As this recession continues to bite harder so people are beginning to realise the need to take control of their situation themselves. Nobody is going to wave a magic wand to make things better. Our political leaders do not have any other ideas than the current ‘Plan A’ - “there is no ‘Plan B”.
It is generally excepted that it is the small business that will lead the country out of recession. And that is you and me. So we have a choice. We can carry on doing what we always did and wait for things to get better; or we can take responsibility and make things happen.
Personally, I don’t believe things will ever be quite the same again and that we must change in order to grow and prosper.
But change can be scary and exciting. Fortunately one of the talents we were born with is the ability to manage both.
One of the results of fear is clinging on to how things are: Because we are warm and cosy in our particular cowpat. We are proud of our results, we accept we are as good as we will ever become and we know that if we just hold on then things
will get better.
The problem, though, is that we become wedded to the attachment and not the things or circumstances themselves. For example, in our private lives, we can become committed to a relationship rather than the person or thing to which we want to relate. In business, we become entrenched in the way we do things. The way you market and advertise, the way you treat customers and suppliers, the way you relate to your staff, are all examples of you believing that the way is currently more important that the what.
Before 2008 I would have agreed. The way or how you do things are often a demonstration of who you are, particularly for small business owners whose values and beliefs are reflected in the business.
But things have now changed and all change means we must let go of attachments. If we don’t there is no room for more learning or experience. Yet growth is achieved by an exchange for an old for the new, the good for the better.
It is important here to understand the difference between letting something go and throwing it away. I have often heard those business leaders who started the business saying they had taken years to grow the business and they weren’t going to “throw it all away now.” The implication being that throwing away is devaluing and dishonouring everything that went before. That somehow everything that has been achieved is now worthless.
Letting go, on the other hand, allows you to move ahead while acknowledging and honouring everything that has been achieved so far. There may be a period of adjustment as you adapt to the new circumstances or way of being. But in taking the positive elements with you the foundations of everything you have achieved are available for future growth.
As a business leader, then, you must now be ready to motivate and inspire yourself, your employees and your other stakeholders in the business. There are 4 ways of doing so:
· Create a vision for the future of the business that is congruent with your own and business values.
· Involve other people in indentifying ways of achieving that vision. The more people are involved the more of a sense of ownership they have.
· Support and encourage your people in achieving the vision through positive feedback, coaching and mentoring.
· Publicly recognise and reward each successful step or journey goal.
As businesses become more entrenched in their current position so it becomes more difficult to create a climate or trust and change. Moving the business forward in these times involves mobilising people to bring about the change and to let go of the status quo. For businesses with a management structure change leadership has to be shared and multiplied for change to be successful and the vision realised. This is not the time for you to be carrying the responsibility alone.
