16 July 2001

• "Be like a postage stamp – stick to one thing until you get there." – Josh Billings

• Money Secrets of the Rich! Authors: John Burley with Bruce Whiting. Publisher: Treasure Chest Unlimited. Learn the seven steps to financial freedom, as well as the truth about money, why you don’t need money to start investing, how to become debt free in 3 – 7 years including your house and cars, how to reduce your expenses by 20 – 50% without affecting your standard of living, plus much, much more.

• www.cnn.com Sometimes your local paper doesn’t quite have the depth of news you want or it doesn’t cover the part of the planet that you are interested in knowing about. If it’s not here, it’s not happening.

• No Executive Lunchrooms.

In all my years of business consulting, perhaps the hardest thing to convince managers of, is the fact that everything they think, everything they do, and everything they say, communicates a message. In addition, as mentioned in previous newsletters, that what they do will always override what they say when it comes to the message received by their staff.

One example of this, which I see all too often, is the range and level of amenities provided for management staff as opposed to amenities provided for ‘other’ staff.

In some organisations, I have seen executive mahogany paneled boardrooms furnished with expensive leather chesterfields with ornate sideboards and bars stocking the very finest wines and liqueur; whilst out in the factory, the lunchroom consists of ‘castoff’ furniture, ‘op-shop’ crockery and a refrigerator that the local museum would love to have as an exhibit.

Now please don’t get me wrong. I am not against leather chesterfields and fine wine, as not only do I delight in enjoying the finer things of life just like most people, but I know that environment, such as lavishly appointed boardrooms, can have an empowering influence on meeting outcomes. What irks me however is that the management of these companies pay wonderful lip service to staff being the organisation’s most important asset, that the company’s success is due to a ‘team’ effort, and that everyone on the team is equal.

B.S. The message communicated within these companies is that some are definitely more equal than others.

The up side of my experience is that I also get to see what happens when management words are matched by actions. Great business leaders and managers practice what they preach. Sure the company may still have it’s mahogany paneled boardroom, however the question of ownership within the firm is that the boardroom belongs to the company and ALL the staff, it is not just the domain of ‘the important ones’ upstairs. As such, the boardroom is available for the appropriate use of all staff. Jack Welsh, of General Electric, is a person who is often quoted as being a stickler for ‘prohibiting’ executive ‘anything’ within the GE group of companies. The success of GE bears testimony to what can happen when the actions of management congruently reflect their words and beliefs that people are their most important asset, that all have an equal part to play in the success of the organisation, and that all shall be treated accordingly.

Another aspect of executive lunchrooms is that the very nature of their existence signals a clear message of ‘us and them’. One of the reasons great companies are great companies is that people are not only treated as equals, they are equals. This is demonstrated by all members of staff ‘eating’ at the same table, with the CEO sitting along side the janitor, the sales director dining with the data processor and so on and so forth.

My observation is that it is only the fragile egos of the insecure that insists upon the ‘executive’ lunchroom being maintained as a privilege for the few. As the rules of business change in the new millennium, those who persist with this outmoded tradition, do so at their own peril.

Until next week, many happy customer returns!

Graham Harvey APS

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