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Swimming Naked
Written by: David LiddellArticle Overview: In a 2001 Berkshire Hathaway Chairman's letter, Warren Buffett declared "You can only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out." Depending on the context or your specific situation, one can derive a variety of different meanings from this metaphor. Naturally, I see it from a business perspective and wonder how many companies have been "swimming naked" for so many years.
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Swimming Naked
Swimming Naked
In a 2001 Berkshire Hathaway Chairman's letter, Warren Buffett declared "You can only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out." Depending on the context or your specific situation, one can derive a variety of different meanings from this metaphor. Naturally, I see it from a business perspective and wonder how many companies have been "swimming naked" for so many years.
Sure, there are the obvious casualties like Chrysler (recently filed bankruptcy), Lehman Brothers (RIP), and so many others - too lengthy to mention. What does it mean to you (and your company) and how can you mitigate future risk?
So, the economic tide has gone out, you are standing there in public view and you want to know how this happened. It is fair to say that there are many factors out of your control - (i.e. decisions by government and large financial institutions, your competition, your market place) but it is those factors within your control where you will find the answer - and solutions - to your success. You control your direction and strategy, your culture - how people work together and treat your customers, your business structure - the infrastructure for delivering value, your core process; technology - physical - measurement, and your systems that allow for the coordination of employee activity and professional development.
Your situation is unique; however test your organization on these culprits to see how you measure up. These are areas on which I am commonly asked to provide advice and assistance:
- A poorly defined strategic plan / direction, core values, competitive advantage, performance measurement, improvement initiatives.
- Lacking leadership team alignment to strategic goals / failing grade accountability, decision making, and execution.
- Minimal effort on building leadership capability at all levels in the organization / strong leaders are necessary to deliver consistent performance and build company value.
- Ineffective sales force / sales management, skilled salespeople, sales measurement systems, sales process.
- Poor selection and hiring / the impact on your bottom line is real and measurable.
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Article Tags: company direction, delivering value, strategic plan, strategy infrastructure
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About the Author: David Liddell RSS for David's articles - Visit David's website  trusted advisor to organizations interested in improving their performance and results. Based on more than 20 years of experience in organizational and business development, he objectively evaluates organizations and their employees to identify opportunities for increased efficiencies and productivity. Recognizing that employees play a key role in a company's performance, David utilizes his analysis to create customized employee training and development solutions designed to enhance employee performance, leadership skills, team building, strategy planning and organizational development. He is widely respected for his skills as an expert problem solver, trainer, speaker, facilitator and coach. As a certified 360 Solutions training partner and Profiles International strategic business partner, he brings proven expertise to his creation of customized employee development solutions. Areas of Expertise David has assisted numerous companies in improving employee and organizational performance. Using a blended approach (assessments, training, coaching, strategic planning, and consulting), following is a sample of results achieved:
Background and Credentials Prior to founding SKYE Business Solutions, David honed his skills in organizational and business development, sales and marketing, business growth, and employee retention, training and coaching through his work in the manufacturing, technology distribution, computer software, and information technology consulting industries. David holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Concordia University and is active in numerous community and professionals organizations.Click here to visit David's website   Swimming Naked Adaptive Organizations Beat Their Competition Hidden Truths about Your Business Employees and Related Performance Ships without Rudders Eventually Hit the Rocks Historical Productivity Gains in Industry Generally |
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