Leadership: All Good Ideas Are Not Meant To Be Implemented Today

Recently, I was meeting with a business owner who was frantic to "turn things around."  He shared that sales were down, employee morale was at an all time low and he couldn't understand why. After an hour consultation here's what I learned:

1. He has an incredible service at a great price.  (So we can check that one off the list for reasons why sales are down.)

2.  Each member of his staff has been with the company for over seven years!  (Something that many companies would kill for!)

3.  They have been working on a minimal marketing budget (free is his favorite word!)

4.  He has several strong campaigns in the works with alliances that he has developed over time.  Although great, he has yet to see the fruits of his labor and...

5.  He's restless.  He is an extremely creative type--with ideas coming at him a mile a minute.  He wants to implement all of them at once--not taking into consideration how that will impact the staff or the current campaigns.  (The staff seemed to be walking on egg shells...avoiding their boss like the plague in fear of a new idea becoming their next "to do."  I must admit, it was a bit awkward in the office that day and I'm certain my presence there alone left them shaking in their boots.)

There are some really positive things about his company; however, the biggest obstacle to his success is actually coming from himself.

Although not an easy thing to hear, it is important to realize that all good ideas are not meant to be implemented at the same time.  Some are not worth wasting time on at all.  

Why?  It confuses your audience, dilutes your brand messaging and creates unnecessary workload as the phones, email accounts, and social media channels begin to flood with questions and/or complaints.  Furthermore, your staff is running ragged trying to develop and launch new ideas as they deal with the aftermath of each new idea's impact on the customer base.

Good ideas are only good for your business if there is a marketing strategy and plan for them.  That takes time and careful thought into how your audience will respond, the best time of year to introduce this good idea and how your staff's time will be spent.  In addition, the company needs to set clear benchmarks to prove the good idea was a success...or not.  But most importantly, the leader of the business needs to believe and stick with the plan.  Allow it the time it deserves before assuming it won't perform.  Be consistent.  Be patient.  Be the leader your team needs you to be.



Emily Yost of E Yost consulting has been creating and supporting successful brands for over 20 years.