It's Not Luck - Eliyahu M. Goldratt [104]
“I see,” Brandon doesn’t seem too surprised. He turns to me, “Alex, what would you recommend as an investment plan?”
I know exactly what I would recommend, but it is not for me to say it.
“Come on, Alex, knowing you I’m sure you have some thoughts about it. Speak up,” Jim urges me.
“I prefer not to.”
“Alex, you are between friends here. Tell us your thoughts,” he insists.
“Look, Jim, I don’t think an investment plan can be discussed in isolation. An investment plan should be derived from a strategic direction. So what you are actually asking me is my opinion of the best strategic direction for UniCo. Don’t start me on that, it will take me at least an hour.
“Excellent idea,” Brandon says. “Let’s meet for dinner, the four of us. We need to celebrate.”
“Good,” says Granby. “I’m all for it.”
I’m not. I’m not anxious to ramble on about my unpolished work on how to develop a corporate strategy. But how can I refuse this dinner invitation?
It’s a good thing Julie convinced me to prepare for a new job. Not knowing which company I’d end up at, I procrastinated by trying to figure out how one should devise a company’s strategy. Now it will be handy. There are almost four hours before dinner. I can go over my tree and turn it into a nice presentation. Four hours should be sufficient.
But first, I have to take care of another issue. It’s perfect timing.
I follow Granby into his office.
“What is it, Alex?” he asks me.
“I think that the time has come to talk about my next assignment. Now that I Cosmetics is sold and it looks like we might not be selling Pressure-Steam, I really don’t have a job. Being in Stacey’s way is not what I’d call productive.”
Before he can brush my concerns aside with some empty words, I hurry to continue. I really don’t want to spend the next few months twiddling my thumbs.
“I have been doing a lot of thinking. I have ideas on how to increase the productivity of our companies, all our companies. Not by small incremental improvements, but progressing by leaps and bounds. Like we’ve done in the diversified group. I think that we’ve perfected it into almost a science. I’ll show it tonight, in some detail.”
“That will be interesting,” he says politely.
“So, what I’m suggesting is that I be nominated to a newly created position, executive vice-president of strategic planning.”
He doesn’t say a word.
“I can easily work with Bill Peach. He will be glad to let me in. What I don’t know is how Hilton Smyth will react. But I think you can take care of that. What do you think?”
“I think that you should wait.” He puts his hand on my shoulder. “Alex, what you are proposing has serious ramifications to the organizational structure of the company. I am in no position to make such a change three months before I leave. You’ll have to wait for the new CEO.”
30
As soon as we order cocktails, Jim Doughty gets to the point. “Alex, you promised to tell us your opinion of what is the best strategic direction for UniCo. We are all ears.”
“If you don’t mind,” I say, “I prefer not to talk about UniCo specifically.”
“Alex, don’t do it to us,” Brandon puts both his hands on his heart. “I’ve heard so many presentations on how to choose a strategy. I can’t stand it any more. Tell us something concrete. Please.” Brandon is in one of his cheerful moods.
“Stop it, Brandon, it won’t help you. As a matter of fact, I’m afraid that I’ll have to start with even bigger generalities. Like the question, ‘What is the goal of a company?’ You’ve heard this question before.”
“Yes, too many times.”
“Fellows,” I insist, “if you want to hear my opinion on what we should do with the money, you’ll have to cooperate. So, what is the goal of a company? An industrial company like us.”
“You promise that you’ll reach it? Tonight?” Brandon pleads.
“The goal