Postcards From Myself

The big three automakers are in trouble and it is there own fault. Interestingly I have talked to friends both liberal and conservative, Democrat and Republican. We all agree that the government should not bail out GM, Chrysler or Ford because they got in the bind they are in by their own self-centered mismanagement. They all thought they could do whatever they liked and that the customers would follow them. Sorry, your customers aren’t sheep and to think they are is just conceited stupidity.

There used to be an old saying that “what is good for GM is good for the country.” That tells you exactly where the problem lies. As anyone who is in tune with the marketplace can tell you, it should have been “what is good for the country is good for GM.” Basically, if you concentrate on your customer your business will succeed.

If you do what is right for your customers you will succeed on two fronts. First, even in the unlikely event that you do fail financially, you will have done some good for the world. And secondly, if you are doing right by your customers they will support you and stand behind you. They will want you to succeed. And that alone is more than half the battle.

Truthfully, I am not sure if it is too late for the big auto makers. I am sure it is already too late for their executives though. The guys at the top are too selfish to do what is right by their customers, their companies, or their countries. They have proven that by their attitudes and action. The best thing they could do is step down, and if they won’t step down they should be removed.

The only way the big three can be fixed is if they, and the labor unions who work for them, quit focusing on themselves and turn their attention to giving the customers what is wanted. How in the world does flying a corporate jet aid the customer? It doesn’t. How does haggling at the dealership until utter frustration sets in help the customer? It doesn’t. How does making too large gas guzzling old technology help the customer? It doesn’t. See how simple the test is? Just cut out all the junk that isn’t good for the customer out. Focus on your customer and you can’t lose.

A few years ago I went up to Toronto on a business trip. I really wasn’t sure what to expect because I had never been to Canada, and all of the big cities I was familiar with were typical US metropolises like New York, Atlanta, Dallas and the like. I was totally unprepared for the sprawling yet clean nature of Toronto.

I rented a car and cruised the area when I wasn’t in meetings, and found an area as diverse as the people there. From the high rises of downtown to the beautiful vineyards farther out near Niagara, the Toronto area had amazing contrasts.

The biggest surprise to me though, other than how clean the entire city was, had to have been the Toronto harbor. I really had never realized that not only did Toronto have a significant waterfront, but that it would be big enough for you to take a Toronto harbor cruise! I thought that harbor cruises and dinner cruises were the sole territory of place like, well like Charleston and San Francisco – places on the ocean! I never knew that when people talked of the great lakes, they really were Great Lakes.

I remember taking a ferry out to Toronto Island and the Toronto Island State Park. It was a beautiful area. I wander out there for hours amazed at the small island and all of the resources, including a clothing optional beach, that were available. Unfortunately I was there just into the off season so there weren’t as many facilities open and the flowers weren’t in bloom, but it was still an amazing place and so convenient to the downtown area.

While in Toronto I also ate at some excellent restaurants, browsed some well stocked book stored, and even took in the Broadway troupe showing of The Lion King. Oh, and of course, being a train person I marveled at the streetcars. Man I love those things. Never did get to take a full Toronto Cruise, but I would love to go back and do so.

Just thought I would pass on those thoughts. I hopefully will be traveling a bit more this year, and I was thinking about places that take you pleasantly by surprise. Toronto was certainly one of those.

The Work of Christmas

When the song of angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and the princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
    to find the lost,
    to heal the broken,
    to feed the hungry,
    to release the prisoner,
    to rebuild the nations,
    to bring peace among brothers,
    to make music in the heart.
          — Howard Thurman

As I sit here in the doctor’s office (no worry, regular checkup) I wonder why our healthcare system here in the US shouldn’t be more like our highway system.

We have roads and highways provided and regulated by the government, but we are free to buy or not buy the car of our choice. For those who don’t or can’t buy a car, there us public transportation available that may not be as fast or fancy, but it works. Additionally certain regulations are put on the methods if transport so that we are safe.

As we are seeing with the failing auto makers, those providers who don’t give the people what they want will still fail, so it isn’t a totally socialist system. (And no, I don’t believe the automakers should be bailed out.) So with this there is a free market in transportation, but one where a floor and a standard are provided.

I can take the analogy further, but I will leave it at that and ask for your thoughts. How do you think healthcare in the US should go and why?

I got this from HubSpot and simply love it. Seem that this really is the way it is on Twitter sometimes. Oh, and by the way, if you aren’t already following me on twitter, please do!