The 14 BFO's (Blinding Flashes of the Obvious) Putting People (REALLY) First

The 14 BFO's (Blinding Flashes of the Obvious) Putting People (REALLY) First

Autumn of 1985. It had been a grueling two days. A Manhattan seminar for “YPO,” the Young Presidents Organization. They cut me no slack, and demanded my full attention, almost [drop the “almost”] literally “24/7.” But it had gone well. Now it was coming to an end. And I wanted feedback.One guy I’d had really intense—and I thought terrific—exchanges with was Manny Garcia. He was either the biggest, or one of the top five, Burger King franchisees—he more or less “owned” South Florida, with, as I recall, well over 100 shops. Manny put up his hand and I nodded in his direction. He began, “Well, Tom, two long days—and I didn’t learn one damn new thing.” Collectively people snapped to attention. As for me, call the ambulance and EMTs. Then he continued, “I learned nothing new, but it was pretty clearly the best seminar I’ve ever attended. It amounted to a blinding flash of the obvious.”

A BLINDING FLASH OF THE OBVIOUS: THE “BFOs” ARE BORN.Manny continued, “This ‘excellence’ thing is not rocket science, it’s things we all know we should be doing. But somehow we get sidetracked. I am now determined I’m going home and putting on the front burner what in fact ought to be on the front burner.” Manny’s comments stuck. And stick to this day. No rocket science. “Obvious” “stuff” that gets lost somehow, somewhere, amidst the cacophony of daily affairs.