CMF Blog: Scribbles on Bar Napkins
CMF Blog:
Survivors Emboldened by Surviving

July 15, 2010

Survivors Emboldened by Surviving 

I’m sensing a change in attitude in the minds and actions of a subset of our business community:  CEOs and business owners who have come through the aperture of 2009 are now growing emboldened by their survival.  This increased confidence is akin to the boost gained from completing a marathon or making that clutch hit in the bottom of the ninth when the game is on the line.

Investments in technology and process improvements are being made. Serious considerations of bolt-on acquisitions are being acted upon. Management teams are being upgraded. 

This enhanced boldness is not quantifiable in any analyst’s report, but as I talk with executives about their businesses, I can sense confidence in the air – to a degree that is similar to how one could sense the danger in the air two years ago. Many business leaders underestimated the extent of our economic vulnerability in 2008, and we must avoid underestimating the emerging opportunities in 2010.

Anita Roddick, a British businesswoman and founder of natural beauty products company The Body Shop, once said, “Nobody talks of entrepreneurship as survival, but that's exactly what it is and what nurtures creative thinking.”  CEOs and business owners thinking beyond survival today are those who have converted their bolstered confidence into action.  What about you?

Posted by Application Administrator at 07/15/2010 10:36:32 AM | 


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About the CMF Blog

Tom Bonney Blog Headshot

"Scribbles on Bar Napkins,” written by Thomas Bonney, founder and managing director at CMF Associates, is a personal enrichment blog for executives designed to foster clarity of thinking in today’s hyper-dynamic global business environment.

Tom’s firsthand, observational insights draw on anecdotes from history, art, science and other complementary subject areas to enhance the well-rounded knowledge executives need for effective decision-making.