| |
| |
|
Management Information |
|
|
|
Never Hire Anyone Dumber Than You Are!
In a previous life I was a Navy Pilot. Great life, great people to be around. People who were all doing great things around the world flying off great big aircraft carriers. In an environment that complex and dangerous, you need to have teams of people working as one, or bad things begin to happen in large quantities. The people onboard aircraft carriers are divided into two groups, those that make the ship float and those that make the planes fly. Those that make the ship float are known as "ship's company", and those that make the planes fly are with "the airwing". During one tour of duty, I was assigned to the "airwing staff". The airwing staff coordinated the activities of the ten aircraft squadrons deployed aboard the aircraft carrier. It was while working for our Airwing Commander, Captain Jerry Norris, that I would unknowingly learn what has to become my most valued rule as an entrepreneur. Captain Norris was quite the character. A fighter pilot with all the fixings! Tall, handsome, and with enough confident charisma to handle any situation, be that in the air, on land, or at sea. But the truth of it is, none of the eight officers on the staff considered Captain Norris to be the sharpest knife in the drawer. It wasn't that things were not going well for he or the airwing. It just seemed strange that so simple and relaxed an individual could lead so effectively. You must understand that Captain Norris was in charge of the operations of nearly 3000 men and almost 100 of the most complex flying machines on the planet. But fly we did, and did it well. Our airwing was often singled out for acts of excellence. It was during a short visit in Cannes, France that Captain Norris was to give me my lesson. Like so many of life's lessons, the lesson was unintended. If there is one thing that flying fellows enjoy more than flying, it is the telling of tales while ashore! And it seems nothing gets the mind flowing like the flow of beer. Our cups runneth over, as did our mouths! The topic of the evening turned to how smart each of us was compared to our fearless leader. We were even so bold as to believe that he was fearless because he simply did not understand what was going on around him. In fact, it was we who did not understand what was going on around us! The good Captain was sitting quietly within the sound of our voices. He had heard every one of our comments on his lack of intellect. As the Commander with the confident charisma approached, we were certain that if we were shown mercy we would be court martialed, and we feared that if the Captain choose not to be merciful, we would just be shot right on sight! Speaking got us into this predicament, so silence seemed the best choice. Captain Norris spoke. He acknowledged our belief that each of us had among the finest minds in the entire Navy in our specific specialty. He flattered those things that each had done since beginning our assignment with the airwing. Captain Norris offered that he had hand selected each one of us from the entire fleet, having had to call in favors, make threats, and impose demands, just to have each of us work with him. We were there because he believed us to be the best, and he wanted only the best. Seems he held us in the same regard that we held ourselves. Then Captain Norris spoke to the issue of intellect, specifically our perception of his lack thereof. Captain Norris said, "The mark of the true leader is not one who gives orders, or feigns knowledge, but rather the leader who plants the needed seed in a fertile mind so gently, that the subordinate believes the idea emerged from within." Continued silence. He was in complete control of our actions and had always been. He chose each of us knowing full well that in our specific areas of expertise, we were well beyond him. And knowing full well that in his area, that of building teams of the best and brilliant, then allowing them to take ownership of ideas, he was the expert. Captain Norris asked what I had learned. My response, "I should never hire anyone dumber than I am." "You've got it," he said. "Must have just emerged from within." Wally Conway is President of Florida HomePro Inspections, and has recently written a book entitled "Secrets of the Happy Home Inspector", available at GoHomePro.com or Amazon.com. Wally's expertise and experience has been sought after by HGTV's "House Detective", the Florida Times Union, and many real estate boards and associations. As a speaker, writer, instructor, and host of The Happy Home Inspector radio show every Saturday at 3 PM on WOKV 690, Wally blends the right amount of up-to-date information with just the right amount of humor, insight, motivation, and real-world application. Visit WallyConway.com for more information!
