tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16752530.post2762192557369646834..comments2023-07-14T10:05:24.644-04:00Comments on The Reasoned Sceptic: The Dial-a-Mattress CaseC Neulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13359260012492887159noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16752530.post-44555262055610729522009-07-15T15:12:46.074-04:002009-07-15T15:12:46.074-04:00Thanks for your comment and compliment.
Obviously...Thanks for your comment and compliment.<br /><br />Obviously, you have considerable personal experience with the situation, and knowledge which casts a far different light on it than the Journal's article.<br /><br />I'm not at all surprised at your account of the latter days' frenzied actions.<br /><br />There's more to be said for the blind squirrel-acorn thing than most people generally admit or realize. I have several friends who can recount similar tales from their own pasts about bosses who had just one good idea- sometimes <i>'borrowed,'</i> and then left with huge winnings after selling to someone else.<br /><br />I hadn't mentioned the personal tragedies Mr. Barragan suffered, because, frankly, I don't think it really merited being the excuse for whatever behaviors he exhibited.<br /><br />-CNC Neulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13359260012492887159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16752530.post-52136662678589302842009-07-15T13:12:29.603-04:002009-07-15T13:12:29.603-04:00you showed a very astute reading of the dial-a-mat...you showed a very astute reading of the dial-a-mattress situation - more than i thought the WSJ article provided. <br /><br />as a regional partner, we had alot of insight into the most dysfunctional management team the world has ever known. <br /><br />the sad truth is that napoleon was the emperor with no clothes. and now a very viable business - and hundreds of employees' livelihoods - are lost at a time when it should be thriving with the consumer movement to direct purchasing. and there's nobody to blame more than napoleon himself.<br /><br />as napoleon embarked on a long list of illogical, poorly-conceived, and poorly-executed initiatives (24-hour stores, free naps in the showrooms, a crazy "menu" of 30 products for 30 days of the month, magazine publishing, unprofitable partnerships, etc), anyone who disagreed was fired. if he wants to call that a "culture clash" it's a euphemism to molify his ego. <br /><br />"haphazard" and "inept" are compliments compared to the adjectives i'd choose. <br /><br />while it's true that the mattress market is suffering sales decline along with all home furnishings categories, it's also true that the consumer world is accelerating its migration to direct sales - where dial should be siezing the market. instead, napoleon inexplicably spearheaded dial's migration to brick-and-mortar, over vociferous objections, without a plan, without any store management experience, and without any chance of succeeding.<br /><br />the real business lesson here is that even a blind squirrel sometimes stumbles on an acorn, and napoleon had the original vision to sell mattresses directly at a time when nobody believed it would work. but he was as ill-equipped to run a large company as a mountain climber ascending everest in a tshirt and crocs.<br /> <br />yes, he suffered terrible personal tragedies, particularly losing his son luis, the heir apparent to the business, who had superior training and instincts to run it properly.<br /><br />ultimately, napoleon needed to yield control to a new management team - ANY other management team - but refused. instead he returned to daily command, ignored all sensible advice, and promptly steered the ship directly into the rocks.<br /><br />anyone involved with the company shook their heads as they could see it coming clear as day, but nobody could convince napoleon to change course. he was ultimately defeated by his own hubris, his determination to continue succeeding where nobody believed he could. <br /><br />except this time, "nobody" was right.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com