Election is done.
(As I write this I don’t know the result—and it’s irrelevant to this Post.)
Time to get on with it.
Perhaps a tiny bit of stability in the financial markets.
Perhaps not.
In any event, recessionary pressure accelerating as we race toward the cliff.
GM sales down 45% October-to-October.
Japanese car sales as bad or worse.
Wallets clamped shut.
Consumer spending DOA.
Commercial spending DOA.
My advice:
**Put “clever” on hold.
**Basics rule!
**Execution rules!
(**Opportunism—and there may be some or a lot of room for it—is pulled off through excellence in execution, not ingenuity.)
**The game is won or lost at the front line! (More than ever, if that’s possible.)
**Showing up rules!
**Excellence rules!
**MBWA rules!
**Keep it simple!
**Transparency rules: Shoot straighter than straight!
**Go for “small wins”!
**”Thoughtful in all we do”—regardless of how much yogurt (shit) is hitting the fan.
**In tough times, those who play the blame game in any way, shape, or form get the first pink slips!
(**Special for BigCo CEOs: “Opportunistically” bulking up by buying big pieces of crap at bargain prices is tempting but truly a sign of advanced brain damage.)
Managers:
**Banish gloomy from your personal demeanor—if it kills you!
(**”Sunny” is pretty stupid, too: Who do you think you’re kidding.)
(**”Determined”-“Gettin’ on with gettin’ on” is best.)
**The great juggling act: PMA while preparing for the worst. (Positive Mental Attitude—but know the drill if the recession goes 24 months, which it easily might.)
[You’ll find a PowerPoint of this list attached: “Advice for tough times. Win with the ‘2Es.’ Execution. Excellence.”]