Control Yourself
As the new year begins the world is in a state of great upheaval. Wherever you look, instability reigns. Some places are caught in violence that seems to never end. Other places are faced with major political shifts. The business world is confronting massive changes due to technology, rising protectionism and nativism, and economic uncertainty.
Seems like everyone I speak with these days is thinking and talking about this. A few see opportunity in the upheaval for themselves and their businesses, but many are confused, concerned, fearful, or all three. They’re at a loss about what is happening, the implications for them and their future, what they should do, and how they should act.
They’ve lost control of their situation. The future looks bleak.
It’s important to remember that in many ways, what we’re up against today is no different from what we’ve faced in the past. We’ve always lived with change and uncertainty, it’s just that the speed of change has accelerated and the degree of uncertainty has increased.
Today, as in the past, you can’t always control the situation you find yourself in. But you can control how you react to it.
Consider this lesson from the financial crash that happened in the United States a few years ago. Many if not most companies were at a loss about what to do. So their actions were driven by fear rather than careful thought and planning. As a result, many of these companies are no longer with us. Others did things that enabled them to survive, but handicapped them for the future.
Some reacted differently. They saw the financial crisis as a challenge, and decided to control their future rather than just react to the chaos around them.
An example is my client Transwall, a manufacturer and installer of movable and architectural walls for the corporate market. When the economy crashed, so did commercial construction. Demand for walls plummeted. They took this as a challenge and opportunity.
Transwall used this opportunity to engage everyone in the company in finding ways to operate more efficiently. They reevaluated and reconfigured all aspects of the business, kept their salesforce strong and active, and priced appropriately. The result? They managed to become a lean and extremely efficient manufacturer, capture a large share of the few opportunities available, and emerge stronger.
Today Transwall is the premier company in their field and have grown significantly from their size when the downturn began.
You can’t always control the situations you find yourself in but you can control how you react to them. And no matter what challenges you face, you can emerge stronger.
Make the right decision. Control your future rather than let the future control you.