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10 – points – plan
for securing the company‘s success
(the great final)
Autor
Mike Fisher
Overture
Up – To new SHORE’s
Mongrel
Line–up! – Everybody in a semicircle
Numbers fag
Shopping Queen
Cleaners and
Quality–killer
Singer boys
Queen of
hearts
Musicians of the future
Cream cap
Good, good – I've had it fall from my eyes like scales before. Immediately the decisive question arises, which has to be clarified before we will go into the full: "What is it, another book like that? No, no, not "another book like that" at all! I've been running through the departments of stores and libraries for a long time looking for advice and guidance on how to lead a company on the road to success. Nothing, nada, niente - nothing at all to show me the way.
Theoretical listings and laws reflect their content there. Everything that is preached to students at colleges and universities in lectures, whether as slides or in the form of lectures. It is very rare that one is lucky to be able to experience practice-oriented lecturers who can combine the basic knowledge to be conveyed theoretically with practical examples. I, on the other hand, was lucky when I was a student. This later also shaped my professional career. To apply theoretical knowledge in practice in such a way that success is achieved automatically. These theories, which are taught as the basis of every course of study, cannot of course be adopted 1:1 in every company. For this purpose, the events of the companies are too different and too complex to be interlocked. It must be compared in how far the special enterprises deviate from the theories and how in particular the theories are applicable and convertible.
This answers the next question: "Why this book?" – automatically. Who can show me how to put these theories into practice? I didn't find any templates for that either. Know How - knowing how is the key word that opens the doors to success. Of course, it takes a lot of experience to write down a general signpost. But why isn't there one?
I have now been working in the controlling area for well over 15 years and repeatedly encounter insurmountable obstacles in establishing controlling properly in the company. But that does not mean that I have no success. On the contrary, my entire professional life has been marked by success and all the companies in which I have worked have come back to this, among other things. I am currently working as a controller throughout the group and therefore have more leeway to establish the theories in a practical way in the company.
So we come to the actual motivation for this book, which is much more predominant in my eyes. At the beginning of my professional life, the first companies started to fill positions in controlling. That was the new slogan. He who has, can! – that's the theory. But in order to know what tasks this position has to cope with, it is essential to research what controlling actually means. In recent years, I have repeatedly noticed where controlling is located in the company and which tasks controlling performs on a monthly basis. There are the wildest representations of how:
- Personnel controlling...?
- Sales controlling...?
- Production controlling...?
- Research and Development controlling...?
- Purchasing controlling...?
- ...and financial controlling...?
The depictions mentioned here are only the usual suspects. Gee, I see that as a form of economic rape of slogans. What the fuck are you doing?
But if you look at the function and tasks of controlling, you will very quickly find out where the position should be located in a company. What is controlling and what does it mean? If you go to Wikipedia, you will read the following:
Controlling (German pseudoanglicism based on "to control") is a concept of economics and is seen as a sub-function of corporate management ("the management") as a control function as well as a management and information system. Controlling performs planning, coordination and control tasks for the management of the company in order to provide the management with the necessary instruments and information (see Volker Schultz, Basiswissen Rechnungswesen, Beck, 2011, p. 227). A distinction is made between operational and strategic controlling. Operational controlling is about controlling the profitability and profitability as well as liquidity of the company through budget management and corresponding detailed planning, related to the current fiscal year, in order to use and exploit all potentials of a company for economic success. Strategic controlling uses analyses of its immediate environment and the external environment, such as the market, to build up new potential for the company and occasionally to warn of misjudgements of the environment and the environment (market). (I have italicized my personal remarks of the definition).
And...how often did you have to read the definition to find out where the controlling position should be located in the company? Ha, I just shook my head at first. Where is the company managed? Sure, at the executive level! So, the position of controlling as a staff unit belongs next to the management! Controlling does not only include writing reports. It analyses internal and external factors and prepares decision documents for the company which help to set the course for success! I hope you enjoy reading it.
It's ringing! Hey, should He be here yet? That would be the first time that He arrives so early and, above all, on time for our sit–in! Very unusual. Today it's my turn to play host. But good, the lamb is in the oven, the dessert in the fridge, the wine is already breathing and I have to add the dressing to the salad. Everything is running and has been finished in time. I am astonished anyway and now curious as to why He has urged so much to bring forward our regular rounds of talks as an exception, and this evening. He seems to have a real problem. Otherwise his spontaneous need to speak does not explain itself. Be it as it may, communication is a fundamental point to be able to work successfully. OK, I'm ready.
