Impact Today™

The Ayn Rand Institute has called multiculturalism “the new racism” that would turn a country into “country into a collection of separatist groups”. They are joined by others believing multiculturalism positions one culture above another culture without stating which culture belongs at the top. This, they contend, will lead to the creation of “separatist groups competing with each other for power”.

Yet if you read yesterday’s definition of culture with an inquisitive mind, you may have already figured out that every individual on this planet is already individually multicultural. Each of us belongs to different multiple different cultures at the same time.

For example, we are members of a specific generational culture. The Baby Boomer generation experienced the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King. However each member of the Baby Boomer generation is also a member of an ethnic culture. In the African-American culture, Martin Luther King’s death had a much more profound impact than that of JFK. In European-American homes JFK’s death was a more significant event.

If we were not multicultural as individuals, the events would have had exactly the same effect on every person. Due to the multicultural aspects of our character, events are perceived differently. Neither is better than the other, they are just different.

True multiculturalism is not about any single element of a persona. It is about the dozens of cultures each of us has within us. See MBC Global’s Cultural Bridges to see a sampling of more than 20 cultural categories. You will see each one represents a portion of the way you think, act, and react.

Labels: Diversity, Strategy

When we look back over the course of history there are several speeches that still ring with passion and spirit to invoke modern emotion. Kennedy’s “Ask Not” challenge, Lincoln’s Gettysburg address, and Martin Luther King's “I Have a Dream” speeches have stood the test of time.

Labels: Diversity, Leadership

Not too long ago I was at a luncheon of local business leaders. At my table were two of the owners of the city’s automobile dealers. Referring to the practice in the Detroit area of advertising cars at the employee discount price, someone asked them what percentage of cars they sold to the employees of their particular make. One said in a boastful fashion, “somewhere between 80 and 85%”. The other was asked the same question, replying, “about the same for me.”

It was shocking to see how proud they were to have such a high percentage as these sales are at the lower end of the profitability scale.

My thoughts immediately turned to the local Toyota dealer. How many of his sales are to employees? Not 80%, not 70%, not even 50%. None, zero, nil, nada, zip sales to employees. Are his sales only 20% of the sales of each of the other two? I doubt it. Not with the glitz of his showroom.

So what’s the problem?

The problem with the proud pair is that they are accepting their current results. They are not hungry enough to go after more profitable sales. They accept the ratio of sales, projecting the same expectations onto their sales force. I am confident they have passed on this doomed feeling to their sales people, probably saying that it is not worth the effort to try to get the higher margin sales – after all everyone in the Detroit area works for one of the major automobile manufacturers.

They have created a sales culture focused on failure!

Labels: Sales, Strategy

David Ashear wrote us in November after hearing about "Life's Leadership Lessons", the new book from Max Impact founder Rick Weaver: You have a book that talks about “The Vendor Chargeback Program”?

Actually the book contains only one chapter about vendor chargeback programs. The book looks at the people, events, andthings that have taught me important aspects about leadership throughout my life. The book would not be complete without atleast discussing the chargeback program at Kmart. I had the misfortune of being involved in this program at its inception.

The now defunct Andersen Consulting that sold the initiative to Ron Floto, then Kmart Vice President. Paul Foley and myself were the instrumental developers for the merchandising team. Paul and I knew there were problems right from the start. Andersen Consulting expected the program to increase on-time deliveries from Kmart's vendors by creating a pain threshold for noncompliance. Floto, Foley, and I thought the program would only work if it was completely fair and had a goal of raising shipment issues to the point of discussion and investigation.

Although we never the saw the program as being a revenue generator, Foley and I confided in each other that if the program was ever budgeted, it would completely destroy vendor relations.

The other side of the guillotine
In a strange turn of fate, I would find out what it was like to be on the otherside of the issue. Read about it by clicking here.

Labels: Ethics, Kmart, Strategy

A longtime subscriber, Jeffrey Frankel wrote to us following the December 16 postong with this comment and question. "As I was reading how confidence is the key to business success, I was wondering about this multiple choice question: Who is the true leader in The Wizard of Oz?”
a) The Wizard
b) The Good Witch of the East
c) Dorothy
d) Samuel Goldwyn


Very interesting question! Although the question alludes to there only being one leader, it would be very easy to make a case that each of the choices it was a true leader.

To read our comments on each of these four and who we think the real leader is, click here. Then be sure to return and let us know what do you think? We would love to hear your thoughts.

Labels: Anecdote, Leadership, Story, Traits

Richard Arens, an entrepreneur who runs a one-man oil brokerage, is solely responsible for pushing the price for a barrel of oil over $100 for the first time. As reported by The London Financial Times, he contracted for the record price despite the fact that oil was trading at 60 cents less per barrel.


Although Arens reasoning remains a mystery, a look at the characteristics of the entrepreneurial culture could shed some insight:

• Entrepreneurs want other to know their name. Certainly Arens’s name is now well known in the oil brokering business, but Richard, is this what you want to be know as?


• Entrepreneurs look for publicity for their company. Arens’s company, ABS, has made the papers. Someone needs to tell him that the saying “there’s no such thing as bad publicity” is only a myth.


• Entrepreneurs want to maximize their prices. Investors love revenues so entrepreneurs need to find ways to maximize income. The day after the hundred dollar price ceiling was prices at the pump went up 3-5%. If Arens also had interests in the retail price of gasoline/petrol, the $600 he overpaid on his contract could quickly have been recouped.

Labels: Entrepreneur, Reputation