Robert E. WaiteWeekly Waite-O-Gram (Rel. 48.0)
TOUGHEST JOB IN CANADA
I met a guy this week who has the toughest managerial job in Canada. I don't mean the coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs (or the even more hapless Ottawa Senators). I don't even mean the CEO of a mere bank... auto company...or a retail outfit. The fellow I met is Deepak Chopra. No, not THAT Deepak Chopra. He is safely ensconced in San Diego, doling out New Age mantras. I am talking about the Deepak Chopra who has been the CEO of Pitney Bowes Canada for the past five years... and who has just been named to head up Canada Post Corporation. Why do I say his is the toughest job in Canada? Well, for one thing, he inherits a company with revenues from core businesses on the downshift...while delivery addresses, pension and benefit costs and fuel prices are all heading up. Each year, for example, Canada Post is mandated to service about 200,000 additional homes, apartment buildings and businesses...even as letter mail volumes drop.
STRUGGLE OR SNUGGLE?
For another thing, he gets to face off with what has frequently been described as Canada's most militant (and successful) trade union, CUPW. Their motto and rallying cry is "The Struggle Continues!" The struggle they reference is not with the elements... to keep the mail moving...or with UPS, FedEx and DHL to gain market share...or with the Post's antiquated equipment and technology, to become more efficient. It's with management. To be fair, most companies get the union they deserve...and Canada Post, which was run for decades on a military "command-and control"model, is a classic example of this. Only recently,,,and tentatively...have there been efforts made to move from confrontation... to something resembling cooperation. Nobody would suggest that CUPW and CPC management get into bed with each other...but it would be nice if they noticed they were living in the same house...and that noise they're hearing is a smoke detector.
MINORITY BLUES
And if a declining sector and a tough labour situation weren't enough, Mr. Chopra's only "shareholder" is the Government of Canada. So while most CEO's "only" have to worry about employees, customers and investors... the head of Canada Post is in reality playing a kind of three-dimensional chess match...not only trying to figure out what is best for the business in terms of beating the competition...but also how things will square with his political masters. What has made this particularly tricky the past six years or so...has been a succession of minority governments under Paul Martin and Stephen Harper. It's tough for a Crown Corporation CEO to be overly bold or make waves... when the government of the day's highest priority is just keeping afloat.
THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGING...
I met Deepak Chopra at the end of his first official day on the job at a stamp launch event marking Black History Month. (Although I retired from Canada Post in 2010, for unnamed sins I continue on as Chair of the Stamp Advisory Committee.) My impressions from a 15-minute conversation are of a man modest regarding his own considerable accomplishments; open-minded about the task at hand; very focused on service quality; and extremely proud, as an immigrant, to have been entrusted with a national institution so deeply rooted in Canadian history. He told me that his grandfather had been a post master in India in the days of the British Raj...and that it likely would have stunned him to even contemplate the idea that his immigrant grandson could one day take the reins at Canada Post. Almost as strange as the idea that a Canadian... and a woman -- former CPC CEO Moya Greene-- could one day assume the reins of the Royal Mail in the UK!
LESSONS FROM FERGIE
As it happened, one of the two individuals honored with a Black History Month stamp was present at the unveiling festivities Tuesday evening -- baseball Hall of Famer (and Chatham, Ontario native) Fergie Jenkins. The former Cubs pitching ace (who also had stints with the Red Sox, Phillies and Rangers) was poised and gracious in his remarks, thanking coaches and scouts who had been instrumental in his development and success. In an especially poignant moment, he thanked his parents, both deceased, especially his mother who, although blind, never missed a chance to attend his games and root him on. He also made the point that while a pitcher is the focus of attention and gets the "W" or "L" at the end of the game...he is utterly dependent on the performance of his surrounding teammates. Not a bad lesson for any CEO, new or old, to draw upon. And as tough a job being the CEO of Canada Post might be...you have to draw hope from the fact that Fergie won 20 games six consecutive years...with the hapless Chicago Cubs. I would argue that Canada Post has a better starting line up than the late 60's Cubs (save for Billy Williams and Ernie Banks) and with a little support from team mates this Deepak Chopra will soon beTHE Deepak Chopra, at least in Canada.
WHAT THE HAL IS GOING ON HERE?
After 23 years of marriage, I find my spouse is in love with someone else. His name is Watson. They met at a conference last May, in Arizona, introduced by a guy named David Ferrucci from IBM. It started innocently enough -- a drink on a terrace overlooking the desert; candlelight dinner; some stargazing at the night sky. Fine. A little flirtation...but, hey, she saved the last dance for me. But then came the dawn...the start of the seminar program... and Karen discovered that Watson was more than just a witty conversationalist...he could also play "Jeopardy". And not just play it...but play it really, really well. In fact, Watson dispatched two self-proclaimed "Jeopardy" whizzes in short order, right before our eyes...without breaking a sweat. Mind you...the fact that Watson is actually a computer...may have had something to do with his cool, perspiration-free demeanor. But the fact the my wife loves "Jeopardy"...and the latest in electronic gizmo's and gadgets...meant sparks were sure to fly.
ELEMENTARY, MY DEAR WATSON
All would have been fine had this been a brief encounter; a momentary infatuation; a desert mirage. But no. Her obsession has continued. I personally wouldn't mind...but she's hurting others, too, neglecting her blackberry; acting strangely distant towards her Kindle; literally taking the "i" out of iPad. And what of Watson? He's poised to become a network star, playing two all-time "Jeopardy" champions of the human persuasion in a televised event February 14, 15 and 16. That's right -- she's going to be spending Valentine's Day evening with the big lug! This despite the fact that I remembered to book a restaurant for the first time in more than a decade!
I MEANT THE OTHER CHER
A couple of people took issue with me saying that Hosei Mubarak on television looked like a combination of Herman Munster and Cher. Nobody quarrelled with the Herman Munster part...but a few thought I was being unfair to Cher. They obviously haven't seen "Burlesque" yet.
'DAISY, DAISY, GIVE ME YOUR ANSWER, DO'
By the time most of you read this, the Super Bowl will be over (I am writing it a just a few hours before kick-off). I have no predictions to make...other than being 100% sure my spousal unit will not be watching. She hates football. Hasn't watch in years -- even the Roman numerals annoy her. So I rented her a DVD...Stanley Kulbrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey".
AND FINALLY...
If you want to see a great concept for a video, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39jtNUGgmd4 It is called "100 X 100" and celebrates IBM's 100th anniversary in 2011.
(The views expressed in this document are solely those of the author, who is responsible for any errors or omissions. Cher appears courtesey of Screen Gems. Watson appears courtesey of the IBM Corporation. Herman Munster appears courtesey of CBS. Fergie Jenkins appears courtesey of Triumph Books. And Karen Shigeishi-Waite appears against her expressed wishes. Does anyone need a Valentine's Day dinner reservation?)
--
Robert E. Waite
Managing Partner
Waite + Co.
25 Grange Avenue
Toronto, ON M5T 1C6
1-416-944-0116
www.waiteandcompany.com
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