MADE men

I really don’t know much about the Mafia other than watching movies and growing up in Brooklyn. I’m told that once you’re confirmed as being MADE your untouchable, no one can kill you without clearing the request at the highest levels of the organization. In fact, just the mention of killing a guy who is MADE can get you killed because MADE guys are… well …made.

The Auto Industry has MADE men (including both genders). Corporate MADE men beg the question ...how is it possible they still continue to run the show or be employed ?

How do you spot a MADE man at your place of business ?

Seek those who keep making the same speech over and over again, have a vocabulary of 15 – 20 buzz words, dress to attract people to an image rather than a substance and likes floating around lunch rooms asking rank and file folks “what’s going on”.

The MADE man is also the person the advertising agency invites to presentations, movie premiers, golf outings and “on location” commercial productions.

At dealer meetings MADE men represent cocktail safety zones, no real business conversations, no real questions about dealer profitability, just easy - happy talk.

Seriously thought, the auto industry can’t afford MADE men any longer. MADE men represent excess, a failed strategy, an expense that just can’t be justified. Left untouched or uncorrected, MADE men consume six and seven figure assets at a time when corporate burn rates exceed ten figures.

October 08’s Automobile Magazine has an interesting story on page 154. The person featured could easily be the poster child for every MADE man “want-a-bee” out there.

Get your popcorn ready, I’m thinking God Father IV.