Sesquicentennial Issue

This is the 150th issue of Weiss Advice, believe it or not, and I’m writing it at 40,000 feet somewhere over the Atlantic with full wifi capability, returning from Munich.

Such are the times.

Dylan sang something about the times a-changin’, yet the old saw is that “the more things change, the more they remain the same.” I think both are correct. Content doesn’t change much. Our clients still need decision making, and strategy, and change management, and leadership, ad nauseam. But processes today are changing rapidly and regularly. Speed has become a critical factor, as has communication, remote learning, and electronic publishing.

An analogy: Our health concerns are largely the same, but attending to them via a tele-health alternative is a brand new process (to treat age-old ills).

So, in these somewhat changing times, and on this 150th anniversary, allow me to share some provocative thoughts about change that may just enhance your businesses:

• What will your business look like if the European Union collapses? No change? New opportunity? Lost business? I’d say the odds are 50/50 over the next two years.
• Are you considering remote learning (NOT the useless online learning platforms that just enrich the owners)? Have you considered live streaming, ZOOM meetings, and other low labor alternatives to work with your clients?
• Are you migrating from consultant to expert? Are you suggesting retainer relationships in every proposal? Are you alerting current clients to that option?
• Have you significantly enhanced your brand? On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being on everyone’s mind, and 1 being “can’t get arrested,” how well is your name known in your field? Is it becoming closer to mine in solo consulting, Goldsmith in coaching, Godin in marketing, Buckingham in self-development?
• Are you developing an aggressive referral pipeline? Do you request referrals on a bimonthly basis? Are you receiving unsolicited referrals? Are you referring people to others to create the obligation of reciprocity?
• Are you going global? Are you either personally or through alliance partners participating in the worldwide growth of middle classes, organizations, and six billion consumers? (A special note to my Canadian colleagues: If you don’t go south and do business in the strongest economy in the history of the Earth, where you will be welcomed, because you think it’s too difficult or the immigration people will yell at you, you deserve what you get—which is a very tough time in a very poor economy.)
• Finally, are you becoming a well-rounded, increasingly knowledgeable person with strong personal relationships, sound decision making, and a mature view of life? If not, there’s no time like the present to ramp it up, because things are a-changin’. Fast.