The Good Old Boys Club “Changing of the Guard”

Paul Eitmant

The term “Good Old Boys Club” has been used for years. Bottom line, the definition means people in a management position for years who have formed relationships within the industry with managers in the same/like position and have an effect on the outcome of any decision made with in the industry.

Another definition, a person who belongs to a network of friends and associates with close ties of loyalty and mutual support.
In today’s world, women are included in this statement. Remember this is an old saying dating back before my time. In fact, we would be correct to state there is a “Good Old Girls Club” in our world today.

I will only make the assumption that it is human nature to have relationships in business that have common goals and concepts that will always gather and make decisions that will have a positive effect for all the members of the group.

After working in the international electrical industry for the last 40 years, the same concept of “Good old Boys Club” exists in all 73 countries I conducted business.
In the 1970s, it was easier to identify the leaders in our industry. Then changes started to accelerate faster than any could anticipate.

Comparing a pie chart of top 10 distributors and manufacturers in 1970 to a chart for 2015, the two charts would look completely different. With this change the major players also changed.

Back then it was easier to identity the managers influencing buying at the distributor, manufacturer and end user levels, and they seemed to recognize each other and form a cohesive group. Bottom line: it was an easier way to conduct business.

In today’s world we have significant technology changes that brought an entirely new group of players into the equation, as well as the concept of global pricing policies from the end user level and the influence of marketing groups. Considering all the above, the “Good Old Boys/Girls Club” membership has increased, making decisions harder to satisfy all parties involved as well as being politically correct.

The new managers entering our industry must be aware of the changes and always remember that meeting the requirements of our end users is always a solid path to follow for success.

Read more from Paul Eitmant in CEW:
– A New Player in the Canadian Gray Market
– The Cost of Bad Leaders
– NAFTA Still a Good Show
– On Being an Effective Coach
– The Biggest Risks to Canada’s Economy In 2015 and Beyond
– Networks and Lighting Standards – Follow Up – One Year later
– How Healthy is Your Business?
– Social Media: Is It the Future for the Electrical Industry?
– Customer Service: A Key to Success
– The Right Price to Get the Order — the Last Look
– Who’s Next Within North America’s Electrical Distributor Channel?
– Generation Y – Next Generation – Never to old to Learn!
– LEDs: the Fastest Growing Product/Market for 2015

Paul Eitmant is President and CEO of IP Group International, which serves the needs of business-to-business enterprises in over 30 countries worldwide by adding specialized expertise to the business planning and implementation process; Tel: 480.488.5646; paulipgroup@cox.net