Don’t Just Read the Front Page

Leaders, both in business and in government, must read beyond the front pages. For whatever reason, if the news is good, it seems to be buried in the middle pages. Lead articles from the front page of our local pager talk topics like: Home foreclosure, higher rates of high school drop outs, Stuck State Legislatures and Ca.'s Budget. What I find frustrating is the when the news is good, it is buried. Take for instance the rate of GNP growth for the current quarter. It came in at an annually adjusted rate of 3.3%; where the last 3 prior quarters were: .07%, 1.07% and 1.68%. I am very excited to see such strong growth. The last quarter was almost double the 12/07 quarter. Look at the US dollar against most of the major foreign currencies, it too is rising. Look at some of the rates for home sales in the northern California area; they are starting to trend upwards.

It may be likely that the 9/30/08 quarterly GNP numbers are still trending upwards. I believe that it is time to start gearing up our marketing machines to look for increased sales. Local growth in the US fuels my business and most likely fuels your business. Waiting on the side lines to see if this trend continues is one strategy which I don't think makes sense. The impact of whoever is elected in November will clearly not have an impact on our economy for well beyond mid 2009.

Planning is a key aspect for handling future growth. Do you have the right people in your organization? Are all functional departments in your company prepared for a new growth cycle? Are you clear on your core competencies as a company? Do you have the right systems (i.e. software and procedural systems) for the next growth cycle? If not, why not?

Good luck making it all happen.

Jeff Cozens