I’m reading a fascinating book by Anthony Bourdain (actually, listening to the audiobook – especially powerful to hear in his own voice) called Medium Raw.
Bourdain talks about how the restaurant industry needed to change and adapt during the difficult years of 2008-2009. During this time, people and companies faced budget limitations and weren’t spending money on extravagant meals and wines. Some restaurants didn’t survive, but new ones opened, and others thrived by changing their strategy in response to what their customers needed. They didn’t let their historical success and egos get in the way as they introduced mid-range wines, changed menus or introduced fresh concepts.
A September Reset is perfect for fresh thinking
We don’t need challenging times to force us to re-consider our customer’s needs – we can build that in year-round. Inspired by the book, I recently chatted with a CEO about how, in the western world, there are three starts to the year: post-holiday in January, post-spring break in April, and post-summer…the September reset.
These are the annual, psychological, seasonal rhythms for work and school, and a time when many companies like to kick off new programs. While this isn’t true for every industry, it is for the humans who work there – especially if they are parents with kids in school.
When we come back from these breaks, most of us focus on business problems, opportunities and improvements and get pulled like a magnet into issues. But we’ve found that we are often best served and appreciated when most of the energy goes into what our clients need.
As we head towards the final restart of the year – especially important in these uncertain times – instead of starting something new, we are looking at how we can take the best possible care of our customers, to support and guide them, and to challenge their thinking to make sure they have a successful quarter.
I encourage you to join us.
The Challenge
- What can you and your team do to adapt to your customer’s needs, and to thrive in these very interesting times?
- What’s the #1 thing your customer would love you to focus on, from September to December?
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