I think it must be contagious.

Symptoms: When I talk to many small business owners they lament the lack of opportunities for their business. They tell me how their sales force is out there every day looking for opportunities. Employees attend trade shows and conferences to stay attuned to their industry. They meet regularly to discuss the state of their business and the possibilities for growth. And they mostly don’t come up with anything of consequence. They tell me that if there were opportunities out there, they would be finding them. Thus, they conclude that times are just tough and successes are random. The economy, the state of their industry, outsourcing to China, any number of factors could be the source of their stagnation. They will just keep there eyes open and something will come along or the situation will change. Eventually. 

But when pressed, this group will admit that there likely are opportunities out there that they are not finding. No, they wouldn’t be surprised to read in the paper the next day that someone in similar shoes is pushing ahead with enviable success or has found a fantastic new direction for their business.

I guess they just don’t believe they deserve such a break. Because they keep looking in the same old ways. Sending the same sales force out there every day to talk to customers. Sending the same people off to trade shows and conferences. Rehashing the same conversations in the hallway.

Why is it so hard to realize that if you want dramatic improvement, you need to do something different. You need to tap into new ideas, talk to new people, and look at things in new ways.

There is another group with the same disease but they might not recognize the symptoms. These are the leaders of businesses that are doing quite well. They constantly look for opportunities, don’t find much, but think they are in a good place and are content to continue with business-as-usual. Could they improve their performance dramatically if they too got out of the box? They may never find out because the same old routine seems to be good enough.

Diagnosis: Enrutis Stuckulococcus

Prescription: Seek professional help immediately!