Chuck Terry’s Blog

 By Chuck Terry
Executive Vice President and CSO, Carew International, Inc.

Have you ever heard the saying “if it was easy, everyone would be doing it”? I don’t recall a time during my professional career in management when that statement has ever been truer than it is right now. All of the people who report to you are reading, hearing, and living the same economic “bad news” everyday. Car makers are ailing, banks are ailing, and huge companies like Cisco and Caterpillar are reporting massive layoffs. There just isn’t any good economic news, is there? The answer to that seemingly rhetorical question is, “yes there is.” Good news doesn’t sell papers or catch the attention of nightly news reports as much as bad news does, but if you look hard enough, you will find there are numerous industries, companies, and individuals who are prospering in the current economy.

I had a conversation this week with a very senior sales leader for a well known, publically traded company. As business partners, I wanted to chat about several articles that had appeared recently in the Wall Street Journal which indicated his firm might be in some real economic hot water. After a few laughs about the “bad news sells” phenomenon mentioned above, he related that not only was his company doing well, but that there would be massive service expansion plans announced in the days to come. I suspect those announcements won’t make the front page of the same paper!

As business leaders, it is imperative that we look for the good news and opportunity that is still out there. We must inspire our people to push through the veil of negativity that surrounds them and find the opportunity that still waits. The days of low hanging fruit and easy growth may not be returning anytime soon, but we can still inspire, support, and lead our teams to winning seasons.

I don’t typically use sports analogies because they don’t have universal appeal. But the other day I had a conversation with a potential vendor that reminded me of a sports lesson from my past that has never been more relevant than it is right now. As young football players, quarterbacks are taught a very basic, fundamental fact that will stay with them as long as they play the game. Every time they drop back to pass, they have two personal choices that will shape how the play unfolds. They can either focus on the onrushing defenders trying to crush them or they can focus down the field, look for the open receiver, and try to make a winning play.

I submit that the time for us to help our folks find the good news and focus on making plays down the field is now. Don’t allow your team to get distracted by the negativity swirling around them, but look instead for the opportunity that is still ahead. That is how you win a game. That is how you win business. And that is how you prosper in any economy.

Chuck Terry is the Executive Vice President and CSO of Carew International and is regular contributor to Carew’s blog – Executive Insights

Carew International is a leader in sales training and leadership development; specializing in comprehensive, proven training programs for sales, sales management and customer service excellence. For over 30 years, Carew has earned its reputation of delivering increased productivity and profitability to our valued clients world wide.