THINK MORE, DO LESS

Our industry has been buffeted like few others by the merciless, unforgiving economic environment of the past two years. It has been a wake up call for productivity enhancements, cost reductions, creative revenue solutions and character. Some companies have weathered it well; others have not. Lack's and Roomfull Express, having been forced to liquidate, are just two recent examples of the latter. We are living through a time that is not for the faint of heart. Spirits can be easily broken. Maintaining a positive attitude can wear down even the best of us. Yet somehow most we are still here. Obviously this is a victory, but what do we now? The same thing we've been doing? Or do we make some adjustments?

To navigate this economy survivors have changed their expectations and behavior. With fewer people in our organizations we demand more from less. This means more "doing" by everyone in our respective organizations. We have had our heads down working harder than ever making sure the job gets done. This has resulted in increased efficiencies-elimination of redundant or unnecessary functions, improving processes, critical assessment of every expense, identification of underutilized assets, scouring our assortments for margin opportunities and so on. This is good--very good as long as we remember this when times get better. However, it may be time to broaden our perspective.

We have been very busy "doing" for over two years now. Unfortunately, this behavior can only take us so far, and I suspect many of us have already garnered the lion's share of its value. The time has come to consider standing back and thinking about what we are actually "doing". Are we doing the right things? Is there a better way to "do" them? The world has changed so much, are we positioned properly in the marketplace? How different are today's opportunities from yesterday's? Are we still focused on yesterday's? Are we actively searching for bigger picture improvement opportunities? The answers to these questions will guide us as we exit today's economic maelstrom.

Welcome fresh thinking from your team. Encourage new ideas. Have a tolerance for mistakes and failure if the heart and head are in the right place. Nobody can come up with all the good ideas. We need our team members' to "think" critically about what they are doing.

It may be time to do a little bit less "doing" and a little bit more "thinking". Talk to your fellow stakeholders and decide if the time is right for you to change your behavior in this small but very important way.