Conference 7.286::digital

    Well hello there,
    
    I used to enjoy reading your notes on OZ (you seem to have changed your
    style a little).  Can you tell me where I can find the OZ notes
    conference these days?  I somehow managed to lose it.
    
    Good luck with your new role as CEO!!
    
    Regards
    Ann           

    ...personally, it's a job I wouldn't touch with the proverbial 10'
    pole!

    I liked Ben & Jerry's former rule about the top person not making more
    than 7 times as much as the lowest paid person. That would mean that
    either secretaries would make a more respectable salary, and/or the
    CEO's salary would be more reasonable. Boy would you see attrition
    then! We'd be down to 65,000 employees in no time!
    
    Linda

    re .3
    
    Or you pay the least payed person not less that 1/7th of the topsalary.
    For most people, this would be most attractive (I guess, since I do not
    the top nor the bottom salary). At least it kills the company within
    reasonable time...
    
    Ronald

Re .4 
>    ... At least it kills the company within
>    reasonable time...

Ben and Jerry's seems to be doing pretty well with this guideline. Of
course, it also helps that they have a great product line that people
want and have a sense of humor about their importance.

FWIW, B&G is going to disregard the 7-1 rule when they hire a "real" CEO.

    Ben & Jerry's has announced (in conjunction with the stepping down of
    Ben Cohen from day to day responsibilities) that it will dispose of
    their 7 to 1 pay rule from top to bottom.  They are doing this to
    attract the best candidate to replace Cohen for President.  In the
    press release, they said they wanted someone with a very strong
    business executive background.  Personally, I think they're making a
    mistake.  They could attract quality candidates by keeping the 7 to 1
    rule but allowing for stock options, profit sharing, bonuses, etc. that
    could offer the needed $ incentives.  Not to mention the unique quality
    of work/life that this job would offer.
    
    My $.02 worth...

Re .7 

That's discouraging news. There are plenty of ordinary companies
making good products. B&J's was something of an extra-ordinary
company. So, too, was Digital.

The lesson for Digital, though, is that special qualities are truly
corporate assets. The quality of the work environment, the integrity
and good humor of the management staff: that makes a difference to
both employees and customers. 

One more reason to stay away from ice cream, I guess. 

Funnily enough B&J were on the Breakfast News at 6:30 this morning, and
it was the first time that i had heard of them.

The thing that caught my attention was two rather scruffy clad men being
interviewed by the suited news presenters. When (repeatedly) pressed as to
why their product was a success (they were guzzling ice cream at the
time) on of them said "'cos it's good sh*t", followed by a very rapid
cut to a taped article.

Small world innit?

RE: Note 3192.3 by MRKTNG::L_MOORE

>    I liked Ben & Jerry's former rule about the top person not making more
>    than 7 times as much as the lowest paid person. That would mean that

It's good PR hype.  B&J have MANY other ways of getting money from their company
(Stock options, bonus's, etc.).  They get their money -- one way or another.

	- mark

B & J was in the news just this week - they're changing that 7x policy
because "they weren't attracting top management talent."

It's a contest.

They want applicants to write a 100-word essay on "Why I'd Make a Good President
of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream".


Grand prize:	The Job.

1st Prize:	Supply of ice-cream for a year

Other prizes:	Ice cream, logo merchandise, etc.


Not too shabby for them...


John

    Did that 1st prize include free liposuction after the year of
    eating ice cream?   
    				:-)
    
    	Jim

    
    re. 8 Special qualities
    
    I read an article on B&J that said that when it was just the two of
    them, Jerry was making the icecream and asked Ben for his opinion.  Ben
    had such bad sinuses he couldn't distinguish the variations.  So, Jerry
    added lots of stuff to the icecream so Ben could figure it out.  I
    thought about this afterwards and thought about how many people, in
    Jerry's position, would have done the same thing.  Other people might
    have thought this guy is a loser and doesn't belong in the icecream
    business if he can't TASTE anything or replaced Ben with a panel of
    tasters.  Instead, Jerry worked with it and stumbled on what was going
    to be the key to their success.  It's called loyalty.
    
    

    Hi Ann,

    >Good luck with your new role as CEO!!

    Just call me Sir from now on-wards :-).

    >I used to enjoy reading your notes on OZ (you seem to have changed your
    >style a little).  Can you tell me where I can find the OZ notes
    >conference these days?  I somehow managed to lose it.

    I had to change my style I am a budding CEO.  It's been listed in
    EASYNOTES, I can't remember (traces of Ronnie Ragan).

    Well this topic was opened in tongue in cheek as there seems to be a
    lot of what's happening or we should do this that or the other.  I
    guess there is no way out of this mess apart from swallowing the bitter
    pill.  

    But mind you I am still open to the offer of expanding my career
    opportunities, why aim for something less then becoming a CEO ?  I
    better go an check out those Job Notices that Samantha sends out .....
    
    Your friendly budding CEO from downunder,
    
    Sunil

    Perhaps a CEO from downunder could turn things right-side-up again.