Richard’s keynote presentation at the May 2020 CCJ Symposium on “The Essential Guide to Outperforming in a Down Market”
Current Environment is an Opportunity, not a Problem
Yes, these are difficult times, but we’ve made it through big challenges before and we’ll do it again.
Two quotes that feel particularly relevant at this time:
- “Fortunes are not made in the boom times…That is merely the collection period. Fortunes are made in depressions or lean times when the wise man overhauls his mind, his methods, his resources, and gets in training for the race to come“ (George Bacon)
- “Storms bring out the eagles but the little birds take cover…” (Helen Steiner Rice)
Now is the time to be the eagle! Tomorrow’s fortunes are being built today. Don’t be afraid of asking for help. You don’t have to solve this on your own.
Solid Advice For All Situations
- Leadership – Jim Collins said, “I’m convinced that every major problem we face as a country is a leadership problem.” We need great leaders to step up and lead! Build trust within your organization. Develop a clear purpose and clear roles and responsibilities so you can unleash the talent of your team to do their greatest work.
- Believe – Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” Like Erik Weihenmayer, we need to “believe our way to the top.”
- Communication – “When you inform you inspire; when you ignore you injure.” Most leaders need to exponentially increase their communication with their teams.
We’re in the Same Storm, But We’re Not in the Same Boat
Some will say “we’re all in the same boat” right now with the challenges we face with the Coronavirus. I disagree. We’re in the same storm, but we are not in the same boat.
Everyone is facing unique challenges and is approaching those challenges with a unique set of resources, strengths, and weaknesses. We can’t just use a “cookie cutter” solution and copy what someone else is doing.
- Diagnose – Always diagnose before you prescribe. You need to understand the problem before you can fix it. Take the time to properly diagnose the threats, opportunities, strengths, and weaknesses of your current situation.
- Prescribe – Once we have a clear diagnosis of the situation, we need to prescribe a clear set of countermeasures.
- Execute – Last but not least, we need to execute our plan. Most teams are capable of developing a “good enough” strategy. Generally, you don’t have a strategy problem, you have an execution problem.
You Can Do It. We Can Help.
Like Home Depot used to say, “You can do it. We can help.” Please reach out to our team at DPX Consulting if you need help training your leaders, building scorecards, or developing and executing your strategic priorities. Our team of professional executives has decades of experience successfully helping teams solve a wide array of problems in a variety of different environments. We know how to win, and we’d love to help you and your team be like the eagle and spread your wings while all the other little birds take cover.
