crisis point, the odds of making a good, informed, decision at that point are extremely low. Most people do not manage crises well due to lack of planning or a proactive approach to dealing with challenges that created the crisis in the first place. Then all of the knee jerk reactions and blame games start as the entire business is disrupted by the crisis.

Look back to 1829, when Martin Van Buren, Governor of the great state of New York, wrote a letter to US President Andrew Jackson. Van Buren was c

When new exciting opportunities come along that could catapult your business forward, you may believe you have more time and no immediate urgency. Often, no action is taken, not even to study the business potential for the opportunity. Why? You have to think outside of your comfort zone to evaluate the opportunity. You know change would be required and everything is running smoothly right now, thank you.

Each day brings new opportunities and challenges to your business. As a leader, you constantly face three options: going all out for the new opportunities, meeting challenges head on when they are still manageable, and doing nothing. In every case, whether explicit or not, you make a decision about how to deal with the change. Delaying the decision is really the same as deciding to do nothing.

When potentially difficult challenges are looming, there also appears to be more time and no urgency. At first, the challenge does not seem too big. You decide you can deal with it later. Again, you do not even evaluate the potential business impact of the challenge if left unchecked. Let it wait. Or, you may perceive the challenge to be gigantic and requiring a massive response including significant changes and disruption to your business. Too scary?

What happens if we let these decisions go? Eventually opportunities disappear and either we lose out completely, or our ability to participate is dramatically reduced and at higher cost. At best, your overall business stays on its current steady course. That is, of course, if challenges you have not dealt with are not dragging your business in the opposite direction.

Challenges threaten to hurt business with higher costs, lower sales, or drain resources that reduce productivity or your ability to deal with opportunities effectively. What happens if you ignore them when they emerge? They become crises. Even if you are aware of the need to make a decision, the longer you delay the greater the pressure to make a decision. When the issue reaches a crisis point, the odds of making a good, informed, decision at that point are extremely low. Most people do not manage crises well due to lack of planning or a proactive approach to dealing with challenges that created the crisis in the first place. Then all of the knee jerk reactions and blame games start as the entire business is disrupted by the crisis.

Look back to 1829, when Martin Van Buren, Governor of the great state of New York, wrote a letter to US President Andrew Jackson. Van Buren was c

face three options: going all out for the new opportunities, meeting challenges head on when they are still manageable, and doing nothing. In every case, whether explicit or not, you make a decision about how to deal with the change. Delaying the decision is really the same as deciding to do nothing.

When potentially difficult challenges are looming, there also appears to be more time and no urgency. At first, the challenge does not seem too big. You decide you can deal with it later. Again, you do not even evaluate the potential business impact of the challenge if left unchecked. Let it wait. Or, you may perceive the challenge to be gigantic and requiring a massive response including significant changes and disruption to your business. Too scary?

What happens if we let these decisions go? Eventually opportunities disappear and either we lose out completely, or our ability to participate is dramatically reduced and at higher cost. At best, your overall business stays on its current steady course. That is, of course, if challenges you have not dealt with are not dragging your business in the opposite direction.

Challenges threaten to hurt business with higher costs, lower sales, or drain resources that reduce productivity or your ability to deal with opportunities effectively. What happens if you ignore them when they emerge? They become crises. Even if you are aware of the need to make a decision, the longer you delay the greater the pressure to make a decision. When the issue reaches a crisis point, the odds of making a good, informed, decision at that point are extremely low. Most people do not manage crises well due to lack of planning or a proactive approach to dealing with challenges that created the crisis in the first place. Then all of the knee jerk reactions and blame games start as the entire business is disrupted by the crisis.

Look back to 1829, when Martin Van Buren, Governor of the great state of New York, wrote a letter to US President Andrew Jackson. Van Buren was c

ot even evaluate the potential business impact of the challenge if left unchecked. Let it wait. Or, you may perceive the challenge to be gigantic and requiring a massive response including significant changes and disruption to your business. Too scary?

What happens if we let these decisions go? Eventually opportunities disappear and either we lose out completely, or our ability to participate is dramatically reduced and at higher cost. At best, your overall business stays on its current steady course. That is, of course, if challenges you have not dealt with are not dragging your business in the opposite direction.

Challenges threaten to hurt business with higher costs, lower sales, or drain resources that reduce productivity or your ability to deal with opportunities effectively. What happens if you ignore them when they emerge? They become crises. Even if you are aware of the need to make a decision, the longer you delay the greater the pressure to make a decision. When the issue reaches a crisis point, the odds of making a good, informed, decision at that point are extremely low. Most people do not manage crises well due to lack of planning or a proactive approach to dealing with challenges that created the crisis in the first place. Then all of the knee jerk reactions and blame games start as the entire business is disrupted by the crisis.

Look back to 1829, when Martin Van Buren, Governor of the great state of New York, wrote a letter to US President Andrew Jackson. Van Buren was c

. That is, of course, if challenges you have not dealt with are not dragging your business in the opposite direction.

Challenges threaten to hurt business with higher costs, lower sales, or drain resources that reduce productivity or your ability to deal with opportunities effectively. What happens if you ignore them when they emerge? They become crises. Even if you are aware of the need to make a decision, the longer you delay the greater the pressure to make a decision. When the issue reaches a crisis point, the odds of making a good, informed, decision at that point are extremely low. Most people do not manage crises well due to lack of planning or a proactive approach to dealing with challenges that created the crisis in the first place. Then all of the knee jerk reactions and blame games start as the entire business is disrupted by the crisis.

Look back to 1829, when Martin Van Buren, Governor of the great state of New York, wrote a letter to US President Andrew Jackson. Van Buren was c

crisis point, the odds of making a good, informed, decision at that point are extremely low. Most people do not manage crises well due to lack of planning or a proactive approach to dealing with challenges that created the crisis in the first place. Then all of the knee jerk reactions and blame games start as the entire business is disrupted by the crisis.

Look back to 1829, when Martin Van Buren, Governor of the great state of New York, wrote a letter to US President Andrew Jackson. Van Buren was concerned that progressive change would result in a different future: “President Jackson, the canal system of this country is being threatened by the spread of railroads. We must preserve the canals for the following reasons:

1. If canal boats are supplanted by railroads, serious unemployment will result. …

2. Boat builders would suffer, whip and harness makers would be left destitute. …

3. Canal boats are absolutely essential to the defense of the United States.”

He continued on to say that people were never intended to travel at such breakneck speeds with engines roaring and scaring mothers and children and flying across the country - at 15 mph!

Imagine if Van Buren could foresee the potential for New York as a major hub for imports and exports into and out of the US and Europe. A great port city where goods will be transported rapidly across the entire country. Providing work for thousands of people in shipyards, train depots, import/export trading, financing, and so on.

Fortunately, that change happened. Certainly, it was a disruptive crisis to the people and businesses supported by the canal system. However, the ultimate benefit to the US economy was staggering. Even those venerable and threatening high-speed trains have since largely been supplanted by the trucking and airline industry. Progress requires change – even dramatic change.

Why is it that we can see the changes coming from the very germ of a great idea, or from the first prick from a burr hinting of problems on the horizon, and all too often we do nothing? For each change, there is an optimal time for making decisions to pursue the opportunity or tackle the challenge.

Perhaps the biggest issue to overcome in dealing with change is the fear of failure. W. Edwards Deming said, “It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory.” Ironic, isn’t it that we desire to be successful and if we’re diligent, we may even develop long-term goals and business plans for charting our roadmap forward. H