New Year
… new what exactly?
Of all the things that bother me about Christmas and the new year, probably the one that I am most cynical about is the annual pledge of good intentions and how this year will be so much better than the last one.
This is particularly relevant as we pass into 2021 because 2020 was such an absolute stinker of a year. I would just like to point out that the only thing different is a number. Everything else is exactly the same.
As far as the pandemic goes, although we aren’t feeling it here yet, the new strain is really cutting a swathe through populations overseas and we cannot rest on our laurels. If we behave as we are now, we will get it and all our good work will be undone.
I’m not saying this because I’m a pessimist. I’m saying it because we have almost completely abandoned the few simple things we’ve been asked to do for our mutual safety. When I scan into a business with the QR code, I feel like I am undertaking a very solitary gesture because I’m lucky if I see anyone else doing it. Am I moralising here? I hope not. I just don’t want to see NZ stumble into a catastrophe when we can avoid it.
New years’ resolutions? How about a tiny one. Get your phone out and scan. It hurts no-one and demonstrates that you actually care about your fellow citizens.
OK, that’s it on that. Now back to business. I appreciate that many businesses are experiencing boom times. Never had it better. My own wife bounces home with stories of record breaking sales and she is far from alone.
But just stop and think. Europe and America are being crippled by COVID. Australia is lurching in and out of crisis. Tourism make up somewhere around $27b of our economy. That has now been missing for almost a year and I wouldn’t want to bet on when it will come back. That is a lot of money we aren’t seeing. That is a lot of people without work.
Somehow we have managed to stave off the ravages of this brutal kick to the collective nuts so far but this is serious stuff. There will be a time when we will feel the effects, even if we are lucky and sensible and visionary enough to keep the virus at bay.
Why am I saying this? Because I would hate to think that businesses are preparing themselves for glory days in the immediate future when that may not be anything like the reality.
If I were advising any business (and I am with quite a few), I would be advising having two plans. One for carefully crafted growth and development that is sustainable and scalable and the other a contingency plan for survival. Does this sound like scaremongering? It isn’t. It is what major corporations and countries do. It just doesn’t get trumpeted about.
People want to feel confident about the future. In case you hadn’t noticed, there is nothing to feel secure and confident about globally. Geopolitics is a roiling mess of mistrust, conflict and suspicion. Internally, countries like England and USA are being torn apart by irreconcilable differences between people who have way more in common than things that should divide them.
So, is there a formula for gaining confidence about the future? Unfortunately there is not, but I’ve got a few suggestions. If you’re still with me, you might like to consider the following -
Business is life. There shouldn’t be different rules for how you do business and how you do your “real life”. Treat the people in your business - your team, your suppliers, your customers with the same warmth, openness, honesty and respect that you treat your family. If you find that you treat your work family better than your own family, do something about that.
Resources are scarce, People, materials, money and any other inputs into your businesses outputs are finite. They should all be treated as such and decisions about their allocation should be made judiciously. The whole idea that there is infinite growth to be had is just plain wrong. Just look at our planet hanging in the ether, hermetically sealed off from the vast emptiness. There is no-one bringing us more supplies. We have what we’ve got. We’d better start engaging with that fact.
Economics is a zero sum game. More for you does mean less for someone else. If you accept that growth cannot be infinite then you also must accept that wealth and all that it brings has effects. You can call this socialism if you like, but don’t turn away from the fact that poverty and starvation around the world and right here in NZ are the result of economic choices made. There is enough for everyone if we choose for that to be the case.
So, as far as new years resolutions are concerned, you’ve got plenty to choose from. I suggest that a really good place to start would be to think not about yourself, but about the sort of society you want to be part of. If you like the idea of social justice and eliminating the scourge of hunger and homelessness and poverty, resolve to find a way to make a difference. Maybe then you won’t have to build high walls and gates around you to keep crime out.
I’m a business consultant. I love business. I help businesses to be better. Better, not greedier and more harsh and insular. I help people become better bosses, more compassionate, more inclusive, more cognizant of the effects of their actions. It’s a funny old thing, but being more profitable can be achieved just by behaving differently.
If you’d like to know more about what I’m talking about, call me on +64 275 665 682 or email me at john.luxton@regenerationhq.co.nz