Dumb Rules
A man did business in the building where his bank was located. He didn’t have business to do at the bank that day but went in to get his parking ticket validated. This was a perk the bank provided to their customers.
When he asked a teller to stamp his parking ticket, she looked at his shabby dress and refused, explaining that they only did that for customers. He was angry and asked for her supervisor. The supervisor responded the same way. No banking business, no stamp. That is the rule.
So the man obliged by doing business with the bank that day.
He withdrew money.
All of it.
One million dollars.
I feel certain that smart people made this rule for smart reasons. But this situation, it became very dumb. Even chased a customer away.
Does your business have any dumb rules?
copyright 2009 – Jan Bolick, Business Class Inc
Young Patrick & The Leprechaun
Long long ago, in the faraway land of Great Britain, lived a boy named Patrick.
When he was 16, Irish raiders invaded his wealthy family’s estate. He was kidnapped and taken to the faraway land called Ireland. He was scared and lonely.
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12 Ways to Warm Cold Cuts
Part #6 of a series on managing tough times.
Layoffs. Reductions in pay and benefits. More work to do with fewer people and resources. Decisions perceived as good for the business – bad for the people.
Most managers and business owners hate making these cuts and do so only as part of the process to avoid the coldest cut of all – closing the business.
Their attempts to save the business often backfire. As they lower expenses, morale declines. So does loyalty. And productivity. Profitability too. All bad for the people AND the business.
If you need to make some of these tough, seemingly cold cuts for the financial health of your business but dread the impact on productivity and morale – theirs as well as your own – here are 12 ways to warm things up.
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