Three Modern Wise Men

Elihu, Herbie and Jerome

Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite answered: "I am young in years, and you are aged; therefore I was timid and afraid to declare my opinion to you."

I am amazed (as was my dad, Sonny the Big Cat) how many folks talk of studying the Book of Job, and have no clue who Elihu was! Perhaps not a "modern man" per se, but his youth was not wasted. Therefore, if you are "one of those", may I suggest that you revisit Job?

Alex faces a constraint in the form of the slowest Boy Scout, Herbie.

In Eli Goldratt's best selling business book, The Goal, he introduces Herbie as the constraint (or weakest link) for a troop of boy scouts on a march. Most every manufacturing firm in the free world now knows of "Drum-Buffer-Rope" (DBR) but few can recall we learned about it from Herbie. Even fewer understand DBR (and my preference, sDBR) is applicable in every business to one degree or another. But I digress...

Jerome is a 32 year old account executive...

All of this brings us to the wise man of the hour: Jerome. As described in Geoffrey Moore's book, Crossing the Chasm. Until we understand what John Barry (of WD-40 fame) understood, that today's successful companies are marketing firms first, we cannot hope to extract every penny due us from the marketplace. I am amazed how many "high tech" firms have failed to study this landmark book. And how few of those give Jerome his due. Segmenting the market was something that I thought I understood. I was wrong. If you are selling a high tech good or service and you are not happy with your margins? Great. Buy and consume Moore's book. For the rest of you, not happy with your profits (or lack thereof)? Great. Give me a call. Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey www.throughput.us/contactSKI/ P.S. Hate to read? Get started with my podcast on iTunes: Throughput Press (c)2009, Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey. All rights reserved.