Hello! – How are you? Not good at all, I rushed to you, I'm hungry! Come in! A quick handshake. Oh dear, He's not in a good mood. I've seen him better. Actually, this is the first time He's been so grumpy. This place must be on fire. His business, his passion seems to have suffered a blow. Come on, tell me, how was your day? Mmm...I'm hungry! What's the matter? No frozen pizza, I hope. Want some wine? It has the right temperature, very sweet and fruity. Yes, pour it! – and not too little. I've got a lot to flush! My eyes are wide open, something is going on...! So, what's for dinner? I smell something. When do we start? I'm hungry beyond words, hopefully no snack sizes. No, no, I thought I'd conjure up a three–course menu. I'll start with a little salad. He's on a... yeah, yeah, where is He... is there any more wine? I thought we were toasting together. We could, if you'd just top me up.
I have spent some time in the net, in order to prepare today on your desire your favourite dish times somewhat differently. It was already very difficult for me to prepare the salad properly. – Yeah, yummy – is there any salad left? Of course, I'll tell you something else, but remember, this is only first course. No problem, have enough space – you can kill an entire animal. There's lamb today! – or lamb, also good. When's the next course? Right now! While I apply the lamb, you can tell me what's new in your company. Nothing new, always new trouble with suppliers, customers don't pay on time, employees do what they want, but nobody does what they want. Well, it's always the same. You make the impression on me not to be satisfied.
Not to be satisfied...! Jesus, the company's a mess. You talk well, sit at home and think about how you can cook my favourite dish, a three–course menu for me. Other thoughts aren't on your mind right now, what...? Yes, many other thoughts. Cooking soothes. Collect your thoughts. You can arrange them, put them in the right order and determine which steps you will take next.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Blah! Blah! Blah! I listen to such sayings every day enough. Everybody talked good, but everybody talked good. Do you have any idea what I have to listen to from morning till night? I haven't even arrived at the office yet, the first calls are already coming in. The shipment's not coming. They want payment in advance because we pay so irregularly. The system crashed, what do we do? There's no more space in the warehouse. Where should we put the goods? Can you really imagine that your own highly paid employees are not able to lift a finger themselves! I get more rashes every day. I'd like to crawl into my office. But no, somehow it has to go on. That's right. It has to go on, but not "somehow"! But strategically organized and operationally implemented. Could you please stop throwing trash like that at my head! I can't do anything with! That doesn't help me and it doesn't solve my problem. Better pour me some more wine. Again? We haven't even started the second course yet and the bottle of wine is almost empty! Well, you can't say you don't have a tempo. It's also very simple. Open bottle, empty bottle! Everyone understands this standard. You don't even need a manual to do this. I have to smile. He hasn't lost his humour. Or is that cynicism already?
He's standing on the terrace. Hands in trouser pockets, He stares out into the red–soaked evening sun. Silence looks different! I go to Him, pass Him his glass of wine. Thank you, let's toast again. I just don't know what to do, my friend. Everything's slipping away. It all started out so well. I was so motivated, so full of energy, so full of ideas. But! I don't make no money. The way it comes in, it goes out. I don't understand this. I don't understand this. Everything, but everything is going wrong right now. Me, I... I could scream loud with rage. Be my guest. We're up here on the terrace and no one can hear you. At least it's very hard to know where the screaming came from. Rrrrraaaaa...Rraaaa! Oh, that's good. That's what I needed. It's kind of liberating. Like everything's going up in smoke. All bad thoughts are suddenly blown away. Is that part of your therapy? Not that, I just wasn't expecting you to. You usually tend to be calm and well–balanced. I don't know you like this. People can change, even if it's hard. Better here among old friends than at work in front of the assembled management. Have you attended a new seminar of which I know nothing yet?
Come on in. Tell me about it. What am I supposed to tell big. Psychological corporate management is what it's called. Had heard about it at my last seminar of middle class and once taken all my senses together and touched my heart. You know that's not my thing. But I have to admit that psychology still plays an important role in the work as managing director. The business world has become so complex today. So many sciences have established themselves in the last twenty years that can still be successful. It is not easy to integrate everyone into business life. But, I told myself and gave myself a big jolt to let this seminar have an effect on me. I took a few things of it to heart and introduced myself into my daily working life and behold, I feel a little bit better. Sometimes sudden improvements happen and sometimes it takes a little longer. By and large, I can say that this decision was a good one. However, this does not change my awkward situation in the company and solves the problems. That's certainly not true. There is a difference between economics and psychology. Your problems are economic, not psychological. But what is the point of your right decision, it reduces stress and gives you the opportunity to have clear thoughts. Take a deep breath and let your thoughts run free. Without having to concentrate, without having to control your thoughts, just let them flow.
There's too much unclear going through my mind. But you're always there for me. I scream, snap my fingers and you support me wherever you can. You help me even when I don't think it's necessary. And in the end, I see how important your help was. I don't know! I don't know what's the matter with me. I just can't relax. And now I've ruined our evening... and I'm still hungry! What about the lamb you promised me? Oh, man – help me! Yeah, yeah...well...well, let's keep eating. Even better, you go to the oven and warm the lamb up again. In the meantime, I'll get the flipchart and we'll work parallel on your thoughts that are buzzing through your head all the time. Okay, here's how we do it. Somehow it will go on. I can see for myself how much you're suffering from your situation.
