There is an old saying in Spain: “To be a bullfighter, you must first learn to be like a bull.” You want to be a good fisherman, think like the fish. Then you will understand where the fishes normally like to hide so that you can cast your line or net at the right spot. In the medical context, the best way to learn about the disease is to learn to be the patient. Usually, the patient knows very well about the disease that is afflicting him. Besides researching about the disease, he will also strive to find a cure for the ailment as he is suffering from the pain of the disease.

In business, a manager needs to be on the ground – talk and interact with the various people: staff, suppliers, customers, business partners and even competitors. Through these various channels, the manager is able to acquire more knowledge of the industry and have better feel of the market. The manager does not operate in a vacuum and is better equipped to make sound decisions and take timely action. All these will curtail declining trends and may even result in future improvements. This is why the worst place for a manager is his air-conditioned room, where he is cut off from the realities and dynamics of the marketplace.

During his tenure, Lou Gertsner, the turnaround CEO of IBM became IBM’s most hardworking salesperson – logging thousands of miles to visit key customers and prospects. His approach sent an unmistakable signal to every employee to be hands-on and created a new image for IBM. By staying in contact with the market, Gertsner was able to make the right decision to turn troubled IBM around. Sun Tzu, in the art of war also advocated a “staying on the ground” policy. “Generally, in the case of armies you wish to strike, cities you wish to attack, and people you wish to assassinate, you must know the names of the garrison commander, the staff officers, the ushers, gatekeepers and the bodyguards. You must instruct your agents to inquire into these matters in minute detail.”

A design engineer who never goes out to see the machines and work with the technicians, the banker who never uses the online services or queue up at the banks, the taxi owner who has not driven the taxi but takes his own car, the restaurant owner who has not been to the kitchen – these people will not understand and make good decisions about the customers’ needs and the issues encountered by the staff.

Many managers do not know the actual situation on the ground and only blame and fire their staff whenever the company encounters financial difficulty. This does not solve the problem as they do not know the actual cause and make the situation worse by making hasty decisions. Taking impulsive actions taken without full understanding of the events on the ground is like dispensing the wrong medication to the patient. It may cause more harm as the disease spreads unabatedly.

Good decision can only be made when you possess first-hand knowledge on the ground. Many senior managers particularly those in the staff functions such as the financial, accounting, human resource and legal departments do not meet with the customers. By exposing these support staff to the problems on the ground, it will help them immensely in understanding the problem faced by the line personnel such as the sales and operations staff. This will in turn foster better rapport and co-operation among the line and support staff.

Therefore, get your feet wet by going to the grounds.

www.corporateturnaroundexpert.com

Dr Mike Teng (DBA, MBA, BEng, FIMechE, FIEE, CEng, PEng, FCMI, FCIM, SMCS) is the author of the best-selling business book “Corporate Turnaround: Nursing a sick company back to health”, in 2002. In 2006, he authored another book entitled, “Corporate Wellness: 101 Principles in Turnaround and Transformation.” Dr Teng is widely recognized as a turnaround CEO in Asia by the news media. He has 27 years of experience in corporate responsibilities in the Asia Pacific region. Of these, he held Chief Executive Officer’s positions for 17 years in multi-national, local and publicly listed companies. He led in the successful turnaround of several troubled companies. He is currently the Managing Director of a business advisory firm, Corporate Turnaround Centre Pte Ltd, which assists companies on a fast track to financial performance. Dr Teng was the President of the Marketing Institute of Singapore (2000 – 2004), the national body representing some 5000 individual and corporate marketing professionals in Singapore