The Company President and the Ayatollah

I was going to give everyone an hypothetical situation to think about over the weekend that went something like this.....

• You're the owner of a company that's been around for a fairly long time, who's products & services & frankly support to other company's are really well received by a great number of people and organizations. Even though the industry fights have been tough, your company has endured because of your past reputation, your great products, your bank account and your willingness to spend money with all other company's, your support and mentoring of other less profitable companies, and at times by your willingness to "mix-it-up," (OK - fight!), in a highly competitive arena. In fact, under your leadership and direction, your company's improved steadily for the last 49 straight months - something not even your Father had accomplished! You've done so well that you've gone public and decided that this is the time for you to step down and let someone else run the business as the new President and Chief Executive Officer. So, the question is, do you select.....
• a really charismatic likable candidate whom you're sure all the employees will love because he's really personable and energetic; but who doesn't have experience running any company - let alone a multi-million dollar company in a highly aggressive and competitive market. During your first meeting with him, you really liked the way he handled your questions and he's certainly got a winning personality! You can tell he's very smart - but his naivety was so obvious - and this is a tough business! Still.......
• or do you select an incredibly gifted, well connected and driven female candidate, who could probably "muscle" her way through most hard situations, but who probably half of your employees wouldn't like! And by the way, she too has never run even a small company! When you spent the afternoon with her, it was almost as if she was interviewing you! She chuckled and deftly brushed aside your concerns about her depth of experience - to the point where she started to sound as though she "has the job" already! Is that to show you her confidence, or is she trying to buffalo you? Boy, she's smart, and she's confident...but how's she going to act when faced with market and competitor hostility? Is she going to be a tyrant, or a savior?
• Lastly, there's another candidate, who took over another large company when they were in some big trouble and managed to turn it around quite well - but really "ticked off" allot of employees and some unionized groups in doing so. He's got a great personality, and spearheaded actions that picked the company up and kept it going after a devastating and traumatic explosion a few years ago. You like him - but you can also tell that he's got a mean streak when cornered, and you don't know how the Board or the employees will accept that. In addition, there are a couple question marks about his belief system and his past personal decisions.
• Can you afford to pass him up? Or do you pick one of the lesser experienced candidates?

That situation really didn't work however, because you've just become aware that your company is being "stalked" by at least two, if not more, of your competitor's. These folks don't fool around, they're the kind of groups who either you totally give yourself over to their control, or they'll take as much time as they need to destroy your organization. Rumors on the street have even suggested, that at least one of your competitors already has some "subversives" inside your organization ready to disrupt if not totally sabotage your manufacturing operation in a number of locations! Your security chief has been lucky in foiling at least a half dozen overt attacks, but now things could really get tricky.

What do you do? There are still a lot of unanswered questions - but do you EVER turn over the reigns of a profitable company to someone with no experience running a company???

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I guess you could call this segment, another "Damned if you do - and damned if you don't" moment for the United States.

Seems as though Iran's Grand Ayatollah & Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei (put that on a business card!) made a "call" that NO Muslim nations should attend a United States led, mid-east Peace Conference! (And when the Ayatollah of Rock n' Rolla says "Nobody" - the brother means NO-BODY!! Ali don't play!!!)

Digg.com reported it this way .... "Iran's supreme leader calls U.S. hosted peace conference a 'deception' that Muslims should shun, calling it a detriment to the Palestinian nation."

So, in the past we're "ragged on" because we don't reach out to our Muslim brothers.....and now as we try to reach out we're "ragged" again and accused of deception..... Ya know, this is really getting hard to understand! I'm starting to feel like Lou Costello doing the "Who's on Third" bit with the Ayatollah playing the part of Abbott!

Here's a cartoon I just pulled off of Daryl Cagle's Pro Cartoonist Newsletter that sums things up pretty well. Hope you can all see it! Enjoy!


"Third base! Here we go again!"
Hey Abbott!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!