by Tinker » Thu Jul 28, 2011 1:21 am
[quote=Page 2"]Kaplan’s book is about asking the right questions, to create the right vision, to establish the right priorities, and then matching the way one’s time is spent to the priorities one sets, which isn’t easily accomplished.
“How can we make more money?” and “How can we make our quarterly numbers?” are the wrong questions. Leaders who begin here fall astray. The question has to be, “How can we best serve customers and add value?”
“The money and the financials follow.” Kaplan said.
In a speech to graduates last May, Kaplan discussed the “MBA Oath” some business schools have adopted after taking a hard look at the some of the graduates they’ve unleashed upon the earth.
Kaplan encouraged graduates to write down their most strongly held beliefs. “Examples might include: treat people with respect; ...if you have someone over a barrel, don’t take advantage of it; transparency is vitally important; business should have a positive impact on the community,” he said.
He also suggested writing down the ethical boundaries they would never cross, such as, “I will never lie, cheat, steal.”
It’s important to think all this through before something like an unexpected market free fall demands compromises. “These events happen in a nano-second,” Kaplan said.
A few other thoughts you wouldn’t expect from a former Goldman Sachs guy.
• “Two tax cuts and two wars put us in a box.”
• It’s time to raise taxes on the rich, even rich guys like him. This won’t hurt most of the small businesses with the best potential to create jobs since most are under the $250,000-a-year income threshold for tax increases. “If you carve out doctors, dentists, law practices and investment partnerships, I think you’ll find there’s not many small business left” making more than $250,000, Kaplan said.
• It’s time to rescue the nation’s overleveraged, under-employed and foreclosure-stricken middle class. “The engine of a country is its middle class,” Kaplan said. “You show me a growing middle class, and I’ll show you a growing country and a healthy financial sector.”[/quote]
The canary didn't die because this mine is dangerous, it died because it's lazy and wasn't raised with a proper work ethic.