Skip to main content

Dilbert Lives (humor)

Dear Friends; yes it is true. I have my PC back and incredibly, I can reconstitute (slowly) my emails! Thanks Fred Walser at Computer Geeks! OK, with the frustration I was feeling it is appropriate that my Fryday humor post should involve a homage to the recent testimonies of our brightest financial executives from our great corporations, As such, I thought it would be appropriate to forward a list of the 10 best submissions that Scott Adams (the creator of Dilbert) received over the past year of just really, really stupid things for this Fryday’s posting. It is true, large companies are made up of some really smart people, but when enough people start making stupid statements and implementing really dumb ideas not really thinking about them, well, now you understand why big corporations start to get into real trouble! Enjoy, and thanks to all who sent me emails of condolences, encouragement, advice, and “I told you so (to get a MAC)!”
__________________________________________________________

'As of tomorrow, employees will only be able to access the building using individual security cards. Pictures will be taken next Wednesday, and employees will receive their cards in two weeks.'

(Fred Dales, Microsoft Corp. in Redmond WA)

'What I need is an exact list of specific unknown problems we might encounter.'

(Lykes Lines Shipping)

'E-mail is not to be used to pass on information or data. It should be used only for company business.'
(Accounting manager, Electric Boat Company)

'This project is so important we can't let things that are more important interfere with it.'

(Advertising/Marketing manager, United Parcel Service)

'Doing it right is no excuse for not meeting the schedule .'

(Plant Manager, Delco Corporation)

'No one will believe you solved this problem in one day! We've been working on it for months. Now go act busy for a few weeks and I'll let you know when it's time to tell them.'

(R&D supervisor, Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing/3M Corp.)

Quote from the Boss: 'Teamwork is a lot of people doing what I say.'

(Marketing executive, Citrix Corporation)

My sister passed away and her funeral was scheduled for Monday. When I told my Boss, he said she died on purpose so that I would have to miss work on the busiest day of the year. He then asked if we could change her burial to Friday. He said, 'That would be better for me.'

(Shipping executive, FTD Florists)

'We know that communication is a problem, but the company is not going to discuss it with the employees.'

(Switching supervisor, AT&T Long Lines Division)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Moldy Middle

While taking statistics during my quest to get an MBA and while earning my engineering degree, the professors always emphasized the importance of finding the statistical mean of any population by using the Central Mean Theorem (a.k.a the highest point of the Bell Curve). As an engineer, this was essential in order to maximize throughput, minimize cost and waste, and ultimately make a better, faster, cheaper widget. A funny thing happened on the way to the dark side of marketing. I discovered that the only thing in the middle of the road was quite literally dead road kill. I do not know if you remember stores like Bradlees, Ames and Service Merchandise (just to name a few), but they all folded because the environment changed and they were caught trying to service the mythological “average customer.” Part of that change came when Wal-Mart began its juggernaut with the discount department store. Wal-Mart did two things right: 1) Focused on “mobile” consumers, and 2) Fo...

The Saleman's Litmus Test

If your goal is to become a great company or even improve your existing one, every employee in you company should be able to “sell” the product or service that you are merchandising. Since that is usually not the case, you are forced to hire sales people to help implement the objectives laid out by upper management. A national study indicated that less than 3% of the population has an inherent penchant for sales, and as much as 50% of all salespeople really do not know how to sell. During my 20 odd years in sales, I have hired, worked with, and observed great sales people (yes, both men and women). Being the observant type and believing in best practices, I have complied a listing of questions you should ask any salesperson before you hire them, and should use this Litmus Test to review of your existing sales force to determine whether to keep them or cut them loose.  I hope you find it useful. Psyching Out the Test : People always try to answer questions the way they thin...

Traits of an Entrepreneur

I will begin and end this article with two quotations. The first is from Edward Rogers: "You don't deserve to be called an entrepreneur unless you've mortgaged your house to the business." --Edward S. (Ted) Rogers  This one sentence pretty much says it all. Entrepreneurs are not necessary gamblers, but they are willing to put everything they own, or go all in, in order to make it happen. In the classical sense an entrepreneur is define as anyone who has possession of a new enterprise, endeavor, venture or idea, and assumes significant accountability for the inherent risks associated with the development, growth, and outcome. He or she is an organizer who combines land, labor, material resources, and/or capital to create and market new goods, products, or services. The term "entrepreneur" is loaned from the French and was first defined by the Irish economist Richard Cantillon, where the term was applied to the type of persona who was willing to take upon th...