your head and if you have staff that have been in other workplaces in the same industry, utilise their expertise as well, the results can be well worth the trouble. So what's the problem? If he wants to run his business this way he should do as he pleases, I agree, however there is just one other small thing here, other people are involved staff, and customers. If the whole thing comes down, then a new range of situations arise. Some people would say that he and many others like him have a moral obligation to get things right, not blunder and fail. In this case it would seem that failing to plan effectively, meant that no plan of action could be taken.

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