Saturday, November 22, 2014

Say What You Mean!

Psychologists will tell you it’s not what you say but how you say it that is the most important part of getting a message across.
And not just a message but your entire agenda depends upon making people believe you are saying something else or more than just the words you are using.
This sort of verbal sleight of hand is used every second of every day in places such as Las Vegas where many people who cannot afford to lose $100 routinely plunk down round black pieces of plastic known as chips at a craps or black jack table.
For those of you unfamiliar with convention black chips are generally worth $100!
Schein CEO
Stanley Bergman
Politicians honed this technique over the last few decades and businesses or corporations are masters of this psycho-babble whenever they speak of profits and profitability.
For example Henry Schein Inc. a healthcare distributor on Long Island has just announced the purchase of Cardinal Health Inc.’s physician office business.
The first hint that a ‘shoe is about to drop’ as it were is when they claim both companies will realize a slight increase in earnings over the next year.
Really, spending so much money to buy another company alone will make you both more profitable?
Schein CEO Bergman even went so far as to tout the deal as good for the workers of Long Island since “the acquisition will add about 200” jobs!  And this on top of the number they already employ which is over 17,000 worldwide.
So they are talking real numbers, no euphemisms and certainly no chips.
Then the shoe does come into play when he mentions that they have plans to trim the workforce by 2 or 3%.
Well that’s okay, right?  I mean 17,000 and 200 coming real soon are so much larger numbers than a measly little one like 3, right?
Well let’s see.  Three percent of 17,000 just happens to be 510!
So this wonderful magnanimous job creating deal will actually create a net loss of over 300 jobs.
Nicely done guys.
Sadly this type of consolidation and job loss is not an isolated thing.
I’m not saying that businesses must sit back and do nothing to further their need for greed and a larger piece of any and every pie but why lie about it?  Why try to make every move you make to fill your pockets at the expense of your employees, or previous employees look like you are saints on a mission to help your fellow man?
For once come out and say what you really mean without mixing metaphors.  Stop consciously creating confusion in your quest for unbridled power over your peers.
We get it you don’t give a thought about the workers who helped your company grow.  You couldn’t care less if they lose their homes or starve after you discard them.
No I don’t expect you to say those truths but don’t hit me with the old “I’ll respect you
in the morning” crap!

The non-fiscal bottom line message in America is still purposely filled with obfuscation. But if you are willing to read between the lines the real agenda comes through loud and clear.  The biggest problem facing the American working middle class is that our leaders are unwilling to listen.