Andrew Carnegie said, “Take away my people, but leave my factories, and soon grass will grow on the factory floors. Take away my factories, but leave my people, and soon we will have a new and better factory.”
I love this quote! It speaks to the power of talent. When you have the right people you can achieve great things.
Talent is the X Factor in this pandemic.
Not all companies are facing the situation equally. Even if two companies have the same financial challenges and opportunities, the one with the more committed and talented team has the greater chance of thriving.
Peter Drucker wrote, “Results are obtained by exploiting opportunities, not by solving problems.”
It doesn’t matter how much money or resources you have at your disposal. A talented group of people committed to serving your clients can spot more opportunities and outperform much bigger competitors.
Your people, culture and values are a constant — in both good times and bad. They give your company its strength, agility and resilience.
Talent is the throttle for your brand.
When you work with passionate, engaged people who have the right talent, it’s like stepping on the gas. It’s surprising how far and fast you can go.
But if talents are misaligned, your company’s performance is stunted. It’s like driving on bald tires. You just can’t get traction — there is always something holding you back no matter how hard you step on the gas.
Covid has added an additional layer of complexity. It’s like someone poured oil all over the road. You can change the tires, but it’s still too slippery to gain traction. But still, talent makes the difference.
There are “Green Shoots” of opportunity all around us, and the possibilities for a rapid recovery in 2021 are immense. There are reasons to be hopeful:
- Vaccines distribution is imminent — within weeks.
- There is pent up corporate and consumer demand. Look for the start of the recovery in April 2021.
- Customers want you to succeed. There is still a great deal of empathy and goodwill to support the businesses and brands we know, like and trust.
And as an added bonus, there is a recruiting opportunity to attract and hire talent that may not have been available (or accessible) this time last year.
Companies proclaim their people are important, but are just as quick to lay them off when times get tough. This can be your opportunity!
Jim Collins wrote in Good to Great, “Those who build great companies understand that the ultimate throttle on growth for any company is not markets, or technology, or competition, or products. It is one thing above all others: the ability to get and keep enough of the right people.”
Branding isn’t just about marketing. It’s about creating an organization that is purposefully built to innovate and serve your clients. When you do that well, you will thrive no matter what gets thrown at you!