Lately I have noticed some very un-classy behavior being displayed by people who you would expect to know better. However, these people are what you might consider “new money” and are decidedly lacking in class. I am going to take an opportunity here to vent a little, and point out the error in their ways.
Poor Craftsmanship
Recently, I was at an event in the Malibu hills. The event was at the home of a gentleman who had created a new product that people liked. This made him a lot of money. However, since class is learned, and not bought, he showed a lack of it. The home was on a prime piece of real estate with amazing views. The owner bragged about how he had recently updated the home. He bragged about his new white marble flooring. His bragging brought attention to the floor and the shoddy craftsmanship of the installation. It seemed rather un-classy to me, that someone would pay top dollar for flooring, and then have it installed by what was obviously the lowest bidder. Stepping out onto the back porch, it was also obvious that the same installers had done the masonry work around the pool.
Craftsmanship is Classy. It would appear that this gentleman had not understood a simple fact of life. Quality materials are worthless unless they are used by skilled craftsman. I would be more impressed by lesser cheaper materials, expertly installed, then by expensive materials poorly installed.
Relentless Micro Management
Another pet peeve of mine is the relentless micro management I have seen as of late. I believe that this behavior is related to the previous behavior. You see, if you spend the money to hire people who know what they are doing, then they will be able to do it better then you know how to. Therefore, there is no need to constantly check up on their work. Most micro managers will say that they just want to make sure the job is being done correctly. The truth is, if you need to make sure the job is being done correctly, then you didn’t hire someone you trust to do the job correctly. And therefore, micro management shows a lack of management skill. If you don’t believe me, here is what some other people have to say about micro management: here, here, here and here.
What this all boils down to is this: It is far more classy, and economical to pay extra for someone whom you trust to do the job correctly. This will free up your time to do what it is that you do best. Like the old saying goes, “You get what you pay for”. Show some business class, and pay for the best, so you get the best without having to waste your time looking over their shoulders.