I generally like Small Business Trends , sometimes even quote their material, but I can’t help but wonder what Jack Yoest (second from left on this 1978 photo) is doing there.
He seems to think that there is a new trend in small businesses, the desire to run a company like a military unit. Wow… I don’t know where he observes this “trend” – I for one tend to believe (small) businesses are better off with a team of partners and collaborators than a military organization. In fact not only smalls ones, but reality is that the collaborative model is a lot more difficult to maintain in a large organization. In fact it’s no wonder that several army commanders make it to the management ranks of the Fortune 1000. (On a personal note, I had the misfortune to “serve” under a Navy Captain turned into Corporate VP who resorted to shuffling around his management team every 6 months or so, and was a master of alienating customers…)
This is not the first time Jack mixes the corporate world with small businesses: 10 Reminders for Effective Management is supposed to be advice to small business owners, but it sounds to me like the typical 80’s corporate mid-manager’s survival guide, as in “how to BS your way through your career, looking busy while doing nothing“. Back then I was wondering if it was a serious article or a satirical piece. Apparently not. Too bad for small businesses. At least for those that buy his teaching.
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