Mary Poppins Management

I used to work for a dot-com that practiced a “Mary Poppins” style of management. That is, the senior management team believed the company was practically perfect in every way. At the end, the velocity with which that company came hurtling to earth was astounding. There is no safety in hubris–with or without a magical umbrella. I’m all for being proud of your team, your product and your purpose. Just don’t let it get in the way of your potential. At another time, I went to work for a firm that asked me to help them improve the way they worked by investigating their internal processes and procedures. I did so by compiling a report which outlined the 80% of their business processes that were spot-on and enviable and the 20% where a little tweaking would work wonders. Instead of the pat on the back I was expecting, they turned around and brow beat me for insinuating that they might be less than perfect. Such is the life of a consultant–you learn quickly to be thick-skinned.

It is indeed a balancing act to work with a client to help improve the way they work–especially if they are sensitive about how they are perceived by their management. On one hand, they desperately need the help to avoid being fired. On the other hand, they are apt to get fired because they desperately need help. In my industry presentations, I usually speak in praise of dysfunction because it is my raison d’etre. I speak in praise of it because I’m a positive person and what I’ve been able to do for others is to help them improve their business performance through real estate. Dysfunction has its purpose–it keeps you wanting to improve. Perfect people are frozen in mediocrity. Imperfect people have room to grow.

The question this month is: Are you practicing a Mary Poppins style of Corporate Real Estate management? Here’s how you’ll know: