The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1933-05-25
800 Late
60 GLassi15
BY RUSSELL KAY
SeeFstary. Ficrida Pres Associates

Here we are with a glganLlc
corporation, employing thousands
of people, and handling millions
of dollars. operating in an age
when conditions change so fast
that anything can happen in
twenty-four hours. and we only
have a directors meeting once
every two years.
They set up a budget, make APP
preparations, and lay down an in
flexible business policy and then
turn the mess over to the business
manager and expect the poor guy
to make profit and pay lot of
dividends with both hands tied
behind his back and his feet in
/ letters.
Then when the business goes to
hell, the stockholders get up on
their ear and rage and tear their
! hair, howlin' for a new manager
and new board of directors. They
don't seem to realize that it's
the system and not the personnel
that's all haywire.
SO no matter how hard the old
board worked or how conscien-
tious the manager was, they all
get the well-known sack and a
rousing big raspberry and we've
got another "new deal"
The "new'' board comes to
meetin' all full Of pep, ready to
set the world on fire. They're
gonna clean house and no foolin'.
They begin to look around to try
and find out what's the matter
with the business. One guy goes
down i'm the basement and counts
the soap and il he finds a couple
of bars missin' there's hell to pay.
Another guy gets out his arithnie-
tic and figures that if we'd get
the janitor a bigger mop he could
cover twice as much floor space
with half the effort. So new
rule is passed controllin' the soap
problem and we get a bill for the
mop.
And of course All these Inn
portant economy measures take 4
lot of time. The directors came
to. naeetin' with their minds made
/ ub to get to the bottbm Of things.
They're not gonna make the same
mistakes the old board made so
before they decide on anything
they got to do a lot of arguin'
| and frettin'
| Then the first thing you know
| it's time for adjournment and mo-
I,body's done anything about the
|overdraft at the bank or thesm6it-
gage on the buildin'. And the
| fact that there's payroll to meet
on Saturday night just seemed to
have slipped everybeds's mind.
/ So they find themselves against
4 the problem Of either continuin'
/ the meetin' or goin' on home with
the job half done. But contin-
luin' the meetin' calls for LOT
more dough and means they'll
have to assess the stockholders
again. and that's not so hot. The
stockholders are all fed up on as
sessments and amt interested
right now in anything but divi-
bends.
| Maybe If they'd put little
more confidence in the manager
and quit worryin' about all the
little details. things would work
ont all right. II they'd just say:
Here. big boy, we're checkin' ont
and we won't &c back for couple
Of years. Take this business and
run II the best you know how.
You're the boss now and you're
responsible. It's up to you TO get
| the results. or else. end remember
/ VIC " kbAatn NNNit S06 bVUhe
when we get back. In the mean
time il might be good idea to
niakc regular reports to the stock
holders N 10 the progress yom are
maxim. II some of our branch.
es are not payin'. close 'cm up.
H changed conditions demand 4
new business policy. use your own
| judgement II you find IL nee
essary to hire or fire anybody. 90
ahesd. You've got the authority,
You don't have 10 wait until ths
next board meatin'. ri we're de-
naandin' II that You keep your re-
cords and H. prepared ID make
= complete report when we ask
for II.
The largest and most successful
businesses In the worla have been
operated % such i basis md Il
usually turns cur thas the mana.
ger proves 70 be even 4 brtser
man than they thought he was,
OF course. It's = tough spot for
the manager, bot il brings nut rs
best that's in him. and usually
Pays big dividends IN IRE end.