No. 2 February 2013

On January 15, 1995, concerned about changes occurring in the outdoor power equipment industry, I decided to write something I could give to my employees to read that would help them understand that change creates opportunities for us to take advantage of as a company.  And that change, as scary and threatening as it might be, could often have a very positive affect on our company.  I want to share this statement about change with you, because I think it is as valid in 2013 as it was in 1995.

“Each morning, over your first cup of coffee, you cringe at the thought of what you will hear this day about more changes in an industry where change seems constant.  You feel comfortable that you’re running your business fairly well.  While there’s always room for improvement, you try to take care of your customers extremely well.  You provide them a service or product that’s good enough for them to pay you a profit for providing it.  You also realize that nobody “owns their customers anymore.”  And that you are only as good as your last performance.  If it was lousy, your customer will simply turn to someone else, so you always try to exceed your customer’s expectations.  Today, you’re confident about your business abilities, but you have some fear about tomorrow and the changes that will most certainly affect you in the future.  How should you respond to them?

In past years a strong and stable company was one that never changed.  Today, a strong, stable company is one that constantly changes; that takes advantage of every opportunity that change presents; and uses every opportunity to move forward in a positive manner.

Alexander Graham Bell best stated what our normal reaction to change is, when he said: ‘When one door closes, another always opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.’  You can’t keep your eyes shut, or have tunnel vision.  You have to see and recognize the opportunities as they are presented to you.  And that may take some work on your part.

You recognize opportunities by staying informed about what is going on in your industry.  You read trade publications.  You talk to informed, knowledgeable people.  You attend industry meetings and trade shows.  And you listen better than you ever have before.  Informed knowledge gives you the opportunities; opportunities give you options; and options give you choices.  Then it’s up to you.

Don’t worry, as you ponder your choices, that many may seem of little consequence, or too complex, or that you might make the wrong decision.  One of the most important things in the world for you to know is not where you stand today, but in what direction you are moving for tomorrow.

See your opportunities and make your informed choices.  Then with a passion you didn’t know you had, focus yourself and your associates on relentlessly pursuing your vision.  Only you have the power to make it happen in your business.  Don’t ever get caught looking so longingly and regretfully on the closed door, that you can’t see the opportunities presented by the new door that opened!”

Have you been accused of thinking “outside the box.”  I always thought I did a lot of thinking “in the corners of the box,” which always felt like a good place to be and a lot safer than “outside the box.”   Either way, thinking differently than others can often be unsettling or appear as though you’re challenging the “status-quo,” which potentially could make supplier or customer relationships more difficult than they should be.  So we learn (at least most of us) to restrain our thoughts and opinions and share them at the appropriate times. 

But you must never stop challenging the status quo and thinking about new and better ways to manage your business and improve the quality of the business channel you’re a part of.  As Benjamin Franklin said, “If everyone is thinking alike, then no one is thinking.”  Think about that.