It's Not About the Money

Of course we all need to make money. We earn our profits with honor when we provide goods, services, and care for our customers. It's possible to create a better world AND make money in the process.

But, all too often, in that process we encounter problems. In  the service of our people (customers, team members, vendors, regulators...) we should solve those problems.

Sometimes, companies seek to monetize that process by creating problem situations that beg for solutions, which are then made available for an upgrade with an extra fee. Yuck. Short term that may seem smart but long term it's burning down the house you live in just to warm it up.

The minute you monetize problem solving you create more problems. 

And those problems will be much harder to solve.

-- doug smith

 

Go Earlier Than the Money

How do you feel when you run out of money?

It rocks my world if my account misses the mark. I don't like to run through my cash before all of my issues are settled, do you?

Sometimes, money is more of a symptom than the money. Many people will tell you that all of their problems could be solved if they just had enough money. As the expression goes, "if money can fix it, it's not a problem" (sometimes attributed to Rita Davenport). There is often something deeper. There is a cause behind the cause of the limited money.

If the problem is money there's another problem hiding earlier in the chain.

Dig a little deeper. Discover the true cause. Or keep burning through the cash. The choice is up to you.

-- Douglas Brent Smith