Find, close and deliver business differently.
Why is everyone getting caught up in a self-fulfilling prophecy of failure and doom?
Always one to speak my mind, I am going to lead with a strong opinion!
To beat the recession, we're telling our clients to focus on what they are good at. We are telling our clients to tighten up their processes, watch cash...cut some costs without cutting their operation's ability to survive long-term. We're telling them to lose staff, retain staff, develop staff. We're telling them to take market share, diversify, look at other geographies. We're telling them to get closer to existing customers and exit unprofitable ones.
We're telling them to look at all of these areas and most of them don't know if they are coming or going. Many of the companies I speak to are now so inundated with 'quick fixes' for their businesses that they have just closed off their minds.
Yes, we're all finding it hard. We are all being affected by the constant gloom in the media. Should we let it get to us so much that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy? My gut tells me no! This recession will not fix itself - we need to do it. The only way we can achieve that is by ensuring we don't believe we will fail. That coupled with intelligent strategic planning and leadership is what we need. We need to hold fast and retain focus.
It's hard for our clients to retain their enthusiasm. The media is painting a dire picture of the economy. Staff are getting jumpy. Cash visibility is becoming less easy.
We can all sell processes, the softer side is more difficult. It's my firm belief that we need to bring even more of our skills to the fore in this environment.
How are we inspiring our clients? How can our involvement lift their mood, their culture, their very spirit? How are we informing their leadership? Strong, communicative leadership is more important now than ever.
We all have the potential to objectively inspire our client base. I may not be a leadership consultant or coach, but my interactions with my clients can be extremely positive. I can give them breathing/thinking space to open up on some of their business issues and help them find a way forward.
We all can be inspiring. Our clients need us to be.
To beat the recession, we're telling our clients to focus on what they are good at. We are telling our clients to tighten up their processes, watch cash...cut some costs without cutting their operation's ability to survive long-term. We're telling them to lose staff, retain staff, develop staff. We're telling them to take market share, diversify, look at other geographies. We're telling them to get closer to existing customers and exit unprofitable ones.
We're telling them to look at all of these areas and most of them don't know if they are coming or going. Many of the companies I speak to are now so inundated with 'quick fixes' for their businesses that they have just closed off their minds.
Yes, we're all finding it hard. We are all being affected by the constant gloom in the media. Should we let it get to us so much that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy? My gut tells me no! This recession will not fix itself - we need to do it. The only way we can achieve that is by ensuring we don't believe we will fail. That coupled with intelligent strategic planning and leadership is what we need. We need to hold fast and retain focus.
It's hard for our clients to retain their enthusiasm. The media is painting a dire picture of the economy. Staff are getting jumpy. Cash visibility is becoming less easy.
We can all sell processes, the softer side is more difficult. It's my firm belief that we need to bring even more of our skills to the fore in this environment.
How are we inspiring our clients? How can our involvement lift their mood, their culture, their very spirit? How are we informing their leadership? Strong, communicative leadership is more important now than ever.
We all have the potential to objectively inspire our client base. I may not be a leadership consultant or coach, but my interactions with my clients can be extremely positive. I can give them breathing/thinking space to open up on some of their business issues and help them find a way forward.
We all can be inspiring. Our clients need us to be.
Views: 1
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Comment by Chris Pareja -Founder, B2B Power Exchange on February 4, 2009 at 6:46am -
I agree. I have had to turn off the media to maintain a positive frame of mind. I also appreciate your perspective, because it is from outside the US. American media tends to be US-centric, and many people here may not realize the extent that the economic meltdown is indeed global.
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Comment by Anne Gourlay on February 4, 2009 at 6:56am -
Thanks Chris - I really feel we owe it to everyone that we connect with on a business plane to help them find objectivity and perspective. I am seeing a lot of companies just feeling completely beaten in. They are so fatigued that they are not prepared to look at any small tactical fixes..nevermind strategic initiatives, when in reality they have all they need to fix the problems.
It's a weird environment over here - I am shielded a bit as I am mainly involved in Oil and Gas. However, it's starting to catch up. Funding has dried up for the entire spectrum of businesses, so we're seeing some sizeable Oil operators going into administration, not because they are unprofitable or because they have an unviable model or market, but because they just can't get the working capital to fund their projects. Banks are closing down lines of credit and are advising companies to "stick to their knitting" (a scottish phrase for keep it tight to your chest, do what you know and take no risks). They are advising them to cut all costs.
That advice for me is wrong - you cannot shrink to greatness!
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