Why wait for the deluge?

Corporate Life

Being in Vancouver, you really have to expect a good, solid, three months or so of rain. Not that "wrath-of-god" rain for 40 days and 40 nights stuff, but some serious, never-dry-out, mushroom-growing, chill-you-to-the-bone kind of rain. It happens every year, and despite some short reprieves (like last year during the Olympics), you pretty much have to hunker down and get through it. That's why it always amazes me when every year, I see a number of houses in the neighborhood with the big blue tarp on the roof.

I know, it's not exactly cheap to re-roof - trust me, I've done it. But these are $1.7m+ (update: now closer to $3m) properties, and I find it shocking that folks won't spend the small fraction of their investment on a new roof to protect the integrity of their home. What are they hoping for? That the leak will repair itself? Or that maybe, just maybe, it won't rain this winter? If you end up waiting too long, the water gets in, and it goes everywhere - into the walls, joists, floors etc. Rotting wood compromises the entire structure of the house, and of course, causes mold growth and all sorts of health issues that come along with it. By waiting, these homeowners are simply forced into doing the work when the deluge does inevitably come, and the roofing company is charging a premium for their services.

It's like the classic issue I see at companies all the time. Everyone whispers about "that" employee that "is waiting for a retirement package", or "isn't able to adapt to change easily". "he used to be really good at it", or "he just needs a little more direction". But... but what? He's not cutting the mustard anymore. Why is everyone making excuses for him? Because he was great during the heyday? Bobby Orr was a hockey god, but I think he's past his prime now (ok, even if he had good knees). Everyone will experience this. I am just hoping that I figure it out on my own, before I get the tap on the shoulder, "Hey man, I think you're done here". But no, I see it all the time... everyone knows there's a problem, but for some reason, management is waiting for something to fix itself. And then finally, some financial or business crisis occurs, and push comes to shove, and the person in question is finally sent home. Would it have been better if this was actioned on a sunny day perhaps, when there were other resources available, or the organisation wasn't under intense scrutiny to deliver?

And therein lies the message from tonight's scotch lounge blog - fix the problem when you identify it, not when it becomes critical, and ultimately more costly to fix.

"Some of us were not meant to be soldiers..."

Corporate Life

Long time no post. I'll admit that now that this blog is in the public domain, it concerns me somewhat that my ramblings can or could be misconstrued, and perhaps have a ripple effect that I did not intend. But alas, one cannot remain silent forever.

Recently, we made some organizational changes, and as is inevitable with all of these kinds of cultural transitions, some folks "went home". The funny thing is, that everyone talks about the individuals that are/were involved - hoping, indeed praying - that management will see their way through to making the changes for the better good of the company. But when change is actually executed, people say, "oh, that's too bad... ", or "they would have been able to come around eventually". Sure, no one wants to see anyone experience personal hardship or suffer from the emotional turmoil caused by a rapid departure. But deep down, everyone knows it's the right thing to do. But if there was more at stake than winning a deal, or getting a commission cheque, would we be so sympathetic?

Ephilates, demonstrating his thrust technique to Leonidas

Take King Leonidas - the famous Spartan who led 300 of his men at the Battle of Thermopylae. On the eve of battle, he is confronted by Ephialtes of Trachis, a hunchback who would like nothing other than to serve (and die) as a Spartan. While Ephialtes has the heart of a warrior, and quite probably could hold his own in individual combat, he lacks the physical ability to augment and protect the team. Leonidas explains that the phalanx is the source of the Spartan strength; a single weak spot in the formation, and the phalanx shatters. Since Ephialtes is unable to raise his shield over his head, he cannot protect the Spartan next to him, and essentially becomes a liability to the entire unit. While Leonidas is sympathetic to Ephialtes' will to fight, he must let him go; if he were to allow Ephialtes into his infantry, he puts everyone at risk.

Ok, so no one is going to be killed by the invading Persians in a business environment, but these days, we all have far few resources, time and energy to put into questioning or apologizing for the changes that we need to make to be successful. Sometimes, we need to simply accept that there are those that we can't afford to have on the team when their abilities or negative energies detract from the strength of the overall unit.

Oh, and in the legend of the 300 Spartans, Ephialtes seeks revenge for being spurned by Leonidas, and shows the Persians a secret path to attack the Spartans from behind. The Spartans are surrounded and everyone is massacred. Let's hope legend doesn't hold true in this case.