Note to Self: The Way Out is Forward
We’ve all been through rough patches in our lives. Health challenges. Career setbacks. Rocky relationships. Ups and downs are part of the natural rhythm of things. Even when we see troubles coming - like an economic recession - we can choose whether to stop and stand still or -
Move forward.
This week I was talking with a client about signs of trouble in her business. As the conversation turned towards what she was doing to get her people ready, she rattled off a list of fairly decent steps:
“I’m going to start early,” she explained. “We’re cutting costs, looking for unnecessary expenditures and scaling back some plans.”
“Ok,” I listened. “What else?”
“We are looking for ways to be more efficient and use technology to replace some processes,” she continued. “We’re holding off on some purchases and making sure our budgets will work for 10- or 20% less revenue.”
She sounded very confident.
“Did you hear the story about the big European airport this week?” I asked. “Their proposed solution to their lack of efficient operations and ability to keep up with changes in the industry was to ask the airlines to stop selling tickets for the rest of the summer. Someone over there thinks that the key to success is to stop.”
“What did the airlines say?” she asked cautiously.
“Well, the airline that has been consistently voted the most loved by customers in the world said ‘Not a chance’,” I replied. “They have been through problems in the past and realize that the only way out of a challenge is to keep flying, keep trying and keep moving -
Forward!”
We all experience fight or flight or freeze moments. Our instinctual reaction to fear is to stop, gather our belongings and recreate a safe starting point. To eliminate the unnecessary and to hold on to what we have. Except that eventually,
What we have runs out.
That’s why the way out is growth, not stability. That you cannot “cut” your way to success. The way to balance a budget or beat the downward trend is to ignite your systems not shut them down. Nobody did more, sold more, achieved more by reducing their investments, their actions or their efforts and just waited around.
“I need more to my plan,” said my client. “I need to get my budget into a strong position AND create a strategy to grow during the downturn. I can’t just ride it out. I have to find ways to turn the headwinds into tailwinds, and grow my way above the challenges.”
Sounds like a good idea to me. And to at least one of the big airlines that knows that you don’t balance budgets if you don’t sell tickets. You don’t pay employees if you can’t capture market share. You won’t attract talent that likes to fly -
If you’re sitting still on the ground.
The way forward is always up, up and away!