The Hangover Part III

No, this is not about the uneven but brilliant films featuring Ed Helms, Bradley Cooper, and Zach Galifianakis (Part I being markedly funnier than Part II).  Neither, actually, is as funny as Helms' earlier gem, Cedar Rapids.

Confession - the Caribbean experience is still somewhat with me.  I engaged in further research while in the tropical clime, namely a comparison of various additives to indigenous spirits.  The conclusion, which I hope will be picked up by one or another scholarly journal, is that coconuts, pineapples, mangoes, and other hot weather  fruits all cause brutal headaches which manifest themselves some 8 to 10 hours following consumption.  The experiment stopped there; I did not have time to validate my assumption that rum alone was merely a benign medium in which to deliver the test subjects.  My faculty advisor, Captain Morgan, assured me that such was the case.

The condition reminded me of the shortcomings of traditional transactional, win-lose, negotiations between buyers and sellers - the ol' zero-sum game.  Satisfying some primal urge, it can be dizzingly exhilarating to win.  And, as in many drinking games, if one is good, more are better.

But, come morning, the pixie dust has turned to ashes.  The brilliance has worn off, and the satisfaction  has not lasted the night.  No matter how many wins and how many nights, the next day's choice is too often a chase for more wins.  That might make the headaches go away, for a while, and lead into another round of business combat.

The other choice is more difficult, but can show the way to a new way of life in business relationships - win-win mutual success.  This path delivers fewer blinding headaches, and the good feeling created tends to last.  And, the value proposition for both parties is bigger and stronger than what the transient old-style victory delivers.

I get that it is not easy to give up the old model, and those who attempt to do so can suffer relapses.  But, once the new direction has been attempted it might be easier to get up and try it again.  Think about it, shippers, carriers, service providers, and anyone else in the greater end-to-end supply chain.  Are you ready to set out on a twelve-step program  to a revitalized business life?

My partner in research, the irascible Ron Rico might not agree, but . . .