Tim Bryce
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I’ve never been good at politics and I believe it is due to the nature of my job which is to tell people what is wrong with their systems and management. I’m paid to be brutally frank with companies which is not exactly an endearing trait. My job is to tell them the whole truth, not just what they want to hear. I’m polite and professional in how I present the facts, but I am certainly not a politician. I cannot afford to be. No doubt I would flop if I were to run for public office, even if it was for nothing but dog catcher. I would likely say something matter-of-factly and thereby step on the toes of someone in the process, regardless of how right I was.
As this is a major election year, we’ll be asked to vote for president, senators, congressmen, governors, assemblymen, mayors, commissioners, etc. Frankly, I don’t trust any of them, regardless of their political party, as I believe such people have sold their soul to the devil in order to be elected. This is the problem with government today, nobody trusts the politicians. They say one thing, then do something else. We simply do not know what to believe regarding these people, nor do we know what they’ll do until they’ve been elected into office which is obviously too late. To me, this is indicative of how preposterous our electoral process is and why we need to enact some serious campaign reform, maybe even a whole hysterectomy.
Another reason I would make a lousy politician is because I know how to say “No.” You’re a great guy if you say “Yes,” but a real schmuck if you say “No.” People only want to hear “Yes” regardless of the issue, which has been one of our great problems over the years whereby politicians promise voters the world without any idea of how to pay for it. I’ve made more enemies as a result of saying “No” than anything else I may have said. Recognizing the many problems we have with the national debt, budget, and deficit, I would actually like to hear “No” more often than “Yes” for awhile.
When you have enemies, you have to develop some rather thick skin as they will try to undermine your every move, more out of spitefulness than anything else. Fortunately, I have never been concerned with being in a popularity contest; I would rather be at peace with my convictions than popular. You may not like what I have to say about an issue, but you always know where I stand. I also try to be objective, honest, and play fair; three characteristics which dooms me as a politician. Then again, maybe we need more people who are less inclined to bend the rules and more concerned with getting the job done.
Thank God I was never infected with the political bug. I like being able to look at myself in the mirror without fear of blushing.
Keep the Faith!
Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.
Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates (MBA) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com
For Tim’s columns, see:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm
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Copyright © 2012 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
Have you ever seen a guy in an office who couldn’t complete a project even if his life depended on it, regardless of the amount of time afforded him? You know the type, an arm chair quarterback who is quick to take credit when the opportunity presents itself and blames others when things go awry. Such a person’s management style is perhaps best described as reactive as opposed to proactive. The truth is, everybody knows he is in over his head and grows tired of his excuses. Such is Barrack Obama who is simply floundering as president. To listen to his side of the story, he would have us believe he had nothing to do with the problems of the economy, the national debt, unemployment, the growing powder keg in the Middle East, etc. Not only does he consider himself blameless, but goes so far as to portray himself as the victim of the work of others.
For a society bent on becoming paperless I find it rather amusing that sales at corporate giant International Paper Company actually increased from $21.9B in 2006 to $25.1B in 2010. It doesn’t sound like the demand for paper is diminishing, does it? In reality, printing is being offset from one party to another. To illustrate, the many community and civic newsletters which used to clog our mail boxes have been replaced by PDF files which are commonly e-mailed or downloaded from web sites. People print them in part or in full as opposed to the publisher, thereby transferring publication costs to the consumer.
This season, Tim Tebow of the Denver Broncos electrified the National Football League (NFL) more than any other player in the sport, not because of his athletic prowess, but because of his spirituality. He is somewhat of an enigma to sports analysts. Despite the claims of his critics he lacks the proper skills to lead an NFL team to victory, he somehow found a way to win and propel the Broncos into the playoffs. “Whoda-thunk-it!”
I have had the pleasure of seeing many different comedians over the years, including luminaries such as Don Rickles, Joan Rivers, Smothers Brothers, Rodney Dangerfield, David Brenner, and George Carlin. One name that has been on my list to see for some time now is Jackie Mason. I remember watching him on the Ed Sullivan show years ago, but I never had the opportunity to see him in person until he recently came to perform in Clearwater, Florida. Frankly, I thought he had retired years ago as I assumed he was getting on in years. He may not be a spring chicken anymore but Jackie Mason is still very much alive and well. I saw no sign of fatigue and his voice and delivery were still solid.
Over the years I have had numerous friends and family ask me what exactly our company did; it seemed rather mysterious to them and perhaps still does. Flippantly I tell people we are in the “methodology business” which is the truth but a bit unsettling to people as most only have a vague idea what this means. In a nutshell, a methodology represents a series of steps in a project specifying Who is to perform What, When, Where, Why, and How (aka, “5W+H”), from start to finish. Perhaps the best way to think of a methodology is as a roadmap or an assembly line where a product is developed over a series of work stations. The operators at each station perform specific tasks on the product until it is ready to progress to the next work station and, ultimately, completion. Our company’s particular forte is in the areas of standard and reusable methodologies for Systems Design, Data Base Design, and Business Planning. Obviously, there are many other methodologies for different types of work effort, such as architectural, manufacturing, engineering, accounting, and other industries. Whether you are constructing a building, manufacturing an automobile, or designing a bridge, there are certain stages of work that must be completed in a specific sequence. In project management terms, a methodology is commonly referred to as a work breakdown structure (WBS) with precedent relationships denoting the sequence of steps in a project.
I find as I grow older I tend to gravitate towards simpler things. Take coffee for instance, I’ve always found pleasure in a simple cup of black coffee. I honestly believe I can distinguish a good cup of coffee from a bad one simply by drinking it black. Adding sugar, cream, and any other additive only masks the flavor. Then again, the bitter taste of the coffee bean is what a lot of people try to avoid, preferring instead a variety of sweeteners transforming it into more of a ice cream sundae as opposed to a hot cup of coffee in the traditional sense. Now coffee comes in a myriad of flavors including vanilla, caramel, cinnamon, and peppermint. Its whipped with cream, sprinkled with chocolate, and chilled with ice. Perhaps the best way to describe coffee’s transformation is from the “the rocket fuel of business” to Bosco.
Last year I described a general strategy for defeating the president in the next election (see 
Throughout the corporate world we have seen examples of the Peter Principle in practice, whereby people rise above their level of competency; people who make a mockery of their job and discredit their company and themselves in the process. Perhaps they were promoted because nobody else wanted the job or perhaps they were simply selected based on seniority; maybe they politicked for the job and were rewarded not for what they had accomplished but their ability to kiss the backside of someone else in authority, aka “cronyism”. Regardless, they have risen above their ability to effectively perform the job they were assigned. In many cases, the job in question is just a pit stop in the road to the top, but more often than not, they covet the position they have acquired and either perform it with an iron fist or just let the work go to pieces (or both). This naturally raises the ire of subordinates and others more qualified to perform the work. It also becomes rather obvious to customers and vendors who have to deal with the person. Naturally, they scratch their head in bewilderment as to why this person was selected for promotion.
If you have been following my columns, you know I consider citizenship to be an important responsibility which shouldn’t be taken for granted. I make an effort to stay abreast of current events and what is going on in our government. I have voted in every national election since I was eligible to do so in 1972. This is why I become rather disturbed when people do not vote, nor care about what is going on in their country, particularly young people who I consider a generation of naive sheep in the offing. It’s a sad state of affairs when immigrants know more about what is going on in this country than native born citizens.
