Are you choosing to participate in the economic downturn?

I heard a funny story the other day that really reflects some of the thinking that we are afraid to admit to during these uncertain economic times. It is a story about a manufacturing company whose senior executives were looking for ways to cut costs. A cost analysis of the organization undertaken by an external consultant had shown that if they were to shut down two of their manufacturing plants, they would be able to save a significant amount of money. This improvement to their bottom line was exceptionally appealing. The executives were sitting in their board room, looking over the figures and a mountain of detail relating to production timelines and efficiency. There was much debate as to which two manufacturing plants should be closed. The conversation went back and forwards between the executives as, of course, the different managers didn’t want to be the ones to tell their staff that they had lost their jobs. Finally, one of the executives has a great idea, “why don’t we shut down all the plants and really start making some money!”.
We all know that we have been riding a bull market for a long time and many of us have forgotten what it was like 20 years ago when we had to tighten our expenditure, were nervous about redundancies, and were shocked to find some really competent people out of work. Things aren’t quite like they were back then and apparently the economic indicators are on the up. Let us take advantage of the lesson to be learned from the last few months. Make sure that your organization culture, employees and sales team that you have are the BEST they can be. Because if they are, then you can choose not to participate in any economic downturn.
Let’s face it, we all got complacent and let some average staff get away with being average, because it just didn’t seem to matter. I believe that you are doing them a huge disservice by not managing them or holding them accountable. Where is your integrity? Organisations need to have a clear business strategy that is part of the everyday operations of the people and holds them accountable to their roles.
Imagine if you could truly bring your business strategy to life and make it part of your everyday language. This means having it become front of mind for your people, and ultimately increasing their level of focus on achieving businesses goals and aspirations. Imagine if you had a sales team that were committed, passionate and had the mind set required to out perform.
We’ve seen with our clients that if the Strategic Intention for their business is brought to life and lived every day, the results simply follow. The people are clear about the overall mission and strategic objectives for the business and they deliver. It’s a bit like driving to a place that you have never been before; how do you get there? You follow the map and arrive at your destination. This works the same way in developing the strategic direction for a business; you know what you want and you need to develop and follow a map to ensure you get there.
I am passionate about organizations achieving their goals and the well being of their people. The organization that I work for not only can help you to bring your Strategic Intention to life but also is armed with amazing diagnostic tools to ensure that your sales team can and will sell with commitment and integrity.
To talk more about your Strategic Intention, please call me (03)9555 7955 or E: rosalinda@neuralnetworks.com.au or visit our website at www.neuralnetworks.com.au.