Page 142 - Harnessing the Strengths

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DILEMMA 6: SHORT TERM

VERSUS LONG TERM

Challenge
“Here come the English again, with their sole focus on share-
holder value.” Peter Webber sighs. “When I make a plan for
the next three years, it always gets criticized by the short-
term thinkers. Sure,” he snorts, “shareholder value . . . for
the people who never share.” Thankfully, in this case, the
French are backing him. They think his marketing plan for
the next three years is worthwhile, even if it means a bit less
profi t in the coming period. They feel that the payback will
far outweigh the investment in the short term.
Furthermore, from the perspective of creating synergies
in marketing, the French are willing to work on a number of
projects simultaneously, but the English and German represen-
tatives are dead-set against the idea. They prefer a step-by-step
approach—“All this hodgepodge ratatouille of the French is
nice with a little garlic, but in business it is not direct enough.”
The differences between his team leaders’ time horizons are
making Peter Webber’s life difficult. Should he go for the short

or long term? He decides to sleep on it one more night.
The decision is judicious because “sleeping on it” is
nothing more than letting your subconscious speak; the deci-
sion has already been made, but we can’t see it yet.

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