Read Online It's Not Luck by Eliyahu M. Goldratt - Free Book Online Page B

Julie asks me.
    “I say that two months is too long, one month will be sufficient.”
    Julie is working on her files, constructing trees to better understand and solve her clients’ problems. In this way she can restore shaky bonds in three or four meetings rather than allowing problems to flounder for months on end. When I mention that she is getting paid by the hour and not by results, she just laughs and points to her long waiting list.
    She is very involved in her work but it doesn’t put her under stress. You always find her busy but never without time.
    I like these peaceful nights, when Julie murmurs over her cases while I try to catch up on my paperwork. In the background Simon and Garfunkel are telling us once again their problems with Cecilia. The kids are in their rooms, probably fast asleep.
    “I’m happy with the way you handled Dave,” Julie smiles at me.
    “Back at UniCo, we called it ‘Buying industrial peace,’ ” I smile back.
    “What do you mean?” she is puzzled.
    “Julie,” I try to explain, “don’t get me wrong. I’m at peace with my decision, but frankly, look objectively at what happened: Dave asked for my car, I gave him the car, end of story.”
    “Darling, do you really feel badly about your decision?” she softly inquires.
    “No, not at all. I feel good about it.”
    She kisses me on the cheek. “Then saying that what happened is just that Dave got what he asked for is, at best, a partial description.”
    I think about it. It’s not that I didn’t want my son to get what he so badly wants. It’s that I didn’t want some other interrelated things to happen, like Dave feeling that he is entitled to my car. The way we’ve arranged it now, I’m certain that will not happen. Also, some good side benefits emerged. Julie will have fewer demands on her time, and Sharon, rather than being envious, is all for the idea.
    “You’re right,” I hug her. “Who would have imagined that Dave would agree not to ask for the car for even two weeks! You know, Jonah’s advice of just clearly presenting the negative branch without trying to suggest a solution is right on the mark. If I had suggested it, he would have treated my suggestion as an insulting unfair demand, at best.”
    Smiling, Julie nods her head in agreement. “Jonah’s methods do work. They always lead to win-win solutions.”
    “I wish I had your confidence,” I say quietly. “Julie, I’ve so many important clouds now at work . . . . I’m skeptical if there is any good win-win solution for even one of them.”
    “Tell me more,” she says, in the same quiet voice.
    I don’t know what to say. There is no point in whining about my personal cloud. It will just upset Julie and put me in a devastating, self-pitying mood.
    “Have you figured out how to protect your companies?” she asks.
    “Not really,” I sigh. I tell her about the “plan” that was discussed today with Stacey and Bob. “It’s really grasping at straws,” I conclude.
    “Why?”
    “Julie, what do you think is the chance of finding a marketing breakthrough that will enable us to jump sales within a few months?”
    “Such things do happen,” she tries to cheer me up.
    “Yes,” I admit, “rarely. But we have to do it without new products and without any advertising budget to speak of.” After a pause, I add, “And we don’t need just one such miraculous solution. We need three of them. It’s totally impossible.”
    “No, it’s not totally impossible,” she firmly says. “It may be difficult, but not impossible.”
    “Oh, come on.”
    “Alex, listen to me. Jonah taught us his method especially for such situations—where it seems that there is no way out; when it seems that the only thing left is to give up.
    “Honey,” she keeps on, “I know what I’m talking about. Almost every week I face such situations.”
    “I haven’t noticed.” I raise my eyebrows to indicate the extent to which she is exaggerating.
    “No, not