HOW MANY “EXPERTS” EXIST IN A COMPANY?

Not experts in their own roles or departments—but experts in everything: purchasing, production, marketing, design, footprint strategy, pricing, suppliers, customer expectations, quality levels… you name it.

They can confidently explain:

• what the right product design should be
• where production must be located
• how to increase market share in every country
• what customers really want
• which supplier and price level are obviously correct
• why our quality is “overengineered”
• …

And they know all of this especially well when the situation is difficult.

Have you also noticed that, in most cases, these experts criticize other departments, never their own? The problems always come from “the others.” They are good. The others are the issue.

And have you considered how much time is wasted talking about what others should do—rather than improving what we can do?

My view on these “experts”:

• they are toxic colleagues who create finger-pointing and a negative atmosphere
• they often have little real understanding of the topics they comment on
• they reduce productivity by talking instead of delivering results—and by wasting others’ time

I always tell my team: If we are purchasers, we must be excellent purchasers. That is our added value, that is where our focus belongs.

Our responsibility is to optimize the component costs by:

• analyzing our own work
• challenging ourselves
• improving continuously

And I expect the same mindset from every department.

If each function focuses on excellence in its own role, rather than criticizing others, the company as a whole will become excellent.