How Businesses Can Counteract Stasis

Over the years I’ve encountered far too many business owners who profess comfort with their current levels of revenue, service, culture and rightful place in society. When asked about growth plans, they offer some variation of the line “If I had any more business, I would lose the capability to service my existing business.”

I call that business situation, Stasis. Some of the definitions in Webster are:
• a state of static balance or equilibrium : stagnation
• a state or period of stability during which little or no evolutionary change occurs

For me, Stasis is synonymous with Disaster.

Stasis, or lack of growth, can kill. Due to complacency, fear, ego, tradition or other, Stasis is not an option in this age of extreme business disruption, consumer control, digital technology, customer fragmentation and creative business models. Moreover, the cost of entry to be a competitor has never been lower. Stasis is the key ingredient in a recipe for imminent decline – whether the decline is imperceptibly slow or stunningly rapid.

Some of the symptoms of Stasis include:
• Marginal revenue/customer growth (or new growth only through acquisitions)
• Low innovation
• Moderate-to-low morale; more turnover than in the past
• Cost-management being the primary goal for the past several years

Stasis is also patently unfair. It’s unfair to:
• Customers – who are uber-discerning and deserve the best possible experience(s)
• Employees – who deserve to grow in skills, culture, innovation and income
• Your family – some of whom should benefit from the legacy of a healthy business
• Yourself – your commitment, your hard work, your original dreams.

How can a business counteract Stasis? Bring in some outside thinking to shake things up!

Take Interim Executives, for example, who often come alongside owners to help businesses not only become unstuck, but thrive. Interims are the multi-disciplined, battle-tested, executives who are unique in their abilities to provide fast analysis, clear strategies and rapid results through hands-on leadership.

Interim Executives are like the Navy Seals of business. We are not consultants – we are world class executives who love the action. We are deployed in countless, mission-critical situations every day across the globe. We provide leadership, management, financial restructuring, process improvement, team alignment, mergers & acquisition integration and other forms of operating necessities to all types and sizes of companies. And once we help you get the results required (typically a few months), we are then ready for another assignment.

Let an experienced Interim Executive help you break the cycle of Stasis and get you on the path you deserve.