Missing It Badly

You have probably been on the court and done something like this yourself: You dribble around, take a jump shot and the ball catches nothing but air, no backboard, net or anything. And you feel really stupid. If you're really 'lucky', your friends are watching (and laughing their shorts off).

That is 'Missing it badly'.

It must be a 'people' thing.

Go to your local grocery and just watch the women at food shopping (and the men too...). They roll the cart down the aisle, stop the card on the right side and then stand on the left side, blocking the whole aisle. When you say 'excuse me', they jump out of the way, saying they're sorry. Really? It doesn't take a lot of brain power to notice one's surroundings.

Again, missing it badly.

A couple of years ago, I got in trouble with the director of the local ASPCA. It all began with complaints about people wearing fur. I jokingly remarked that people should wear dog fur, plenty of dogs get euthanized. I was then soundly lambasted for my 'insensitivity' and how dogs should be treated with more dignity. I don't mind people holding opinions if they are willing to discuss them. Here I was being belittled, so I fought back. I reminded the person that they support abortion but shouldn't human beings or at least fetuses be treated with more dignity. As most liberals will do when 'you don't just understand' but point out how they just don't understand, this person began to demonstrate how foul mouthed they could be. In front of a room full of people. I just rolled my eyes until that person realized what they had done.

Again, missing it badly.

Let me note now that I don't mind whatever opinion a person has. The problem is that all of us, and I mean ALL OF US, hold opinions without knowing what the hell we are talking about. When it's pointed out to me, I learn from it. Most people react like you just excreted on their couch.

How does this apply to management? Very simple, management misses it badly much too often.

Take the normal operations of a manufacturing facility. You have to hire people to build the product, test it, package it and send it out. This is very similar to the football team. The product is a touchdown or score and you need a team to get that ball down the field. So what do you do? It's obvious! You hire the cheapest possible labor and hope you get lucky.

Yeah, that's a recipe for success.

Or consider the usual workplace: You have a combination of abilities and capacities. Some are better workers than others, so you aim to keep the good and get rid of the bad, right? Nope, you make sure that yearly merit increases are as small as possible so that the good people, who can readily get another job, leave. Then you are left with the dead wood, who wouldn't be able to easily get another job.

That's it. Missing it badly.