Step Forward or Run Scared

Right now companies are falling into two different camps on how they view the economy. Which group do you think has more members in it? Which group do you think has a better chance of corporate growth in 2009? Which group are you leading your organization toward?

Run scared

This is the group that will sit back, wait and see then hope a light at the end of the tunnel appears soon. This is the common choice, this is the choice for those companies who desire (Based on their actions) to be a commodity, a middle of the pack company who have no interest in attracting more customers and are more interested in just letting the economy buoy or sink their bottom line. These organizations have executives and boards of directors looking at budgets with Samurai swords looking to slash costs, worried how their organization is going to fare and essentially looking at the next 12 months with the expectation of how hard it’s going to be to just sustain. They collectively shake their heads about how bad “everything” is. They have accepted they are staring at a hill too big to climb and would rather run scared than run up the hill to move forward.

Step forward

The few leaders who honestly believe in the core of their being they can make 2009 a great year for profits are rolling up their sleeves, laughing at the competition and getting ready to make quantum leaps in their industries. Instead of taking out the Samurai swords to slash budgets, they are planning and making strategic choices on how to spend MORE money on development, advertising and innovation. How can they afford to take this approach?

Lance Armstrong is a fast racer but everyone else in the peloton could keep up with his pace in almost all stages of the Tour de France. Where Lance became unbeatable and won each of his 7 Tour De France races was in the mountain stages. He knew in the roughest terrain in the most challenging stages, was his opportunity to move forward. To take control. To teach the competition that in the toughest stages the best was able to gain great ground and move forward to be the leader of the pack.
Those companies who are looking to run forward in 2009 know that this is the year to make those hard decisions to invest time talent and finances in making great steps forward. While the rest of the pack is thinking negative thoughts on the way up the mountain, the best leaders are thinking about how they are gaining a competitive advantage.

Was it purely mindset that put Lance Armstrong in the lead in the mountain stages? No, the mindset was the foundation of the preparation, the planning, the diligence, and the hard work. He knew it would pay off dividends after the first race it worked. Great leaders know the payoff when an opportunity like 2009 comes along. Do you? Are you ready to set you mind and follow with your actions to step forward?

Have you ever seen this behavior before in your life? Sure. These are the students in school who are always hoping for a teacher curve to adjust test scores so enough people will get a passing grade. These are the football players who show up for practice every day, go through their work outs knowing that are not going to start in the big game and they’ve accepted that spot on the sidelines. When the team wins they are happy! When the team loses they drop their heads to listen to the coach’s locker room comments just like those who actually played the game.