FM Oct 04 PDF - Orlando Chamber of Commerce

BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY
Bobo No More
Even good intentions can lead to a failed small business venture.
By Sara Brady, Chair, Small Business Chamber, Wragg & Casas Public Relations
Good things come in small packages
and in cages. At least that’s probably
how life seemed to Steve “Tarzan”
Sipek, the man who raised Bobo, the
600-pound tiger who took a trot on
the wild side and ended up buried
under the concrete jungle known as
South Florida.
At first and from a distance, the
story about the lost tiger was amusing
because it’s just not all that uncommon
to hear about dangerous beasts running
loose in Florida. After all, Carl Hiaasen
didn’t become a bestselling author by
writing about activities in Wisconsin.
What’s really interesting is the
“business” of Bobo. Bobo the Tiger was
the symbol of Tarzan Sipek’s mission
to protect and care for discarded wild
animals in the compound he designed
and has operated since the 1970s. It
seems to have started out as a small
not-for profit entity with the grand
and noble objective of
protecting dangerous and
unwanted animals.
Indeed, Bobo was a
beautiful example of a species
in need of protection. But from
a business standpoint, he was
inventory. Bobo enjoyed quite
a life as top cat in Tarzan’s
compound. He was free to Sara Brady
stroll through Tarzan’s home
and sleep in Tarzan’s bed. By all
accounts, he was tabby-cat tame.
Anyone can understand the sorrow
that Tarzan expressed at the dramatic
loss of his precious pet, and his number
one attraction.
According to newspaper accounts,
Tarzan and his collection of lions and
tigers and cougars — oh my — are
legendary in Loxahatchee Groves
in Palm Beach County. Visitors —
in business jargon these would be
“customers” — were treated to
seeing well-kept happy beasts
that if not able to live in the
wilds of Africa, would choose
Palm Beach County as their
second home. Sort of like
the Rockefellers.
Bobo’s value was in his
celebrity. He was known to
and was beloved by everyone.
Mournful neighbors’ gushing
in sorrow made their other
celebrity resident — Ted Kennedy —
look like the more ferocious beast. In
spite of one account that Bobo had
attacked a visitor, no one seemed to
care because it was the visitor’s fault.
Apparently no blame was directed
at Tarzan for failing to properly manage
his product line. There are no reports
that he tried to warn the victim of
impending danger by belting out that
bloodcurdling call of the wild often
executed when swinging from vine
to vine.
Regardless, Tarzan represents
the small business owner. He chose
something he cared about deeply. He
put his heart and soul into his work
and had a very small staff. He adhered
to proper licensing and permitting
requirements associated with his
unique animal kingdom.
Business owners know that these
factors are the very essence of running
a small business. So it’s more than fair
to say that the very nature of his mission
makes him a risk taker. It was a risk that
was a success for a long time, until one
incident triggered a series of events that
cost him plenty.
What’s the moral to Tarzan Sipek’s
entrepreneurial effort?
It’s a jungle out there.
Participative Management
Employees become more engaged in future development of companies.
By Paul DePalma, President and Founder, BusinessWorks, Inc.
“Change is debilitating when it is
done to us, exhilarating when it is
done by us.”
— Rosabeth Moss Kanter
Developing a company’s strategy
used to be the exclusive privilege of
the executive suite. Only a company’s
senior leaders were thought to have
the knowledge and status to determine
the key objectives of the organization
and its future.
Locked in conference rooms or
traveling to cloistered retreats, they
would decide the company’s future.
Crafting it on flip charts, they would
return to the troops like Moses coming
down the mountain with his tablets,
announcing their decisions. But unlike
Moses, these executives did not receive
the word from on high. They aren’t
all-seeing and all-knowing about their
company. In fact, senior leaders are
often furthest removed from crucial
input for developing strategy such as
environmental impact and customers’
requirements.
To create strategy more effectively,
many companies are moving toward a
participative management model where
employees at all levels are engaged in
the development of the organization’s
plans for the future. Participative management
is proving to be beneficial for a
number of reasons.
Crafting it on flip charts, they
would return to the troops
like Moses coming down the
mountain with his tablets,
announcing their decisions.
Employees who feel that they can
contribute are more connected to the
goals of the organization.
Participation builds trust between
senior leaders and employees. This
accelerates when leaders listen to and
use suggestions from employees and
then recognize their contributions.
Employees are much more committed
to supporting changes if they have
a hand in creating them. With the
business environment changing rapidly,
organizations need to adapt consistently
to stay competitive.
Employees involved in creating
company strategy learn the processes
and methods of working on the
business. Employees who think about
how to improve what they do tend to
be pioneers in finding efficiencies to
improve performance, a critical factor
in strong organizations.
Whether it’s called employee
involvement, participative management,
or some other phrase, employee input
at all levels of the organization is a
powerful method for creating a solid
company strategy and thereby a better
future for the organization.
There’s nothing wrong with senior
leaders going on a retreat to plan
strategy. Just don’t leave all the other
employees and their ideas at home.
For more, contact Paul DePalma
at 407-660-5757 or via e-mail at
paul@businessworks-inc.com. Access
the BusinessWorks Inc. Web Site at
www.businessworks-inc.com.
Since 1992, BusinessWorks has helped both
for-profit and not-for-profit organizations
optimize human dynamics for improved
business performance. The company uses
proven organization development methodologies
to help companies analyze and
improve how to produce results through
the planned development and reinforcement
of the organizations strategies and
structures; systems and processes; and
dynamics and culture.
16 OCTOBER 2004 FM