The Cycle of Hell

 

By Laurie Clarke, Chief Operating Officer, The Tatham Group

Ever wonder why? Why some problems keep coming up over and over again?  Each summer I wonder why my city, Toronto, is taken over by construction workers fixing potholes and repaving roads?  Why are those five pounds (okay ten) shed in the summer regained in the winter? Why are meetings called to discuss the same things?  Why do short-term incentive goals appear the same year after year (or maybe pop up every two to five years)? Why can’t these problems be fixed once and for all?

 Welcome to the cycle of hell. Well, ok, the cycle of hell for some people.  And that is the problem. 

Knowing Your Limits…What Do We Really Know?

By Doug Powell, Senior Vice President, Wachovia

The Customer: Part I of III

I enjoy working on my house.  This is a good thing because the person I bought it from (also the person who had it built and, I think, had a direct hand in many of the ‘finishing’ touches) only did about a C+ job on most of it.  I fully realize that this level of craftsmanship (yes, craftsmanS-H-I-P) ultimately allowed me to be able to afford my house on a new, single income, with little real equity, having just relocated after a career move.  Yet each time I get into a project, I inevitably find a lack of attention to detail that reminds me of why I have to redo the work myself, causes me to shake my head and utter the words “how in the world did he think this was quality work?”  As you have no doubt read elsewhere on this site, I have found a very stable process.