Don't let outlook ruin your vision
Ray Allegrezza, Editor in Chief -- Furniture Today, February 24, 2008
During the recent Las Vegas Market, I was lucky enough to get some advice from Ashley's Ron Wanek, a guy whose track record gives worth and weight to his words.
If you know Ron, you know he is student of history, strategy and war. He has found ways to utilize his understanding of these topics to take his business to the top of the pile.
After learning that Ron had addressed his troops at a sales meeting before market, I was curious about his message to them. When I asked him what was at the heart of his talk, Wanek, much like a general, said, "I essentially told them that when at war, prepare for peace. When at peace, prepare for war."
I found myself thinking that this advice wasn't just good, it was profound.
Many of us spend an inordinate amount of time watching CNN or CNBC report bad news or surfing online to see what terrible things happened to our stock portfolio in the past three minutes.
When we do that, we miss the big picture and forget a key truth: Our economy bounces back from downturns, time and again. It is resilient.
We, on the other hand, have become skittish, overly emotional and incredibly reactive. The Fed cuts rates, the market rallies and then dips again. President Bush announces an economic stimulus package, the market spikes and then flat-lines.
Come on, folks, this ain't our first rodeo. Remember a similar downturn in the 1990s? The recession (yes, there was one from 1990 to 1991) lasted about nine months. Unemployment was almost 8% and home prices in the 10 largest metro areas nosedived close to 9%.
But we got through that one and we will survive this one.
You want to know why Ashley is the largest company in the business today?
Because in the midst of this economic war, it has a leader with the vision to be planning for peacetime growth.
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