business is failing until it’s - maybe - too late.

Lenny’s start in the food service business reminded me of a book I just read, “Heat” by Bill Buford. Bill, a writer for The New Yorker, wanted to learn how to prepare food like a master chef in the finest Italian restaurant in New York. He was accepted as a kitchen slave in Babbo’s owned by Mario Batali and over a period of several years, worked his way up. At the book’s end Bill, having quit his job at the magazine, had just completed the last step of his education. Graduation was symbolically defined when Mario offered to back Bill in his own restaurant.

The last step of working “IN” the restaurant busi

My good friend, Lenny Tumbarello, www.WeTooCanDo.com, gave me the idea for this article. It seems an associate of his sort of criticized him for working “IN” his business. He wanted Lenny to work “ON” his business. This fellow felt Lenny might be spending too much time doing things that could have been “outsourced” for a small cost - thereby freeing Lenny up to focus on the bigger picture, the stuff that would make his business bigger.

I am very familiar with this concept. And I think it’s a valid thought process to go through. But you know, I think it’s often misapplied and overrated!

In fact I think it may be a big part of what has allowed third world countries to grab a big piece of our economic engine - so big a piece, for so long a time that I worry how and if we are going to get it back.

I know Lenny. He made his success in the fast food business - he owned a few stores in Texas. He learned early on that the best way to teach a person how to clean the bathrooms - among other things - was to clean one with the new guy observing and then watch as that fellow cleaned the other one. Lenny did this with each new employee and when he saw an attitude that indicted the new guy didn’t respect the importance of cleaning the bathroom right - Lenny fired him. Right then.

Lenny knows that before he can properly train and accurately evaluate his employees he has to master the job he wants done.

And I agree. I spent six months learning how to work on boats and motors at a marine service shop when I was considering becoming a boat dealer.

When I was COO of a precision parts manufacturing business that made parts for the auto industry, I spent a lot of time in the Detroit area and I learned a lot about the Big Three and the major OEMs. I thought a great deal about the often-expressed criticism that the companies were no longer being run by “car” guys; that they were being run by financial types.

I agreed.

Yes, top management had become more focused on quarterly earnings than the quality and market acceptance of the products. But I missed the point that management was working “ON” the business; nobody in the executive tower was working “IN” the business. Revenues and profits went up (for awhile) as the companies became financing giants and diversified into many non-related businesses but the contributions to both went down from the production of cars and trucks - the core businesses.

Seems to me the automakers problems were providing a wide-screen, HDV picture of what happens when decision makers change their focus from working “IN” the business to working “ON” the business. When they do, they can’t tell when their business is failing until it’s - maybe - too late.

Lenny’s start in the food service business reminded me of a book I just read, “Heat” by Bill Buford. Bill, a writer for The New Yorker, wanted to learn how to prepare food like a master chef in the finest Italian restaurant in New York. He was accepted as a kitchen slave in Babbo’s owned by Mario Batali and over a period of several years, worked his way up. At the book’s end Bill, having quit his job at the magazine, had just completed the last step of his education. Graduation was symbolically defined when Mario offered to back Bill in his own restaurant.

The last step of working “IN” the restaurant busin

untries to grab a big piece of our economic engine - so big a piece, for so long a time that I worry how and if we are going to get it back.

I know Lenny. He made his success in the fast food business - he owned a few stores in Texas. He learned early on that the best way to teach a person how to clean the bathrooms - among other things - was to clean one with the new guy observing and then watch as that fellow cleaned the other one. Lenny did this with each new employee and when he saw an attitude that indicted the new guy didn’t respect the importance of cleaning the bathroom right - Lenny fired him. Right then.

Lenny knows that before he can properly train and accurately evaluate his employees he has to master the job he wants done.

And I agree. I spent six months learning how to work on boats and motors at a marine service shop when I was considering becoming a boat dealer.

When I was COO of a precision parts manufacturing business that made parts for the auto industry, I spent a lot of time in the Detroit area and I learned a lot about the Big Three and the major OEMs. I thought a great deal about the often-expressed criticism that the companies were no longer being run by “car” guys; that they were being run by financial types.

I agreed.

Yes, top management had become more focused on quarterly earnings than the quality and market acceptance of the products. But I missed the point that management was working “ON” the business; nobody in the executive tower was working “IN” the business. Revenues and profits went up (for awhile) as the companies became financing giants and diversified into many non-related businesses but the contributions to both went down from the production of cars and trucks - the core businesses.

