Jephtah Lorch

My personal experience is that "seeing the big picture" is something you can train but within limits. Having managed people, worked with and consulted to people in companies, my conclusion is that some are big picture people, some are people of detail and some are people who see the big picture and are able to identify the details crucial for the big picture.

Find ways to test and possibly expa... Read more

Your question is quite vague thus a general answer. Assets need to be clearly differentiated and defined for each to receive its specific priority and usage within the big picture called "My Business". Cash is handled differently than shelve space and floor space which are handled differently from goods. I do assume you do not refer to people as assets.

Don't rid yourself from people before max... Read more

The situation described is typical to the "Interface Problem". As the interfaces between functions were not managed properly, flow is hindered. Typical symptoms include frequent detailed coordination, or non converging activities.

There is one key process: serving clients. All KPIs need to measure those parameters that harmonically create customer satisfaction, repeat buy, etc. Thus:
- Sales... Read more

Some thoughts...

As we don't know what type of company you are involved in it is hard to contribute specific answers.

Strategy is a long term management tool (adapted from the military world). If your business is capital intensive (like automotive and steel mills), strategic decisions may look 15 to 20 years into the future. A Bio-Tech company looks 10-15 years ahead, Hi-tech 3 to 5, while s... Read more

Show the GM's how by giving up operational roles they can focus on sales, increase them and their bonuses... Read more

Rick's comment is the key issue. End users are your 'reason of being', for your own reasons, you opted to delegate sales to your channel partner instead of doing it in house.

Without knowing the type of products you make and your sales spread, it is hard to give specific advice. For long term sake you should get more client exposure and direct contact through advertising, product seminars, onl... Read more

I fully support my peer's advice. Having led a turnaround of a family owned company I found out that:
- when I show results they couldn't achieve, I gained respect.
- respect allowed me to grow my leadership position.
- I initiated one on one meetings with each critical family member, listening to their concerns and proposals.
- I addressed their proposals OR wrote a document/analysis, both qu... Read more

The devil is in the detail thus a generic answer would not suffice. That said, and agreeing with Drumm, it sounds as if your vendor is adding insult to injury. He knows you apparently over depend on him thus, as stated above 'compensating you' for HIS delays by becoming a partner...doesn't make sense to me. I would suggest a deeper review of what is good for your company's long term health.

Goo... Read more

All companies are people centric, not a single one works without them, none are established without them. I agree with Drumm that people are or create the problem and, they are the solution.

My suggestion is take all your service people, one by one and ask THEM what THEY think should be improved. The know their work (better than executives), if their solutions are implemented you have a higher ... Read more

I support David's advice. I would like to point out a people issue.

My suggestion is that you clearly present the pros and cons, substantiate your claims AND be politely firm with your recommendation. Remember, if the deal does go through and fails, finger pointing will start... Read more

Value is in the eyes of the beholder, be that your company or a buyer. The value is eventually determined by leadership. Person that can turn the practice into an efficient, customer centric, customer attracting, profitable practice. I would estimate that a good leader, who will manage the new entity, will solve all pending issues.

Good Luck!.. Read more

I concur with my colleagues and would like to add my penny to the piggy bank. People want certainty and stability, avoiding an issue only increases uncertainties and causes a lot of unease. I recommend that clear responsibilities and authorities be defined while sharing the pool of positions between both groups of employees.

Easy said than done, people have to be interviewed, assessed and espe... Read more

Well, here again - congratulations on your growth!

Different company sizes require different means of communications, procedures and so on. A small companies or start ups have a 'can do, will do' attitude with the managers being natural leaders. Growth requires middle management to understand that their accountability is by $ making results, not by politics or niceties. Politics create a lot of ... Read more

Relating to humans, their personalities and wishes, cultural issues are delicate. Trust is the key to bring them to practice your culture, the challenge is how to do it without loosing key personnel. The best way is to help them converge to your culture and possibly, as a sign of good will, you may adopt something positive in their culture.

Trust is built through people, personal meetings, sh... Read more

Market share is tricky - it can be units or US$, it keeps changing and, has nothing to do with profitability. The root issue is that you want to increase sales and profitability. Given a more or less fixed market size, increasing sales normally increases market share. Thus, I would expect your branch manager to be the #1 sales person and focus on increasing sales (within princeliest) while someone... Read more