The Three Wise Men
Long ago, in a lifetime far away, I was a chemist. Those who have read my postings in the past will recall that my father was an immigrant factory owner who eventually taught me the trade. Working in plastics, I apprenticed under my dad and by the time he sold the business and went into retirement I had become the laboratory manager and head chemist.
Enter the new guy: young salesman-turned-owner, enthusiastic but inexperienced. This was his first company and he had no industry background.
On his third or fourth week, the new owner walked into my lab and said, “Dan, I just noticed chemical A is cheaper than chemical B. I want you to replace B with A so we can cut our costs.” Understand that this is chemistry. I will spare you the details, but essentially he was asking me to switch jet fuel with water because it was “cheaper”. I patiently explained to him the science behind his request, that the chemicals in question were completely unrelated to each other, and that after a decade of experience I could guarantee failure. He, however, was boss and owner and his word final. I succumbed to his stubbornness, made the switch, and waited for the inevitable.
Within 24 hours the phones began to ring. After about $20,000 in immediate, irretrievable cost we were able to return to normal, the “cheaper” chemical pushing production back by 30 days.
So, now that we’ve laughed at the idiocy of my former employer, lets hold up the mirror. What professional have we ignored presuming we knew better? Take a moment and reflect on our three wise men: the lawyer, accountant, and risk manager. They are a constant inconvenience repeatedly telling us exactly what we don’t want to hear. It’s so much more expedient to disregard their input and go about doing things as we initially planned. Ignore them at your peril!
As much as we hate what they have to tell us (and sometimes, simply who they are!), they make business work. They have spent the tedious hours pouring over the intricacies of tax codes, commerce law, and market trends to save us from having to. Frankly, that is why we pay them- to learn the things that we neither have the time nor patience to learn and do the work for us. No one wants to hear things that will complicate their plans. But it is up to our three wise men to save us from ourselves and make sure that by playing by the rules, we move ahead rather than get bogged down by our own obstinance.
–Dan Graham
p.s.- To find out more about my day job telling clients what they need to hear, click here.
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