Rules Of Management

RULE 48 - Cut the crap – prioritize

“We want it. We need it. Must have the precious!”

Gollum (Andy Serkis) in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Gollum knew the value of prioritizing. He knew what he wanted – to the exclusion of everything else. Now there’s a dedicated creature for you.

I used to work for a manager who was fond of asking who we worked for. If we said ourselves, he shook his head. If we said him, he shook his head. If we said the directors, he shook his head. And on and on. The only answer, he said, was for the shareholders. And the only reason we worked, he said, was for the profit. Everything else was padding. Fair enough. We do work for the shareholders – whoever they might be. It might be yourself if you are a one-person band. They might be the directors if it’s a family owned firm and not trading on the stock market. They might be millions of little people who have all invested.

So cut the crap. There is only one reason for being in business, no matter what anyone says – profit. To make money. If you’re making the figures, good. If you’re not, clear your desk out. Simple. Now you have a neat yardstick to judge everything you do. Ask, ’Does this contribute towards the profits I am making, or not?’ If it does, keep right on doing it. If it doesn’t, chuck it out.

When all is said and done, that is what it’s all about. No money, no business. No business, no job. No job, no mortgage, car, bread on the table, holidays in Tuscany.

“No money, no business. No business, no job.”

I bet you sit down and look at everything you do, a lot of it will be padding. Time to prioritize. Cut the crap and dedicate yourself to one thing and one thing only – the bottom line. And that’s what separates a really sharp manager like you from all the others. That clear focus, that vision, that dedication. Go Gollum, go.

posted by Right Ranger @ 8:23 PM