Interview with Ricardo Semler

[malindavanderwal]

nice interview

[RSUMGNDES111]

heey my last name is semler

[benrfc]

@RSUMGNDES111 but you're a zero

[lovelplants]

interesting indeed.

[BaldeagleVIP]

I 100% agree with Ricardo

[Topk1140]

a sustainable business punk

[cral1972]

Very interesting

[picassoatwork]

@ghostofanonion

"One can only be wealthy if someone else is poor."

And am oh-so-jostled by these golden words destined to be enshrined in the common public memory of recent times.

Perhaps this logic applies that one should not be educated. Because one knows so much at the cost of the other?

Even poor must remain poor. Because if wealth is evil, then it implies that those poor ones are doomed to become evil later. One should only rot by the gutter and wait for their end days to come by?

[IrminC]

that's really irrelevant to what he meant.

[ghostofanonion]

This seem s less like a democracy, and more like a socialism.

[jonathanlbarnes]

I am currently reading Maverick and it really does seem that Ricardo Semler is a legend! I mean, it's just inspiring really! He just inspires me so much! To create a working environment where people feel truly valued and have a say in the way their everyday lives are lead is fantastic and is healthy! We work most of our lives, that's why this is important! Democratic Management is incredible and the development of soft skills is an important factor in this!

Thank you for such a great video!

Jon

[BritishMuseumtours]

A inspiring video, highlighting the military mind set in business was a graphic revelation and his openess to the future a joy to wittiness.

[LeifEkstom]

Beautiful example of socially valuable private initiative. No government could come up with this.

[banjo234]

His schools work along the lines of A.S. Neill's Summerhill in the UK.

Excellent stuff.

[Gsem4]

My name is Gaines Semler

[rjshmo]

You guys use the word demoracy so much it loses all meaning.

[seulment]

not sure how many below have actually read Maverick and The Seven Day Weekend where he goes into detail how he did it. Treat adults as adults, and for the most part, they make the right decision. Associates help make the choices. They feel as if they hold an integral part to the success of the company. The amazing thing about the philosophy is it works in life and business. Semler is worth looking up to. Easy to criticize for those who think people are inherently evil.

[ghostofanonion]

@seulment In a capitalist society people are inherently evil. Capitalism is about self wealth, greed is evil. What he's done is taken people out of the capitalist structure and given them an alternative way to work and live.

[seulment]

@ Ghost - Define greed first and foremost. Read his books, he is a capitalist, he made money while increasing the quality of life of those who work for him, he truly cares about his workers and their children. The desire to become wealthy is not evil in and of itself. Semler made his fortune while taking care of his workers, his community and his country. Semler would not cave to the kickbacks and bribery. Until you read the books, refrain from making pointless comments.

[ghostofanonion]

How is the desire to become wealthy not conceptually evil. One can only be wealthy if someone else is poor. You can only achieve at the cost of someone else. Capitalism. Thats not to say Semler is evil, nor that he lives to a strict capitalist view point. A friend pointed out the changes in his work place seem to run parallel to anarchism. Which makes sense in hind site, much more like anarchistic reform than democratic reform. Also, no comment is pointless.

[clubnaj]

@ghostofanonion "One can only be wealthy if someone else is poor." I respectfully disagree.Imagine 2 people, each catching one fish/day. One figures out how to make a net, now catches 5 fish/day. The entrepreneur makes his buddy a net, but asks for payment one fish/day. Each catch 5 fish/day. Net: Entrepreneur 6 fish/day, buddy 4 fish/day. Importantly both are now wealthier than before. Innovation/productivity can help the entire society become wealthier than before - not a zero sum game.

[ghostofanonion]

@clubnaj Two people is not an economy, neither are rich. Fish are food, the amount being cought is wastefull. We need to add people and create an 'economy' to talk about wealth. If you'd like I'd be happy to discuss via e-mail however ! The entrepenuer will make something from 0 work, the fisherman will lose. The entrepenuer has lowered the skill requirement to fish so now more unskilled labour can take from the same resource. The fishermans worth has decreased against the worth of the tool.

[ghostofanonion]

@clubnaj Why pay the fisherman anything, when you can fish for yourself 4 fish a day minus 1 for the net. Don't get me wrong I'm all for invention. Just simplifying these equations dosn't work.

[BayStateObserver]

@clubnaj Well put. Well put indeed!

[CUMBICA1970]

@ghostofanonion "One can only be wealthy if someone else is poor." This assumption is ultimately true. It's simple math. Take example the US: they have arguably the world's highest average income and still 40+ million live in poverty. Even if they double this average I'm 100% sure this structure will remain the same. And I'm not even counting the old trick of transferring production sites overseas but those workers (though 100% involved in the organization) conveniently hid from the stat.

[indefiance24]

@CUMBICA1970 I would argue that this point of view arises from a fundamental misunderstanding of market economics. Prices are relative, not absolute. If your in a desert, nearly dead from thirst, and you have a million dollars. IF I walked up with a canteen of water, then guess what, a canteen of water just become worth a million dollars. This demonstrates how prices and valuations change according to circumstance. We both benefitted from the transaction. It wasn't a zero sum game.

[LibertarianAtheistDR]

@indefiance24

Hooray for marginal utility!

[sstuetz]

Thank you very much for providing this wonderful video!

[zapatista77]

Capitalism is definetly not a democracy but at least Semco show that democracy can work in the workplace.

[rjshmo]

I'd rather have a republic.

[zapatista77]

What do you mean by that

[rjshmo]

I don't know. I forgot. It's been three weeks. I think I mean that people over use the word democracy.

[samdonuge]

one needs to examine to what extent is Semco 'democratic'. a post-structural examination on selmer's model would reveal that he uses social/cultural coercion rather than through direct institutional policies. there are disadvantages and advantages. but it yes capitalism is by no means democratic in any sense of the word

[richasrd]

Semler pretends to be a democratic business leader in the capitalist system, this is impossible. Democracy in corporations only works as far as it is profitable, where it is not profitable, the democratic process is done away with.

One cannot be egalitarian and democratic within a framework of profit and exploitation.

[chlabreu]

I see no causal relation from democracy to egalitarism. Aren't those orthogonal concepts? I see no obligation for one to boost egalitarism every time she boosts democracy, as many people think.

[chlabreu]

Indeed you are right in one point. Democracy in corporations only works as far as it is profitable. And the fact is that Semler's company has been very profitable compared to others in the same market and economic scenario. And he believes that is because of the democratic philosophy they adopted. So, he is not forcing democracy against profit. Instead, the point is he is making profit through democracy, which seems weird for many of us.