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It seems like the sand is constantly shifting. Whatever assumptions we thought were valid are up for grabs. We don’t know what our customers are going to do, nor the government, nor suppliers.
So how do you know what to do?
This is the time to look inside yourself for answers.
You wanted to own a business because it put you in control of your destiny. But then it turns out that there’s STILL lots not under your control!
And big stuff can happen in your industry, in the country, and in the world. Stuff you can’t control.
So there are times when you have to reach out for help.
Read the rest of this entry »We’re all experiencing some of the greatest uncertainty of our lifetimes. It’s a time when nobody on the planet seems to have any answers.
What do you do in this environment? How do you keep your business alive?
The first principle is to ask for help. We are fortunate to have so many excellent resources in our state government and SBDCs. These people are doing the best they can to be helpful.
These times have been unsettling for all of us, and seem to be shaking the very foundation. And it’s going to go on even longer, sad to say.
For me, the key words have been Flexibility and Patience.
Flexibility, because it seems nothing has been going according to plan for weeks now. Patience, because I have to spend a lot of time waiting for others to sort things out. But there’s one more word.
Read the rest of this entry »You know how damaging this can be to a team: someone who is always critical, unsupportive, unacknowledging. It’s no surprise that people avoid them.
But here’s today’s challenge: What if YOU are that person? When you’re the leader, you set the tone for everyone’s attitude. Including how they view other organizations and the larger goals.
Yet you think of your role as keeping people on track, noticing problems and assigning jobs. Those are good and necessary things, for sure.
Read the rest of this entry »I spoke recently with a business owner who’s getting depressed about so many opportunists entering his industry. He’s worked hard to establish himself as honest and credible, while others merely come in to harvest profit and then move on.
As we talked, though, we realized that this is part of the nature of an emerging industry.
Many of you are familiar with the concept that products have life cycles. Geoffrey Moore broke it down this way in Crossing the Chasm:
Read the rest of this entry »There are times where everything seems to blow up at once. It might be something specific to your industry, like a drastic new regulation or disruptive innovation.
Or it might be something more general, like a worldwide virus threat or global financial crisis.
Yeah, I know that never happens, but stay with me here. Just in case.
Read the rest of this entry »Leading in business is about planning. Creating plans, executing plans, and monitoring progress against those plans.
Here’s the problem: creating plans is about the future, then everything after that is about living in the past.
When are we ever in the present? Here’s why that’s important:
Read the rest of this entry »Goals are great, and can inspire you to wonderful things. But I find that people often neglect to answer a critical question: Where are you starting from?
With all my clients, we uncover their goals and visions and possibilities, but then we spend a good amount on their current situation. It’s not about me understanding their challenges.
No, it’s about uncovering resources and limitations, before designing the best next steps to take.
Read the rest of this entry »Diversity is a wonderful thing. Truly, it makes life rich and interesting.
Yet, for whatever reason, humans are wired to prefer people who are similar to themselves. I find the juxtaposition of these two ideas to be fascinating … and deeply challenging.
It’s not healthy to have an organization or society where everybody thinks the same. We’ve seen examples where people become subservient to “groupthink” – yielding their individuality to what seems to be commonly accepted. That’s dangerous!
