We hate change. We really do. Unless, of course, we’re already in a bad place and we recognize that change is less painful than where we are now. Here’s the funny thing: we hate change yet always desire improvement. This was the topic of conversation for Dr. Weaver Smith and I the other day as we left her speech at the Greater Phoenix Chamber. This thought has both personal and business application and is very timely in the beginning of January. And it stuck with me as I read a recent article by Paul Nunes and Tim Breene titled “Reinvent Your Business Before It’s Too Late.” In the article they talk about what makes a high performance company and how innovation needs to be constant, pro-active, and sometimes informal. They cite a statistic from the book, Stall Points that if a company stalls in its growth, it has less than a 10% chance of ever fully recovering. Yikes! Basically your company is very likely to be in that comfort zone…forever. Change is hard for sure, but hopefully your company is motivated to overcome that hurdle and maintain consistent growth. Also in a recent podcast, Paul Nunes talks about making the jump from a small business to a successful medium sized business. We here at The Whale Hunters call that jump crossing No Man’s Land. Nunes says that in order for companies to make that leap, they need to manage a plan for growth long before they get there. I couldn’t agree more. As I’m out talking to small business owners, they are excited and feel renewed about the new year. It seems, however, that the newness of this first quarter is overshadowing the need for planning to reach and exceed Q4 goals—and beyond! As with whale hunting, implementing a plan for fast growth, to jump to the next level of business, takes a long-term investment. In his podcast, Nunes also talks about one of the keys of success for those companies who grow beyond just being a successful small company—devotion to constant strategizing. I love this (probably because I, myself, am constantly strategizing). It’s a less fluffy way to say “innovation.” It doesn’t have to be a formal, 5-hour meeting. Nunes actually recommends that it be informal in structure, but frequent in occurrence. So ask yourself, are you focused on short-term results? Or are you planning now for the company you want to build in 5 years?
In light of all those failed personal New Year’s resolutions, I beg of you to maintain your company’s collaboration and strategizing! It might just be the key to your growth in the years to come. The change is less painful than stagnation. We don’t like change, but we love success!
Great post Lindsay; I really appreciate all the links you included. So glad to have you as a regular on the Whale Hunters Wisdom blog!
Thanks Barbara! I’m glad you liked it and I hope it was helpful for others.