…call for desperate measures?
It’s funny that we often wait for times to become desperate before we consider something new.
Sure desperation is a strong motivator but we rarely do our best thinking in a state of desperation. In a state of desperation almost anything seems like a reasonable solution… even that Hail Mary play.
Of course, when things are good you don’t need to consider desperate measures… even when things are just OK there is still the hope that things will turn around if you just keep doing what you are doing.
When you are desperate is the wrong time to consider desperate measures because you lack the objectivity to think dispassionately… and when you are going well the status quo will do because there is no real motivation to change… after all if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
It’s a catch 22 that sees most owners and managers stick with business as usual until it’s too late and then try anything and everything as the business inevitably fails.
It’s human nature I guess…
…but the real challenge is to think desperately in the good times and plan for the desperate times during the times of prosperity.
Think about what you would do before a low-pricer moves in down the block… think about what you would do if that rock-star employee left to work for a competitor… think about what your members, and prospective members, want before they ask for it… come up with that effective, low-cost, marketing campaign before you need to abandon you existing marketing…
Desperate times are precisely the wrong times for desperate measures.
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