No matter how big the business, the little stuff matters

摘要

I like to tell myself that it's OK I'm not a details person. I like to believe that, as my career plays out, the many detail-oriented jobs I've had were dues-paying jobs -- the kind that cany you with them to the eventual privilege of your own business (or business unit) and total P&L responsibility. At that point, goes the dialogue with myself, you get to shed the hour-to-hour grind of operations and replace it with the Mantle of Business Strategy. Lean back, ponder the big issues, mobilize people, schmooze the customers, and collect the accolades. Yes, I know better. But a guy can dream, can't he? I spent a good part of this afternoon on a conference call with John Engler, former governor of Michigan and now the president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). Governer Engler spends personal time with the president. He influences foreign policy. By any definition of the term, he qualifies as a Big Shot. If anybody could be expected to think big-picture while staff members scurry over the details, it would be Engler.