We'd better start with sports. Like me, you're a sports enthusiast. I can remember very well how we both feverishly share different games. But what strikes you in the structure of the game again and again. It can be seen in every sport. There are players on the field with a conductor, a coach on the outline and next to him are assistants, helpers and substitutes. They're all part of the same team. Right, you've listed all the important things that contribute to the solution. How are the functions distributed? The players on the field implement the trainer's concept. The conductor supports the realization. Exactly, and every player knows his function, which he should use to win the game. But what really happens. You can philosophize about a lot of things. Let's concentrate on the essentials. Let's separate important from unimportant.
I go mad at the thought of giving a lecture in this constellation. I can barely concentrate. I stand here in front of the flipchart, the pen in my hand, my glasses on my nose – incomprehensible, writing something on the blackboard. And He – standing in front of me, holding the lamb square in His hand – is full of the action and grins at me shitlessly. Not to mention that the fat drips down right and left past the corners of His mouth. I must also first take a bite to myself and have a good breather.
Important and unimportant. Consider the whole thing as your company and use your characters in the game. I'm the boss. Everything's to my orders. Yes, but balanced. In order to make decisions, you need your self–proclaimed leadership circle. He feeds you the necessary information you need for your decisions, which you make at any time in order to bring the company forward, because the market is merciless. He doesn't forgive mistakes and strikes back hard. This means you must always be better than the market and always think one step ahead, you must gain the situation to act and not react. To take this step, you need cash to run your business at the forefront. So, we have the B for business man, the L for leadership. These two components together bring you the success in the company and carry it to the outside. The S stands for success. With the information that comes from the market and from your own company, you will be able to react by acting. The knowledge gathered here will enable you to exercise reaction. The R stands for reaction. So we've put together the first component that says:
Be – B u s i n e s s m a n
Le – L e a d e r s h i p
Su – S u c c e s s
Re – R e a c t i o n.
We reach the shore. It all reads great, logical and plausible now. But how do I do that? The "how" is always decisive! Hey, one thing at a time. His eyes are just bubbling with zest for action, they sparkle and I can see His thoughts jumping back and forth. I still can't believe it, the weekend before me, and I'm giving another lecture. I have trouble maintaining my thoughts and concentrating on the technical. Actually, I was in a completely different mood. After all, it's the weekend and other things should take precedence. Now tell me, how do I get to shore? Before we go to the mongrel, I would very much like to get some of the lamb. All right, here's your part. Well, there's not much left. You've got work to do. And I'm listening. But without food, I can't work either. Give me some more wine, please. I can't. Bottle's empty. I'll open the next one.
Are we moving on now? I'm really excited to see how you're going to put this on. Why me? Shall we listen to your version first? I don't have a version. You should. Because only when you work out the solution together with me will you also understand the content and the goal that matters. And if that is the case, the work in practice falls to you as if by hand, very simply.
Hmm, currently the department heads run me into the booth and pour me with bad news. Completely confused, all the information that comes in is unloaded on my table. I have to deal with everything and find an answer, if not a decision, for everything. This usually takes up the whole day and at the end of the day, when all the employees are already celebrating at the barbecue at home, I sit in the office and rhyme together what decisions I have to report the next day. And so it happens that I give decisions or answers, some of which are already outdated. Now I understand more and more why our regularly scheduled sit–in's don't take place regularly anymore. I suspected it, but I didn't quite notice it. Why didn't you point this out to me a long time ago? Why is your guess coming out of your mouth by the way? That annoys me. I understand that, but unfortunately we have little or no time to talk about the work. There are only shreds that I have to assemble somehow and not necessarily emphasize what is really important. I see your tension. I see that much, much too much goes through your mind and has no end. You seem absent. You don't listen to your opposite number and you waste your time. You spend too much time on your work and you can't take a break. You should also find time for yourself to switch off, otherwise you will go crazy sometime. Well, that's the state we've reached now. Yes – and? Talk, talk, talk... blah, blah, blah. It can't go on! Yes, it is.
Everything you have collected in the last minutes has only one solution in it! His eyes are jumping up! Look at the board. I've been writing on the side and ranking everything. Yes, my old friend – too often the solution to a problem is in the problem itself. If you describe and list the problem, arrange it and give the problem a sequence, you can recognize the solution very quickly. As in this example. Where do you see a solution here? I can only see what I just said. Look closely! The solution word here is...YES, "structure"! That's right, I did. There is also structure in drinking a bottle of wine. How did you answer gallantly this early evening: "It's also very simple. Open bottle, empty bottle! "Yes, yes – let's move on!