Business
to Business
Creating
Your Own Business Upturn
By:
Susanne Rothschild & Gregory M. Harms
We
all see it . . . business markets are trying hard but
continue to be flat, easily scared, and "frozen
in the headlights," - - - primarily maintaining,
and definitely not building. Workforce attitudes suffer
from a steady flow of negative global and economic
events, career disappointments, and the constant threat
of being laid off. Customers are struggling to identify
their path forward, which in turn makes it even more
difficult for any business to determine their own plans
for the future. The fear of post Enron scrutiny on
business leaders and organizations is ever present.
When will the "upturn" come?
In
response, it seems companies are moving forward on
the back of very conservative and "tactical" decisions
and day-to-day activities. Why? Because they are much
safer, and not as likely to be second-guessed.
"Winning big" has become much less of a focus
than not losing big! Unfortunately, tactical approaches
focused on day-to-day survival versus a bigger picture
do not prepare companies for the future, nor do they
capture the immense value that is inherent in times of
great change, uncertainty and disruption. And the longer
this goes on, the more steep and slippery the slope on
which they reside becomes! But again, when will the "upturn" come?
Sad
news . . . the general upturn that many are hoping
will arrive to "save them" is not coming.
It will be up to each and every company to uniquely
and quickly use every part of the current business
environment they face to literally create their own
upturn!
For
a company to create and continuously advance their
own business upturn, they will need to amass the full
knowledge, talent, experience and capabilities of their
organization and in certain cases introduce some outside
influences to:
· Identify
the "what, where and when" of their current
environment while . . .
· Simultaneously identifying "exploitable discontinuities"
and related new mountain tops for the future, and then
. . .
· Develop short, mid and long-term commitments and
plans that tactically harvest the most out of today without compromising
placement for success tomorrow.
Below are some steps that can help companies quickly
accomplish this:
1. Identify the "upturn team" and include:
·
"Quiet leaders", "unsung heroes",
and possibly a "cynic"
or two.
· Those involved with the current situation at a management / tactical
level.
· New employees (and especially those from other industries or companies).
· Business development, market research, "future minded"
personnel (internal or external).
· Those who are feeling the most "stress" from the current
circumstances such as:
· Functional leads
· Strategic management
· Vendors who supply clients
· Customer support/feedback centers of knowledge
· Financial stakeholders
2. Challenge the "upturn team" to fully:
· Define and validate the current conditions with facts, not anecdotal
conclusions.
· Identify and understand the conditions that drive the current situation.
3.
Analyze the causal source of the conditions, their
interrelationships, and identify patterns, trends,
future "points of change" and impacts, potential
market "backlashes", new opportunities, etc.
and focus on the "critical few " items that
will have the greatest potential to create upturn value.
4.
Brainstorm and develop "value scenarios" that
optimize the near and medium term with a view toward
maximizing the long term.
5.
Coordinate value scenarios with infrastructure development
plans and financial capability to identify and eliminate "barriers
to success"
and validate return on investment before beginning.
6.
Communicate the vision and the tactical details as
they apply to each participant to create a constant "call
to action" for successful implementation.
7.
Compliment and encourage what people start, and enthusiastically
celebrate what they finish!
Fear,
uncertainty, and lack of ownership often inhibit participation,
creativity and expression of thoughts and ideas. It
is usually beneficial to utilize internal or even external
facilitators to overcome these concerns. In so doing,
companies often find they have created a "process"
for thinking strategically AND tactically to ensure the "upturn"
created becomes a company way of life, versus a one-time
event!
Copyright
2003, PBK Communications. All rights reserved.
Susanne
Rothschild
The Rothschild Corporation
410 Merrymount Court
Katy, TX 77450
WEB SITE: www.rothschildcorporation.com
OFFICE: 281-395-8709
MOBILE: 832.752.0317
EMAIL: sgrothschild@yahoo.com
Management / Organizational Consultant with extensive
domestic and international experience in strategic human
performance consulting helping organizations realize
bottom line results aligned with business objectives.
Gregory (Greg) M. Harms
PDQ! International, Inc.
14415 Dracaena Court - Suite 200
Houston, TX 77070
WEB SITE: www.pdqintl.com
OFFICE: 281.374.0135
FAX: 281.374.0365
MOBILE: 281.788.6266
EMAIL: greg.harms@pdqintl.com
Program
/ Management Consultant with specialized ability to
help identify and incorporate an organization's vision
of success into focused business planning, process
and organizational development, meaningful financial
reporting, and effective execution and delivery.lis.
For
more information, questions, or concerns contact
HoustonJobs.Com at sales@houstonjobs.com
