The Rules of Management, 3rd Edition

RULE 52

Cut the crap – prioritize

I used to work for a manager who was fond of asking who we worked for. If we said ourselves, he shook his head. If we said him, he shook his head. If we said the directors, he shook his head. And on and on. The only answer, he said, was the shareholders. And the only reason we worked, he said, was for the profit. Everything else was padding. Fair enough. We do work for the shareholders – whoever they might be. It might be yourself if you are a one-person band. They might be the directors if it’s a family-owned firm and not trading on the stock market. They might be millions of little people who have all invested.

So cut the crap. There is only one reason for being in business, no matter what anyone says – profit. ...