On the old Jackie Gleason Television Show there was character played by Frank Fontaine called Crazy Guggenheim whose catch line was along the lines of. "I was just standin' there. I wasn't doin' nothin'. I wasn't botherin' nobody." Well, I hope you get the picture.
Oh, the bam? Marketing and parenting are the same...
1. Kids don't bring themselves up AND businesses don't run themselves - both have a specific life-cycle that requires a specific set of skills and attention. Kids and businesses both come into being in the first stage of the cycle, the - New or Introductory Stage - nearly everything that goes on at this stage will set the parameters for the rest of the life-cycle. Once the cuteness factor wears off, it's down to the day-to-day, standard operating procedures (SOP) that are required to make sure everything is as it should be. Schedules have to be created and kept to. Systems need to be formulated to maximize time and productivity. The bragging only comes after the work and effort is put into the enterprise, whether child or business.
The second stage is perhaps the most critical of the cycle, the - Growth Stage - which has to be regulated. Too much or too little at this stage will impair and impede healthy growth. This is where the successful schedules and systems come home to roost. At this stage of the game, everyone should know their part and their place. Here, at this point is when freedom and independence are crucial. Hovering and smothering will do more harm than good. Good parents and entrepreneurs know when to let go.
The third stage is also a critical one. Entropy can affect this part of the cycle, the - Maturity Stage - which has to be identified and dealt with. Too much laissez-faire in is not a good thing. The worst part of this stage is S.O.S.O. - Same Old. Same Old. - it is worse than hovering and smothering. Maturity should not be confused with confidence and comfort. Neither humans nor businesses should believe that maturity is either a state or a quality of being fully grown or developed. Where there is no growth, life is diminished and entropy sets in. Growth is required for life, whether physical, intellectual or spiritual.
As for the fourth and last stage of the cycle, the - Decline Stage - if any of the stages were not successfully completed, there is a decline. The word decline, comes from the German word kline, or small. At this stage, everything has to be cut back, curtailed or corrected. Regardless of what decline sounds like, it can be turned around. Everything has to be looked at with new eyes and sensibilities. All parties need to be in sync with the turn-around goal. There can be recovery and resurrection.
We hear parents say, "I didn't raise them to turnout that way!" My question is, were they raised by space monkeys then? Business owners have a similar lament, "This is not how it was supposed to turn out." Well, it did and it's time to accept responsibility and stop wasting time playing the blame game.
2. Kids AND businesses can't be left unsupervised - they require experienced managers. Running with scissors! Yet, how is it that McDonald's founder Ray Kroc was able to create an operational system staffed by teenagers? How about a simple and effective SOP? How about management training? How about common sense? The key word is responsibility. Parents and business owners need to be attentive, open-minded and responsible. The kids and employees need to be engaged, encouraged and taught what responsibility is and the difference between reasons and excuses.
3. How your kids AND business behave speaks volumes of their "management" - behavior is the result of culture. Avoid the lessons of choices and consequences. Pay peanuts and hire monkeys. And, the results will not only be embarrassing, they may curtail the envisioned rosy future. When the cat's away, the mice will play. Kids and employees need to be aware that they and their behaviors not only represent themselves; they also become representative of the family or the company. Let's not forget that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
4. There are no bad kids AND there are no bad businesses - there are also, as another adage goes, no bad dogs only bad dog owners. With that concept in mind - there are no bad kids and no bad businesses only bad parents and bad managers.
Example is the best example. Perception is reality and, therefore truth from the point of view of children or employees. Truths define expectations or the lack of them. Expectations are defined in rules, procedures and systems. Systems dictate behaviors. Behaviors are either acceptable or otherwise and create the structure of a culture. Cultures are what identify all parties to outsiders.
One is a reflection of the other. So, inaction reflects a lack of caring. And a lack of caring is a sign of indifference. Where there is indifference, there is no growth or maturity, there is only decline. Unless you're Crazy Guggenheim, you can't get away with the excuse that - it just happened - "I was just standin' there. I wasn't doin' nothin'. I wasn't botherin' nobody." It doesn't and won't cut it in the end.
