Quote for June 17, 2008

"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." -- George Bernard Shaw

When I read this earlier today, I was reminded of the last job I had before starting Private Label.

I was fired.

It was the summer of 2000. Companies were imploding right and left. The DotCom where I was Managing Editor was running out of money and the CEO was scrambling for more angel or VC money. The problem was that he did not have a clear vision of what the business was, so he rewrote the business plan after every meeting. It was as if he were jumping from one piece of flotsam to the next piece of jetsam after the boat had already gone down miles from shore.

When I was hired, we, or, at least, I had what I thought was a very clear picture of our mission. And, it was working as evidenced by all the emails I got every day from our faithful readers. But, no one wanted to hear that our site visitors were SAHMs home schooling their kids. They thought it was 25-34 guys.

So, I was fired for being negative, counter-productive, not a team player, and a general PITA. The company crashed and burned six weeks later, out of ideas and money.

In this challenging economic environment, it's easy to get spooked and lose the faith, lose the vision, and stray from the company's mission. Business evolves and companies need to adapt. However, if the map of a clear vision and mission has been drawn at the beginning, the route to the future is already there to follow. It takes accurate observation, a clear action plan, and strong, confident execution minus the Pollyanna-ish platitudes.

In other words, this ain't a popularity contest, except to serve the best interests of the customers!

And, they will give the company kudos when they talk about you!