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I don't believe that 'profit' are the domain of business people anymore than astronomy is about telescope. You need business skills to run a non-profit as much

by kiba 1y ago

I don't believe that 'profit' are the domain of business people anymore than astronomy is about telescope. You need business skills to run a non-profit as much as you need to run a "for-profit" business or any organization really. Your goal may not to be "to make a profit", but cost control is essential to any organization. Really, it's a balance of priorities.If you focus too much on the $$$, you risk destroying the business and doing a disservice to your customers. You also have a responsibility to your employees who depend on your business for their livelihood, and so forth.

godelski 1y ago
I think you might be taking my words a bit to the extreme. Of course you still have to operate a business. I'm not trying to argue that and apologize if it came off that way. Certainly some engineers have to float in the middle too. Bridging engineering and business. Vise versa too! But there is good value in splitting focus between groups (even if those two groups are in the same person). One hat focusing on the product, ensuring that you make the thing that the customer needs, to provide value to the customer. The other hat to focus on making the company not just operational, but as profitable as possible. Together you need to make the company operational. Combined: the engineer constrains the manager to make as profitable while providing maximal value to the customer; the MBA constrains the engineer to not get too lost in technical problems and make profits so that more time can be spent doing those things. I am not arguing for "no business people". That would be a silly argument. Nor am I arguing this need to be a complete dichotomy. Most people will fall somewhere on some spectrum and realistically that location will change over the course of their career. Traditionally that is moving more towards business but hey... the only reason that happens is because we (or rather business people) decide it is that way. There's no reason it has to be. I hope you understand I'd never make the argument that you'd go so far as kill the business because the product isn't perfect. Certainly it can be too bad but that's a different case all together.

by kiba 1y ago

godelski 1y ago

I think you might be taking my words a bit to the extreme. Of course you still have to operate a business. I'm not trying to argue that and apologize if it came off that way. Certainly some engineers have to float in the middle too. Bridging engineering and business. Vise versa too! But there is good value in splitting focus between groups (even if those two groups are in the same person). One hat focusing on the product, ensuring that you make the thing that the customer needs, to provide value to the customer. The other hat to focus on making the company not just operational, but as profitable as possible. Together you need to make the company operational. Combined: the engineer constrains the manager to make as profitable while providing maximal value to the customer; the MBA constrains the engineer to not get too lost in technical problems and make profits so that more time can be spent doing those things. I am not arguing for "no business people". That would be a silly argument. Nor am I arguing this need to be a complete dichotomy. Most people will fall somewhere on some spectrum and realistically that location will change over the course of their career. Traditionally that is moving more towards business but hey... the only reason that happens is because we (or rather business people) decide it is that way. There's no reason it has to be. I hope you understand I'd never make the argument that you'd go so far as kill the business because the product isn't perfect. Certainly it can be too bad but that's a different case all together.