Seems to me the automakers problems were providing a wide-screen, HDV picture of what happens when decision makers change their focus from working “IN” the business to working “ON” the business. When they do, they can’t tell when their business is failing until it’s - maybe - too late.

Lenny’s start in the food service business reminded me of a book I just read, “Heat” by Bill Buford. Bill, a writer for The New Yorker, wanted to learn how to prepare food like a master chef in the finest Italian restaurant in New York. He was accepted as a kitchen slave in Babbo’s owned by Mario Batali and over a period of several years, worked his way up. At the book’s end Bill, having quit his job at the magazine, had just completed the last step of his education. Graduation was symbolically defined when Mario offered to back Bill in his own restaurant.

The last step of working “IN” the restaurant busi

ain and accurately evaluate his employees he has to master the job he wants done.

And I agree. I spent six months learning how to work on boats and motors at a marine service shop when I was considering becoming a boat dealer.

When I was COO of a precision parts manufacturing business that made parts for the auto industry, I spent a lot of time in the Detroit area and I learned a lot about the Big Three and the major OEMs. I thought a great deal about the often-expressed criticism that the companies were no longer being run by “car” guys; that they were being run by financial types.

I agreed.

Yes, top management had become more focused on quarterly earnings than the quality and market acceptance of the products. But I missed the point that management was working “ON” the business; nobody in the executive tower was working “IN” the business. Revenues and profits went up (for awhile) as the companies became financing giants and diversified into many non-related businesses but the contributions to both went down from the production of cars and trucks - the core businesses.

Seems to me the automakers problems were providing a wide-screen, HDV picture of what happens when decision makers change their focus from working “IN” the business to working “ON” the business. When they do, they can’t tell when their business is failing until it’s - maybe - too late.

Lenny’s start in the food service business reminded me of a book I just read, “Heat” by Bill Buford. Bill, a writer for The New Yorker, wanted to learn how to prepare food like a master chef in the finest Italian restaurant in New York. He was accepted as a kitchen slave in Babbo’s owned by Mario Batali and over a period of several years, worked his way up. At the book’s end Bill, having quit his job at the magazine, had just completed the last step of his education. Graduation was symbolically defined when Mario offered to back Bill in his own restaurant.

The last step of working “IN” the restaurant busi

erly earnings than the quality and market acceptance of the products. But I missed the point that management was working “ON” the business; nobody in the executive tower was working “IN” the business. Revenues and profits went up (for awhile) as the companies became financing giants and diversified into many non-related businesses but the contributions to both went down from the production of cars and trucks - the core businesses.

Seems to me the automakers problems were providing a wide-screen, HDV picture of what happens when decision makers change their focus from working “IN” the business to working “ON” the business. When they do, they can’t tell when their business is failing until it’s - maybe - too late.

Lenny’s start in the food service business reminded me of a book I just read, “Heat” by Bill Buford. Bill, a writer for The New Yorker, wanted to learn how to prepare food like a master chef in the finest Italian restaurant in New York. He was accepted as a kitchen slave in Babbo’s owned by Mario Batali and over a period of several years, worked his way up. At the book’s end Bill, having quit his job at the magazine, had just completed the last step of his education. Graduation was symbolically defined when Mario offered to back Bill in his own restaurant.

The last step of working “IN” the restaurant busi

business is failing until it’s - maybe - too late.

Lenny’s start in the food service business reminded me of a book I just read, “Heat” by Bill Buford. Bill, a writer for The New Yorker, wanted to learn how to prepare food like a master chef in the finest Italian restaurant in New York. He was accepted as a kitchen slave in Babbo’s owned by Mario Batali and over a period of several years, worked his way up. At the book’s end Bill, having quit his job at the magazine, had just completed the last step of his education. Graduation was symbolically defined when Mario offered to back Bill in his own restaurant.

The last step of working “IN” the restaurant business? Bill spent six months as an apprentice in a butcher shop in a small village in Italy learning how to judge, buy and carve beef and pigs.

I think when we run past the working “in” part of our businesses we wind up lowering our standards. When we lower our standards we make it easier for those who have less skills and less experience to beat us at our own game.

Certainly think about how to make your business better. Of course make sound economic decisions about where in your business to spend your time and when to buy somebody else’s time. But there is only one way to know if something is the best and that is to have participated in its creation. Without such participation all you have are the words and actions someone else provides.

Did you know that at one time - before it fell from grace - every Disney employee, from the people at the top to the lowliest janitor, everyone - had to spend a day in costume walking around the park?

When was the last time you put on one of your employee's costumes?