THE ROAD TO HELL

We can't do it all by ourselves... we all need advice. Hey!... even big multinational corporations that handle millions of dollars monthly hire advisors by the wazoo... Advice is important. It might be to help determine long term strategies, or short term tactics. Advisors also serve as compasses, with knowledge of a particular industry or technical area, as we venture into new and unexplored marketplaces. Sometimes, having an "impartial jury" for presenting conflicting ideas or exploring some far-out concepts can be extremely worthwhile. Advisors can also be used to put a "stamp of approval" on a controversial decision or maybe just for a "sanity check" so we don't do something really dumb.

However, advisors should not be expected to make decisions. Management, who hired the advisors in the first place, should respect the role of the advisor as an advisor... If advisors are expected to make decisions for management, their first decision has to be to change management... management, instead, must consider the proposal, study it, analyze it and then, decide whether or not the advisor's advice is suitable at the time... and if the advice given is not helpful, management must decide whether or not to keep hiring the advisors in the first place...

We have to consider that advisors can only truly and validly advise on the subjects of their expertise... and based on the information and history given to them by management... and most of the times, they can not really understand the full scope of the situation... especially if they are foreign... so whatever they say, should not be taken as the ultimate law...and if it is, it should be done under management's own risk.

Let us consider an exceptional salesperson who is suddenly promoted to advisor on sales... and turns out to be a horrible advisor. Not everyone has advising skills, you know... so the great salesperson turned butt-ugly advisor gets fired... and management not only loses a bad advisor but also a great salesperson... does that make sense?... to me, it would make more sense to demote the person to sales... where you know the person can shine again as once did... that way, you lose a bad advisor and get your great salesperson back.

So, my friend, said the suddenly enlightened yet oddly attractive blogger looking directly into his friend's eyes, I do not believe the road to hell is paved with good intentions. The road to hell is paved with cruel intentions that became crueler actions. Intentions alone, however good or evil, don't pave raods to anywhere... what counts are actions!

You see, I made the same mistakes as you... I, too, have been foolish to follow bad advise in the past (even probably from the same source, who knows?)... and wound up in pretty bad shape... and had to kick myself in the balls for being stupid enough of doing what somebody else wanted me to do instead of doing what I wanted to do. However, although it was not easy, I have broken free from my chains... and so should you...

Now, I still seek advise, even from the usual suspects, but now I listen to different versions... to different sides of the coin... I listen to what the moral majority and the neo nazis have to say... I listen to what the lefties and commies have to say... I listen to the animal activists... Hell... I would even listen to the anarchists... and then... I take matters into my own hands... which means I'll probably end up with a nice Supreme pizza pie... and God knows I could use a nice thin-crust right now.

What time does Papa John stops delivering?