Deep Thoughts for Recession Rebounding Agencies
Thursday, 07. 9. 2009 – Category: Enversa Companies
Be patient with me as I attempt to make an analogy. I went whitewater rafting recently. While watching others traverse the rapids, I realized there were two types of boaters. First, there were the fierce paddlers. The water is pulling the boat along at what seems like 100 mph, crashing it into waves and rocks, and the people in the boat are paddling like mad. I cannot tell whether the paddling is doing squat to move the boat, but they are paddling nonetheless — trying to do something, anything, to nudge the boat in a generally safe direction, even though no such place exists.
Then there are the shrinkers. These folks curl up into a tiny ball and get as close to the middle of the boat as they can. They see the situation as hopeless, so they put themselves in as little risk as possible as they wait and see where the water takes them.
In the rough waters of this recession, which kind of a boater are you?
Instead of paddling blindly, companies need to be smart about their direction of travel — guiding the craft instead of fighting the current. And that involves making smart decisions and, to some extent, taking risks. Recessions are still good opportunities for creating innovative methods to increase efficiencies and production. The trick is finding how to do this.
Do not bother asking potential customers in focus groups. If they knew what the next big thing was, they would go out and do it themselves. They are paying you to figure out what problems they have and how to solve them.
You need to bring in some fresh ideas, but from smart people who are in the mindset to innovate. They may already work for your company, just in the wrong department. Shuffling personnel around can be an effective way to stir up some new ideas. It does not cost anything extra to the company — you are already paying these people. Sometimes it takes a new perspective on an old problem to come up with a solution. Somebody who has not been told how to think about something is more likely to think differently and come up with new ideas.
And what should you be doing while you have your smart people discussing new problems? Finding new smart people to help. Then take a step back and try to get a fresh perspective on things yourself. You have been doing everything the same way for years, most likely. The new economy that comes out of the ashes of the old one will need some bold new thinking. That will not come from relying on the old ways.
I would urge you to think outside of the box, but that is the old way of thinking. Start going into new boxes to see what is useful. Learn from different industries, other companies, and even other parts of the world. Sometimes the answers for work’s problems do not come between 9 and 5. Even a fresh hobby may give you a new perspective on how to handle problems. I suggest whitewater rafting.
Marc Pickren is the President of Enversa- a performance-based marketing agency.
Tags: increase efficiencies, innovation, Marc Pickren, potential customers, recession, think differently