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by Robert Malone, Contributing Editor   | Abstract: | Good business gurus are a rare and valuable breed, and we should honor them. They change us, and they change the world. |
Business gurus seem to enjoy long, productive lives. Perhaps their longevity has something to do with their ever-changing and volatile subject matter. Business guru Peter Drucker died in 2005 at age 95; W. Edwards Deming died in 1993 at age 93; and Joseph Juran is alive in 2007 at age 102. Drucker was known for suggesting that workers should take part in corporate decision-making. This was a startling idea when he introduced it, and it still is to many people. In fact, this idea has yet to be put into practice at many organizations. Drucker also said, "Don't ask what do we need to sell, but what do people want to buy?" What audacity, what nerve — and what a good idea. Deming stated that continuous incremental improvement in a process, such as manufacturing, is a rich goal to pursue. He also said it is important for everyone in a company to know the company's intentions. This is another example of nerve, audacity — and a good idea. For his part, Juran made up his own 80-20 rule, which basically demonstrated that 80% of problems could be assigned to 20% of causes. He called this the "vital few and useful many." Juran drew his inspiration from Vilfredo Pareto, the 19th century Italian philosopher and engineer who devised the Pareto chart. What may be most remarkable about brilliant business gurus is that their ideas appear, in hindsight, so simple, obvious, and rudimentary. Yet, none of the other 6 billion people on the planet had exactly the same thought before. When we reflect on Aristotle's teachings — for instance, the delineation of language into subject, predicate, and object — we may say, "But isn't this obvious?" It's obvious to us because Aristotle made it so more than 2,000 years ago. These business gurus kept advancing their thinking, in effect practicing Deming's concept of continuous improvement. Theirs were not earth-shaking notions, quick repair jobs, or shouted hype. They spoke softly, and their incrementally and continually improved notions are worth hearing again and again. None of these gurus was to the manor born. Each won his stripes and praise by diligence and persistence. None had an MBA. None edited the Harvard Business Review. Their degrees were in such subjects as mathematics, statistics, physics, law, and economics — not business theory. There is a strong inclination today to seek advice in a proscriptive form. "Give me a list and I'll follow it." Some authors and lecturers assure their audiences that if they only cross this chasm, travel this bridge, or apply these seven magical lessons, they will make the Forbes billionaires list. But you can't run or correct a business by aphorisms or simplistic formulae. The manufacturing business doesn't have to play by the rules. If it did stick to the rules, there would be no innovation, no entrepreneurs, and no connection to customers' huge and continuously evolving demands. In business, the manager has to have one foot in the air at all times. There is no comfort. Managers are not paid to be comfortable. |