About two years ago as the economy was sinking like a rock, many companies resigned themselves to something they called “the new normal.” This language signaled the collective sense that a quick rebound and a return to “the good old days,” were not likely to happen soon, if ever. Now as the economy seems to be getting better, what’s the mood? Well, as one client who is doing very well reported this week, “We are planning for at least five to ten years of relentless headwinds.” For them, like most of our clients, this means making sure that they are very clear about their strategy and tactics, looking carefully at how every dollar (whether capital or expenses) is being spent, finding efficiencies, and as another client said recently, questioning whether the team that helped his company weather the recession is the team that will be able to take the company forward in the face of relentless headwinds. This last question, “Can who got us here get us to a good future?” is one we all need to carefully consider!
Comments
It's an interesting question and of course varies with each situation. If the people who helped ride out the storm were kept on board because they were, say, relatively inexpensive and inexperienced, they would be less likely to advance the enterprise forward - especially in a hypercompetitive market of 'restless headwinds'. If however they helped ride out the storm because they were the most capable, they might already have been assessed for the followingkey characteristics:
-major strengths
-weaker points
-flexibility with transferable skills to cover many roles
-resiliency
-keys to his/her job success;
In other words, in some cases 'the devil you know is better than the one you don't know.'