We got back from a week in Scottsdale and on the outbound flight, as we landed, the pilot asked us to stay in our seats as there was a law enforcement issue. At the gate, two airline employees came onboard to escort a young couple off the plane.
As we left, I overheard employees say the issue had to do with drinks and not wearing masks. The couple was being “interviewed” by the police as we crossed the gate area. Later I was walking out behind the couple and the cops and heard one of the cops say they don’t enforce mask wearing but passengers have to adhere to airline rules. The young lady commented she thought they were going to be arrested.
On the radio Monday morning I heard an announcer say how on a flight over the weekend he got admonished by a flight attendant for not putting his mask back on after eating (he said he was putting it up to his face when she snarled at him).
So, what does this have to do with business? Masks are like other rules and guidelines. Some are overbearing about them and others flaunt them and in business, I see the following.
- Owners who overly blend their business and personal checkbooks, making it hard to determine exactly how much money the business makes.
- One could add here the CPAs who get their clients so obsessed with reducing taxes they do stupid things (like buy new stuff they don’t need just to reduce taxes).
- Business buyers who think they deserve perfection when there are no perfect businesses or perfect deals.
- Business sellers who don’t think valuation methodologies apply to their business, because their business is so different and special.
- On the flip side, attorneys who dig in on minutia and lose track of getting the deal done (which sounds like a great title for a book).
What this means is actions about masks are no different than what people do all the time.
“Why is it a surprise to find that people other than ourselves are able to tell lies?” Alice Munro
