What’s the best way to manage uncertainty, whether you’re building a new business or facing a fluctuating economy? Model the behaviors and results you want. Staff and customers will take a cue from you and hopefully follow suit.
Here are several pointers to help you be an effective small business change agent:
- Retire the crystal ball. Relax about what you can’t predict. It can be amusing to realize how wrong some of the leading lights of the recent past have been. The president of Digital Equipment Corporation once confidently surmised, “There is no reason for anyone to have a computer in his house.” Forty years later, the landscape of laptops and smart phones makes that remark sound pretty archaic though it seemed appropriate at the time. A current equivalent might be, “Mops and buckets are fine. Who needs specialized spill clean up products?” Hm, we don’t know. Event centers? Check. Harbors and marinas? Definitely. Schools and restaurants? No question. Grocery store spills happen so often, paper towels and buckets ought to be placed at every checkstand. We’re being a trifle facetious, but you get the point.
- Be a little protective. While equanimity is a super attribute for uncertain times, it pays to “put a little aside for a rainy day,” in some cases literally. If you work in an industry that can “rain” hazardous materials, you’ll want to be a little or a lot protective, with goggles and face masks, gloves, or even a complete suit of Tyvek coveralls. After all, although few of us can become astronauts, everyone in a hazardous occupation can smartly suit up like one.
- Roll with it. Anybody who thinks paper towels are equal to a spill clean up mess needs to know about our FiberLink and FiberDuck Absorbent Rolls, which pick up spills on contact, stop liquids from running, and prevent tracking in the workplace. They’re easy and safe to use, and bonded for extra strength and durability. And you can’t beat their versatility! Whether you need to cover floors and workbenches, line toolboxes or wipe down tools and equipment, our absorbent rolls can be cut to exactly the right size for the job.
The essence of life is change, and nobody knows this better than a business professional like you. We’re in the business of helping people keep their lives and businesses safe, clean and running efficiently. That makes work more absorbing!
