(Guest Writer: Space Ghost)
(I have a brand new guest writer, who has a good thought experiment, just got back from Sturgis, and I think you'll like him much better than me. please comment online to let him know you want to read more.-Dexter)
Let’s Pretend
Pretend you have joined the board of a large corporation. It has about 28,000 employees and over $17 Billion in sales. Your CEO has departed after a long tenure... generally successful, but contentious much of the time.
Shareholders want continued good sales, profitability, new products - all the things a CEO is responsible for.
Numerous candidates are considered, and you know that you’ve got to get it right or the competition will eat your company up like breakfast cereal. Ultimately, it’s down to two candidates that look interesting.
There’s an older guy that’s been in the business for most of his life. He knows the game, has a track record, and isn’t likely to deviate from the policies and procedures that got your company to where it is: successful. His ideas are not new. In fact, they look a lot like those of the guy who just left.
Then there’s the young guy that’s an up-and-comer. He looks good and talks good, and has some strong support among his contemporaries. He’s light on experience though and some of his ideas are way off the beaten path. If he’s the new CEO, it’s certain your successful old company will go down a new path. If it’s the wrong path, you’re probably off the board, because your company is now some other company’s breakfast.
Where does the smart money go? __________________________
Pretend you have joined the board of a large corporation. It has about 28,000 employees and over $17 Billion in sales. Your CEO has departed after a long tenure... generally successful, but contentious much of the time.
Shareholders want continued good sales, profitability, new products - all the things a CEO is responsible for.
Numerous candidates are considered, and you know that you’ve got to get it right or the competition will eat your company up like breakfast cereal. Ultimately, it’s down to two candidates that look interesting.
There’s an older guy that’s been in the business for most of his life. He knows the game, has a track record, and isn’t likely to deviate from the policies and procedures that got your company to where it is: successful. His ideas are not new. In fact, they look a lot like those of the guy who just left.
Then there’s the young guy that’s an up-and-comer. He looks good and talks good, and has some strong support among his contemporaries. He’s light on experience though and some of his ideas are way off the beaten path. If he’s the new CEO, it’s certain your successful old company will go down a new path. If it’s the wrong path, you’re probably off the board, because your company is now some other company’s breakfast.
Where does the smart money go? __________________________
Wait.
Instead let’s pretend that you’re the military’s top man and you’re faced with selecting a general to lead a military action that is both tenuous in terms of international reaction and yet absolutely vital to the continued existence of your country.
If you pick the right guy, peace comes to a warring region of the world, and by extension, to most of the rest of the planet.
If you’re wrong, several other large nations are going to take it very, very poorly, and by extension, most of the planet is going to be in chaos, and possibly even in peril.
You have several candidates in your pool of generals. One bright spot is a relatively young guy who recently made general, but has never led a major combat action. He’s well-liked and eager and full of ideas on how to resolve sticky situations. He’s proven his approach over a career in various administrative duties. Many people feel he’s got the right stuff, despite the experience factor. This could be his chance to show his stuff.
The other guy is a crusty old fart that never went to college but literally fought his way to the top. Every military action saw this guy in the thick of it, somehow and somewhere. Not everyone likes him, but he doesn’t care whether he’s liked. He knows how to get the job done. He’s done it before, and can be counted on to defend his country, even to his death. Not for glory, but for country. Because he simply knows his country cannot afford to lose.
Which guy gets the job? __________________________
Wait.
Your country is having a presidential election. There are two candidates. You have to pick one to lead your country.
One guy is young, charismatic, and full of hope and change. He has so little experience in government work that in a corporate cutback, he would be among the first to go. His ideas are not all new, but they’re definitely socialistic. His positions change about as frequently as his associates, many of whom are either covered in controversy, convicted in court, or completely unapologetic terrorists... people who blew things up in our own country and who were themselves Americans.
The other guy is an old guy - not ancient, but with white hair and loads of experience in government and the military. He’s not even particularly well-liked by members of his own party, but they know he is steeped in traditional American values and will not lead this country from a democracy based on capitalism to an experiment in socialism (which has never worked well in the history of the world). If elected he would be the first president who did time in prison... with honor.
Who do you vote for? __________________________
You probably saw where I was going with this, but in case you didn’t (or still don’t), go back to the answers you gave to the first two questions. They will tell you how to vote. And when you do, remember: this time there’s no “pretending”. Get it right or we’re just another chapter in history.
By the way, you don’t have to like the guy - you just have to know that he has the fundamentals not to screw things up... for you, your parents, your children, and their children.
