Police/Paramedic Partnership
I found this article in a London journal highlighting a weeekend partnership between the Hounslow police and their paramedics. They’ve learned that fights and car crashes often require paramedics, so they’ve accomplished two benefits by having a paramedic ride with police. They’ve cut down on use of ambulance services and decreased the response time for medical help.
Using their past experiences together with creative thinking they came up with a double win resolution.
Any interesting successful partnership strategies you’d like to share? Let’s spark our creative thinking.
10,000 Small Businesses project
The business news reports that Goldman Sachs is partnering with billionaire Warren Buffet in a philanthropic effort called 10,000 Small Businesses.
Gaebler.com’s Resources for Entrepreneurs reports “The project includes a $200 million donation to community colleges to give grants to small business owners to further their education, as well as an investment of $300 million through a combination of lending and charitable support.
Buffett agrees that the investment is good business.”Our recovery is dependent on hard working small business owners across America who will create the jobs that America needs,” he said.”
Seems like you’ll want to stay in touch with your local community college and check with your bank to see how you can benefit from this money and professional guidance.
Let me know what you think? Will we actually see any of it?
Family Business 2
Some family businesses seem to evolve with little problem. Others get caught up in the challenges of resolving dissatisfaction with one of the family. Frequently there is a difference in age, a difference in motivation and a difference in vision. In a regular business if there is not a mesh, it’s much easier to terminate the relationship. In a family business, family will always be family. Other considerations are at stake.
Sometimes people try to get the family member to change. James Lea has a blog article about some of the challenges of working toward change in a family business.
He says,
First is the honest recognition that change is needed now. The classic ostrich posture may be comfortable, but it’s unattractive and unproductive.
The second is courage. Change is often scary. Also, almost no one wants to accept change that cuts across the grain of his preferences and pleasures, so sometimes change must be driven into place.
Third is a willingness to change — to give up familiar, if only marginally effective, ways of running the business and relating to the family — to make room for something new, different and better.
I have a client whose father started the business and is still involved even though he doesn’t take a salary and is starting to fail. According to my client the only thing keeping him going is his involvement in the business. He lost his wife several years ago and this is all he has. She cannot take the job he’s doing away from him. But she can pick up the parts that he’s starting to fall down on. Little by little he will have less and less responsibility, but will still be involved.
In this case change cannot be forced, it must be directed over time, sometimes without necessarily having agreement.