2009: It Wasn’t Pretty

Let's face it, be real and call it what it was: 2009 was a bad year. No need to list the negative news the business world kept getting pounded with all year. Most every industry took a punch in the gut at some point. Some industries got hit a little harder and were dropped to one knee. Would you say this was one of the worst years in decades? Yes, I think that would be accurate. Now that that is out of the way...

What happens next?

Global competition didn't stop. Your national competitors are putting their brain trust to work on finding the solution to emerging stronger. 2010 is not the year to cut budgets, sit by and lick your wounds so you can consider it a year of getting back on your feet. That is what January is for. The rest of the year you need to have your track shoes laced up and double knotted for the race that will determine your next five years of growth.

Define your path to point B

Sure 2009 was a curve ball and your plan for getting from Point A to Point B no longer works because you no longer can see Point B. I hear many executives so confused with their organization's direction because of the turmoil of this year, they seem ready to just idle until the fog lifts and the picture gets a little clearer. The fact is, we are going to be traveling in foggy times for quite a while and no one can afford to just idle. Point B is still out there, granted the road to getting there has changed.

Map a different path to reach your destination.

Might it take longer? Yes, it probably will. Will it be a tougher road? I think over the last 15 years the path to business success has shifted dramatically and become much tougher. So have most avenues to success, but people still achieve tremendous accomplishments.

Use the beginning of the new year to prepare for the success you owe it to your organization to achieve. As long as you know the path, believe in the path and are willing to put in the leadership effort to walk the path, 2010 can become a much different story than 2009.