January 25, 2010

Confused Players Can't Win

As another round of football playoffs unwinds toward the Super Bowl, coaches’ and players’ skill sets are put to the test in high-pressure situations. Vince Lombardi, former head coach and general manager of the Green Bay Packers, oriented his players to succeed in all types of game scenarios by running the same plays over and over. When asked why he favored this approach, Lombardi explained, “It is hard to be aggressive when you are confused.”

In today’s rapidly changing business environment, employee skill sets must be effectively applied in all manner of situations. When new dynamics come into play (perhaps in the event of a company transformation such as an acquisition, sale or systems integration) and growth plan objectives are on the line, it is critical to avoid the employee confusion that can arise and divert the aggressive attention to execution that is needed.

Like Lombardi, business leaders must regularly reinforce standards of execution through ongoing, consistent messaging and “walking the talk.” If we foster an environment of functional clarity and purpose, we can ensure our team will react to new situations with an aggressiveness that yields the first-mover advantage so critical to long-term success.

January 7, 2010

A Different Sort of Deep Freeze

January 2010 has brought a deep freeze to many portions of the U.S., but even these frigid temperatures don’t come close to the chilling effect of the “deep freeze” that settled across the business community this time last year and immobilized both purchasing activity and growth plans.

Looking at our business’s top line this January compared with 12 months ago, it appears that current year revenue will be approximately three times what it was in January 2009. This January, cold air may have put the fruits of Florida orange growers’ labor at risk, but a milder business climate has enabled our labor, and I suspect that of many other firms, to begin yielding impressive harvests.

As we turn up the heat in our homes as a response to the current cold snap, perhaps we also turn up the heat to fully take advantage of this year’s “January thaw” in business climate.