The workers at Vale, the Brazilian iron-ore giant, predicted the dam holding mining waste would fail. It did.
Boeing workers complained there were shortcuts taken on the 737 Max. They were right.
Both sets of workers comments fell on deaf ears. It could have been their managers didn’t want to take bad news up the corporate ladder, or they feared they’d lose their bonus if deadlines or metrics weren’t met, or perhaps some other reason. But in the end, they didn’t pay attention to the warnings.
I’ve met quite a few business owners who started their company because their employer wouldn’t act on their idea. I’ve seen firms who’ve lost employees because the employees wanted career growth and the owner was content to keep the business at the same level.
This last point raises the question, do you listen to your people? Business buyers often find out more about the workings of the business from the staff than from the owner. They get more ideas regarding growth from the employees.
Do you listen to your customers? What about your vendors? I’m sure most people would say yes although I wonder if it’s true. One of my former clients has employees and customers encouraging (nagging) him to upgrade equipment and offer more modern services. But he can’t make a decision. He’s at an age where he sees the end of the line and is happy with the money he’s making and the amount of time he works.
So, the question is, who will he lose first – his customers or his employees? (Or will they leave at the same time.)
“To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.” (Poet) Mary Oliver
