Prepare for the Issues to Come

In talking with CEOs I am alarmed at the short-sightedness I am hearing in how they are focusing their businesses. I even heard one CEO remark, "I'll be glad when we get back to how things used to be."

Regardless of when the economic recovery will arrive and to what extent we return to previous operating levels, we will never go back to how things used to be.

I get the sense executives are just doing what they can to keep plugging along waiting for the recovery to happen and then get ready for a collective sigh of relief. This is not leadership and this isn't the focus organizations need to be having.

Look at the future

When the recovery comes there will be new issues facing businesses. Leaders need to be discussing these issues and preparing for their inevitability because even in good times businesses fail when they are unprepared for the events they are facing.
Here are some of the issues CEOs need to be dealing with now to be prepared for when they happen I the near future:

How will the company handle increased demand with a reduced workforce?

What impact will a rush of new employees have on the workings of the surviving team currently in place?

How has marketing changed in the last two years?

What are the spending habits of consumers or businesses I supply, and how do I need to adjust for these changes in behavior?

What are the skills on my team I will need that I don't currently have?

Getting prepared for 12 months down the road is more critical now because we know dramatic changes are in the wind. Are you ready?