May 17, 2010
Is It Time to Change Doctors?
A 1987 episode of Cheers called “My Fair Clavin” included a snippet of dialogue between psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane and Cheers barmaid Carla LeBec, in which Dr. Crane inquires (speaking to another character, Rebecca Howe), “May I suggest something that seems to have worked for many of my patients?” and Carla interjects, “What, changing doctors?”
This nearly 25-year-old exchange offers compelling food for thought for today’s private equity leaders and executive management teams. Executives have certain outside “doctors” to diagnose situations and assist in overall corporate decision-making and the implementation of those decisions. In a rapidly changing business environment that increasingly punishes strategic mistakes, as we shift our focus from operating within an “economic downturn” mindset to an outlook of stability and perhaps even growth, we might want to give Carla’s recommendation some serious consideration and change out some of the corporate “doctors” we have looked to for counsel in the past.
While inside institutional knowledge of “how we got here” may provide short-term actionable perspective, with everything that has changed in our business climate within the past 18 months, fresh eyes focused on current conditions and a clear perspective of the future might result in more strategically relevant answers.
Posted by Application Administrator at 05/17/2010 03:52:40 PM |