THE eponymous phrase comes from the practice of “potluck” at social gatherings. This approach to hosting parties allows the guests to bring something for the party. Usually, the item is specified so that guests don’t bring identical stuff. The custom of not burdening a host with preparing food for a large group, after already providing the venue, expects that all party attendees bring a dish for all to eat. Also, the quantity may be dictated by the contributor’s number of attendees.
The guest who brings nothing to the table is considered rude, partaking of dishes brought by others and not contributing any of his own. This behavior invites scorn over someone who did not bring anything but sits anyway at the table heedless of the dagger looks around. (Should he just step out for a smoke while the food-bringers eat?)
What one brings to the table has become a corporate expression.
The expression “bring to the table” is defined in Lois Beckwith’s Dictionary of Corporate Bullshit. It refers to “the people who are important to an organization because of what they bring to the table in the form of skills, knowledge, contribution to a revenue-generating center, and connections.”
Bringing in a high-level and expensive talent into an organization for his rain-making skills (ability to bring in a shower on a parched desert) sets expectations on both sides. It is then a race between patience by the recruiters and the overhead cost of the new talent. Unfortunately, the high overhead from salaries and premium benefits needs to be front-loaded. Will the expected contribution follow suit?
This race between patience and windfall is stacked against the former. After two months when the euphoria of the top draft pick dies down, people around the table clear their throats and ask for a timetable.
In pre-historic times Homo sapiens (or more precisely, Homo erectus — referring to his walk rather than a particular part of his body) was a hunter-gatherer expected to hunt for his lunch, bringing back enough for the family at home. Companies may follow this hunter-gatherer model in recruiting key executives. One’s Guaranteed Annual Cash Compensation (salary is too primitive a word when including bonuses and variable pay) has to be justified by revenue one has brought in.
How different is this concept of hunting for one’s meal from the entrepreneurial model where absence of business automatically means no salary? Companies are embracing this no-free-lunch model with passion. If someone does not bring in business, should he even sit at the table or be banished from the feast?
Bringing something to the table is a simplistic concept with many implications. If a rain maker (or door opener) brings in more than his share of business, does he have license to ask how much the others are bringing to the table? This view can be disruptive. In terms of corporate culture, this approach causes anxiety and stress. Team spirit is replaced by “survival of the fittest.”
In the old days when basketball only tracked points made, the other aspects of the game were largely ignored. More metrics now note contributions to team play like assists, steals, blocks, charges taken, playing minutes, defense, and number of touches. Is there a way to measure what a good finance and accounting person brings to the table? Assuming corporate contribution is not limited to revenues, what about timely reports, research, and enhancing customer relationships? What about the support staff that improves cost efficiency, credit ratings, and brand enhancement.
Focusing just on table contribution can warp perception of who enhances the company’s real value. It focuses on individual (and selfish) play rather than teamwork. There is then a credit-grabbing culture that is espoused. A reward system based solely on bringing in business ignores the follow-through activities of nurturing the customer and building enduring relationships.
Imagine a basketball team which rewards only points made. Five players will just keep trying to shoot the ball without looking to pass and defend. Instead of asking what anybody brings to the table, it is better to check how big the table has become with everybody’s efforts and what kind of meal is being served.
An enjoyable conversation around the table is a contribution that is offered by the leader — who after all provided the table.
Tony Samson is chairman and CEO of TOUCH xda
