Businesspeople are good at doing. As a result, they are often guilty of shooting first and aiming second. At Fort Ashford Funds we seek to aim first. We believe every organization must have a belief system in place and a set of principles that drives its decisions and practices. Out of good principles, effective practices are born and improved.

W. Edwards Deming (photo used with permission from W. Edwards Deming Institute)

Each individual’s belief system is unique — influenced by his or her education and experience. My belief system is strongly influenced by my understanding of W. Edwards Deming ideas and teachings, particularly his System of Profound Knowledge.

I believe leaders must learn that to compete effectively, they must cooperate. Incentive compensation, management by objectives, annual evaluations, and individual goals create a culture of competition and fear instead of cooperation and harmony.

Deming’s System of Profound Knowledge is designed to transform an organization into an organic whole, where departments and individuals function effectively and efficiently as a single entity. I encourage everyone in business management to study Deming’s theories as explained in his book, The New Economics.

Next up: My initial forays into management (later this week).