MORE RESOURCES:
Texas Instruments to host investor conference call on power management - MarketWatch (press release)
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Compensation and Six Sigma Black Belts One of the more ambiguous elements of a Six Sigma project is the level and type of compensation the organization should give to its Six Sigma leaders and team members. On the one hand, setting compensation is not an integral part of any stage of a Six Sigma project; on the other hand, compensation is an important instrument to build loyalty and a sense of accomplishment that is a crucial element to the organization's Six Sigma success. The Top Six Reasons to Buy Rather Than Build an Inventory Management Solution Is building your own inventory management solution really your best bet?The issues that companies face when they decide to build a solution in house are numerous: Scarce development resources, project cost overruns, delivery delays, unexpected technical issues, long-term maintenance issues.For these reasons, you should consider purchasing hosted, flexible, "out-of-the-box" vendor managed inventory (VMI) and web-based inventory solutions that can be running in a matter of days -- rather than months -- all at a fixed monthly price - with no delays, low risk and a lower total cost of ownership. The Seven Cs: Partnership Danger Signs - The 6th C: Changing Vision A series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that can indicate a partnership is in trouble.The 6th C: Changing VisionIn order for a business to be a success the vision and mission must be reflected in all aspects of the structure, the culture and the strategy by which business is conducted. Are You Measuring Something Meaningful? Avoiding inert measures that anaesthetise your performance management.INTRODUCTIONYou sit before the monthly report, which might be an inch or so thick, and you contemplate whether it's the best use of your time to paw through the pages to check if there's anything useful in there for you. Discover the Astonishing Power of Words Today! Picture all the people you know who are dynamic, successful and self-confident. The ones who are the stars of every gathering. How To Use W Edwards Deming Human beings and the way they interact are extraordinarily Complex. Deming tried to define that complexity. What One Thing? A few weeks ago I asked my readers what the most important issue was in their business. Hundreds responded with a variety of answers, but one of the most common was, "How do I get everything that needs doing done?" Happily, I have an answer for this question, but like many things in life, it carries both good news and bad news. Business Innovation - Value versus Quality Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas. Problem Solving - Think Cleopatras Ass Picture the scene. Anthony pops down to the guardhouse, partly because he wants a break with the lads, but also because he has a problem. Creativity Management - Quality from Quantity Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas. Conflict at 36,000 ft This was supposed to be one of those sleepy flights that leaves late, crosses two time zones, and arrives at 11:00 p.m. Unlock the Hidden Creativity of Your Employees To release creativity in employees, managers must get involved in their employees' work. Look at each employee as if he or she is the expert on the job and tap into their creative energy. Small Business Outsourcing: An Introduction Outsourcing is the delegation of a business process to an external service provider. The service provider will then be responsible for the day-to-day running and maintenance of the delegated process. 30 Ways to be a Butt-Head Boss 1. Trust no one. Look Good on Voice Mail Your use of voice mail tells others a lot about you. Here's how to make a good impression. Why Your Business Needs an E-Mail Policy Why is it imperative to have a company E-Mail Policy? It is simply good business, that's why! In addition, having a clear and detailed e-mail policy in place, one that employees sign and date before they are allowed access through your businesss' computers, is critical to you being able to enforce or react to situations that may arise at a later date.Even assuming you have the best folks working for you, or on your behalf, does not negate the need for this type of policy to be established. The Idol-Makers The end of the television season in May included the usual array of cliffhangers on shows like "Alias," the departure of Noah Wylie from "ER" and the finale of the highly-rated "Everybody Loves Raymond" after 210 episodes. On the last day of "Sweeps," more than 29 million people tuned in to see the crowning of the fourth "American Idol. Innovation Management - Six Crucial Steps Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas. How to Attract and Retain the Right People If you're one of the many executives struggling with finding and keeping the right people to propel your business forward, you'll find these insights helpful.If you're frustrated by trying to motivate people, work instead to develop a company where people are self-motivated - where they do things because they want to. Project Managment: Land the Plane Stop Doing and Start Succeeding We all spend time on planning vacations. If it's not you then it's probably your significant other or travel agent.
|
|
|
| AdaptInfo2.com Grp1 home site map |
| © 2008 |
