For the 30+ years that I operated our family owned funeral home I had to deal with a maximum of about 17 employees or teammates at work at any given time.  You got to know all of them real well and as the manager of a small firm you really understood what was happening under the roof.

I contrast that with the fact that I now serve on the board of our state’s land grant university which has about 26,000 employees, 60,000 students, and 941 buildings spread over five separate campuses.  With that width and reach it is impossible to know what is going on where at all times.  Now, a lot of good things happen in those locations.  .  .the University of Minnesota is known for inventing open-heart surgery, we have professors working on reducing the limitations of Parkinson’s disease, and we strive to move the world forward in a lot of different ways.

But, there is also somebody getting into trouble every day, some people don’t always make the right decisions, and issues come up that are just uncomfortable, but have to be dealt with.  I’ve now been in this position long enough that I am working with my 2nd president of the university.  When I spend time with the president, I am often amazed with all the issues that they have to deal with and yet keep moving the university forward.  It is not a job that I would want.

I think that must be the case with a CEO of a major corporation.  A company can be doing so well, yet somewhere, somehow, things are creating problems for them and the company.  Do you ever wish to be the CEO or the President of a large concern?  My quick response to that question might be, “Be careful what you wish for.”

I noticed in yesterday’s news feeds a couple of articles on properties owned by Service Corporation International.  While things seem to be going pretty good for the company as a whole, here are two issues that they will have to deal with moving forward.

1. Possible embezzlement at an SCI firm – see the story here
2. Cemetery flooding and potential legislative inquiries at a Chicago cemetery – see the story and news video here.

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