It's Time to Finish the Job.

Welcome to 2009. Sitting at my desk a few days before the end of 2008, I find myself fully and unapologetically looking forward to the start of 2009.

I won't spend much time dwelling on 2008. The press and the holiday parties have that responsibility well in hand. My conclusions fall in line with others:

• The economy is bad and will get worse before it gets better;
• Consumers don't have money to spend. We will continue to see the impact in housing, automotive, and retail which, in turn, will impact nearly every other industry;
• We're in a downward spiral that will require significant government intervention and spending to break.

Yet, for all the negative news, I go into the new year remarkably optimistic. I'm not being a polyanna, nor ignoring facts. I continue to believe, however, in the ambition, drive, dedication, and determination of us.

RedZone Consulting is all about helping organizations "reach (their) true goals." To do so, we use a structured process, a methodology. And a critically important part of that process is at the very end. We call the activities: "Finishing the Job." It's a set of activities that you don't see in most (if any) other methodologies. And the concept behind "Finishing the Job" is what makes me optimistic about 2009.

You know the story. The first 80% is the easiest. The last 20% is the tough part. That's the "red zone" - the 20 yards before the end zone. But getting into the red zone isn't the goal. It's getting into the end zone. It's scoring. It's winning the game. It's finishing the job.

We use "Finishing the Job" in our methodology as a reminder, as an opportunity to revisit and confirm our original goals. And, if those goals are still valid, to re-focus our efforts on achieving those goals.

"Finishing the Job" is something we (collectively) do. Sometimes we need prodding or reminding. Thus, the activities in the RedZone framework. But, when reminded, we rarely say, "naw, I don't want to do that..." We get up and we finish the job. We get it done.

Consider 2008 our reminder. 2008 was the wake up call. 2008 was the kick in the pants.

So we head into 2009. Heads high. Determined. Focused. It's time to finish the job. It's time to get through the red zone to the end zone. It's time to score. It's time to win.

Happy New Year. Now, let's get it done.

Survival of the Fittest

Those of you following the markets - stop!  Those of you concentrating on your business - continue.  One of the core precepts of Strategy Execution is to focus on those things you can impact directly.  I won't say ignore those items you cannot affect, but you certainly shouldn't do anything more than monitor them from a distance.  

I tried to take my own advice this week - No shoemaker's child here!  (Ask me if you don't know that reference....).  I have always talked about two kinds of strategic changes - those a company chooses to undertake, and those forced upon it.  Over the last ten years, most companies have had the luxury of focusing on the former.  Today, almost everyone is dealing with the latter.

If you take a look at the RedZone Consulting web site (www.RedZoneConsulting.com), you'll see some pretty significant changes.   RedZone has always focused on helping companies successfully execute major change.  And we still do.  Historically, most companies we worked with were those that chose to undertake a new direction.  Not now.  Today, I'm seeing that most companies are being forced to change their strategy and operations to reflect an entire new economic reality, one that had not even been considered. 

There are few, if any, companies that today's economy isn't impacting. As a result, every company has one primary focus:  Cash.  With credit tight, customer behavior's unpredictable, business assumptions and projections thrown out the window, the first place every business must focus is survival.  

It's a pretty simple question:  Do we have enough cash?  It's one of the "let's pretend" scenarios that we walk clients through:  Let's pretend you have absolutely zero sales over the next six or twelve months.  How much cash will you burn?  What are the levers that allow you to save (or gain) cash if needed?  This exercise has very little to do with what the business is trying to accomplish, and more with a foundational issue:  If the company has no cash, it cannot survive.  If it doesn't survive, successfully executing its strategy is both impossible and meaningless.

Survival of the fittest today is all about cash.  Do you have the cash to deal with the unexpected twists and turns driven by this new, unpredictable economy?   If you can use discipline, clarity, focus to monitor and maintain your cash position, you'll give your company the opportunity to succeed in the future.