Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

You Have to Make a Decision!

Sometimes, I think the biggest problem we have in our industry, or any industry for that matter, is indecisiveness; we can’t seem to make a decision about anything. You know what I’m talking about: paralyses by analysis. When I work with company leaders, often the biggest part of my job is to get them to move off that darn dime. They are stuck in that rut of aim, aim, aim and then aim. My job is to get them to finally fire.

Very often, when I go onto a company that is in one of these stagnations, all it takes is a little push, a little validation of that new plan they would like to implement, and like magic they become unstuck and they head off into a successful future. Other times, it’s just not that easy. My clients will come up with the famous 50 reasons why it won’t work before they even consider trying that new thing, that very thing that will take them to the next level and make them successful.

I have spent a great deal of time during my consulting career combating this sort of corporate atrophy; sometimes I succeed and sometimes I don’t. I can usually tell how successful I will be with a company from the first meeting. If our first conversations are filled with “Been there and done that” about anything I bring up, I know right then and there that I should shut down my computer, pack up and head back to the airport because I am not going to have any effect on this company leader. Yes, in just about all cases, it is the company leader who is the problem. He is the one who is holding his company back, the one person who is hurting the company more than anyone else.

I’ll let you in on a little secret: If your company is in trouble, it is better to do something than to do nothing. “Wow, what an insightful guy,” I hear you saying to yourself. “Thank you, Captain Obvious!”

But yes, as obvious as it sounds and frankly, as dumb as it sounds, it’s true. Not doing anything is a choice, after all, and quite often the wrong choice.

Do any of these scenarios sound familiar to you?

• You have an employee who is just not cutting it. You have known this for years, but you keep putting up with him. You know the company would be better off without him, but you keep coming up with all kinds of “good reasons” why you can’t can him right now.
• Your sales are down and you have no salespeople. You are thinking of hiring some but you every time you’re ready to pull the trigger, something comes up that makes you change your mind, at least for now. Meanwhile, your sales keep dropping.
• You need to increase your technology, go up that technology ladder to the next level. But that costs money. You know that your competition and your customers are starting to pass you by but still, you’re not sure what to do…and time passes.
• You’ve made a pretty good living from your company over the years but you’re getting on in age and would like to do something else. Frankly you just don’t have that fire in your belly that you once had, that hunger that made you successful so many years ago. Sales are dwindling, your equipment is aging, your technology is lagging, and the company’s value is diminishing every single day. You should do something, maybe put the company on the market while you can still get something for it. But alas that’s for another day, you say to yourself what you’ve been saying for the past five years, “I’ll think about it tomorrow. Right now I have to go etch some boards.”
• You read the trade magazines and see your competitors’ names everywhere. They are publishing press releases, articles, interviews and even ads! They are paying for advertising, something you never had to do in the past. Maybe you should look into that. Maybe you should talk to those salespeople who are always calling you up, maybe things would get better if you got your company’s name out there…maybe, but not yet. Sure, the numbers are down, but they’ll come back they always do…they always do.

Sound familiar? Can you relate at all to these scenarios? I bet some of you can, not all of you, but some of you for sure. Look, I am not going to preach to you today. I am not going to list all of the reasons why you should be more dynamic. No, today I am going to leave you with one very simple thought. One very simple piece of advice.

Whatever you are working on, whatever you are pondering, whatever move you are thinking of making, if you’re pretty sure that it will make your company better, then here is my advice to you.

Just do it! Make a decision.

It’s only common sense.