We’ve come to the last of the four questions that inspired this series of Points. All this started when a reporter at The Birmingham News asked me and a few other consultants about our ideas for starting the year off right. (You can see the other three questions—about New Year resolutions, important To-Do’s and what to do in response to changes in our national government—as well as my answers to them at www.corsini.com. Click on e-newsletters to access our archived Points.)

The Point of the article and the focus of these Points are to get you off to a fast start and create traction early in the year. It’s unrealistic to start off the year in a lackadaisical fashion and then expect to catch back up and overachieve in the third and fourth quarters. This is especially risky in today’s volatile economic climate. It seems that the rules of the game are changing from day to day. Start strong with intent, focus and commitment; then be ready and willing to embrace change and make it work for you. That’s how you do what you do better right now. With that in mind, let's get a bit more specific with the final question, followed immediately by my answer:

“What changes should businesses consider given the current economic climate?”

I’m coaching executives to prepare their organizations for a slow first half of 2009. I’m encouraging them to be more efficient and resourceful and to challenge their people to get out there in the marketplace and actively look for opportunities. Opportunities will be there—but, no doubt, they will be harder to come by. You just gotta go find them.

Businesses should take advantage of slow economic times. You can’t change the economy, but you can change (for the better) the way you do business. If companies are not buying as much from you as they used to, use this slow time to enhance and change your business practices. Train your people. Streamline your processes. Tweak your systems. Take a good look at your business as it is today, and make it work better. When things pick up, you’ll be more than ready to take action.

We also are coaching people to work with a backup plan in mind. This gets back to the idea of being flexible and willing (and able) to adapt to change. Businesses should be able to respond quickly if things continue to slow down; they also should be able to respond just as quickly to opportunities to grow when the economy offers that traction again.

And on that optimistic note, I believe all areas of business will see more talent available in 2009. I tell executives that now is a great time to be enhancing their current employee pool. Recognize and accept talent opportunities when they come your way. That’s the kind of change you can work with; it’s the kind that can make you more successful—even during a slow economy.


Times are tough. Rise to the occasion, and challenge your co-workers or employees to do the same. Actively look for opportunities. Take advantage of slow times, and figure out how you can work more efficiently. Use this opportunity to improve or change how you go about your business. Enhance your talent pool. There are plenty of talented people out there looking for work; now might be the right time to look for new faces with fresh approaches. Then, when things pick up, you’ll be ready (and better able) to act.

Now, if you’d like to talk about how we can help you make it rain during a down economy, email me at marc@corsini.com or call me at (205) 879-0432 to schedule a conference call.