Breathing and Profit

[CLN852@aol.com]

In a message dated 11/21/99 2:31:01 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
den.list-d-request@deming.ces.clemson.edu writes:

<< I must be missing the point. All work is directed at one thing: providing
 food and shelter. What allows me provide for myself and those for whom I
 care is profit. Either the profit I generate directly or my share of the
 profit generated by the enterprise of which I am a part. Joy has nothing to
 do with it. That's why we call it "work." If you are one of those who loves
 doing what you do for a living, so much the better. If I am in business for
 myself, the amount of profit I earn is in direct proportion to how much time
 and effort I expend, the desirability of my product to those in my community
 and how smart I am in producing it.  >>
The quote from Russell Ackoff comes to mind as I read this portion of Marc's 
quote; "profit to a business is like breathing to a human." To suggest that 
the purpose of a human being is to breath is rather limiting. In dealing with 
people who are focused on profit, I see them do things that are usually not 
in the interest of their customers (i.e. getting rid of inventory, rather 
than producing what is truly needed by the customer). For someone to be in 
the business and not to love what they are doing usually comes across to the 
stakeholders (employees, customers, suppliers,etc.)of the organization. The 
attitude of "me first" usually does not generate loyalty of these important 
stakeholders.

Just yesterday, I had the pleasure of visiting the Austin Wine Merchant, a 
small business that distributes fine wine in Austin, Texas. I had been told 
of the establishment by a wine maker (supplier) in Sonoma, California. The 
employees at the store took the time to find out what wines that my wife and 
I enjoyed and then introduced us to several brands that would meet our 
descriptions. The more important attribute of the buying-selling relationship 
was the knowledge and enthusiasm demonstrated by the employees at this fine 
establishment. It does not take the customer long to determine if the 
supplier really cares about the product and/or service being offered. The 
"force-field" of customer first vs "my profit first" is usually very apparent 
to most customers and something we have all experienced. This is one of many 
reasons why so many new businesses fail.

Cliff Norman
Austin, Texas
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