I wrote about taking decisive action earlier this week, yet it’s too important not to emphasize again. When your business is struggling and the news is continually glum do you find yourself wanting to stick your head in the sand until this blows over? Tempting as that may be, you don’t need me to tell you that’s not the answer. Few businesses are immune to the economic impacts of the pandemic. If yours is one, congrats.
It can be equally daunting to make big decisions based on today’s available data only to find that obsolete tomorrow. Making ‘bet the farm’ decisions in reaction to business falling off the cliff is not the answer. What are the bets you need to make now to keep your business alive this year so that you can fail another day (to borrow from James Bond)? What are the bets you can make that won’t kill your business?
It’s time to think small while thinking big. How are you breaking the big bets down into snackable bites to keep the lights on this week? Rarely can you make a big leap and succeed. A big leap based on winging it isn’t wise. I have always believed that the small things matter because they add up to big change. And the small things that you can do for your people and your business are bets worth taking. The small actions you take today will impact you next year. And the year after. And these little things, which might fail, are not likely to take you down. It’s the not doing the little things that could. While you may not succeed at the level you want and need right now, you can always fail later.