A Different Approach

It’s January of 2010 and many business owners are simply relieved to put 2009 behind them. Not many industries had a good year, especially given reduced credit from banks, dropping real estate values, high unemployment and no economic driver on the horizon to indicate sustained economic growth in the near term.

The question now is ‘What can you do differently to get your company, or your clients’ firms, out of this rut?’ We suggest taking the pulse of the market – including your suppliers, customers, employees and key stakeholders. The process of gaining insight can range from simple informal conversations over lunch with customers, structured online surveys for each of your employees to complete or organized strategic conversations with the company’s key stakeholders. Regardless of which process you choose, the key point is to open the lines of communications and understand how you are performing now and what you can do to improve for the future. It is vital to understand that these insights, ideas and even criticisms may help you uncover the nuggets that can help you survive or, hopefully, thrive in 2010.

There’s no better time to start the feedback process, analysis, and goal setting than right now – it is January after all.