It’s easy to focus on the bad news.  Everyone’s talking about it.  We’re bombarded with news flashes and human disaster stories as the layoffs mount and the foreclosures climb.  And make no doubt about it, these are tough times, but let’s start giving some coverage to the firms, leaders and entrepreneurs that have turned off the news channels and are too busy building or rebuilding to worry about the dire forecasts.

For a good dose of “can do” spirit, get out of your office and go talk with some smart people working to strengthen, build or start businesses.  I’m doing just that as I work with a colleague to gain market feedback for a new business venture that we are considering. 

We’re talking with the best battle-hardened, seasoned executives and operators that we can find.  The type that would have no qualms telling us that our baby is ugly. So far, they’ve highlighted a few flaws, but no one is using the U-word.

The great by-product of these discussions is the insights we are gaining into people and firms and their approaches to working and building while too many other people preoccupy on failure. 

Here are a few themes of success we are hearing from people that are sprinting towards the future instead of hiding from the present:

-Savvy operators see opportunities to out execute their skittish competitors and are strengthening every part of their firm, from people to processes, and focusing on driving results that will translate to growth.  The lack of a rising tide is actually exciting to these operators.  It’s an opportunity to pick up talent, gain customers and gain market share that will fund future investment and growth. 

-The smart firms in the venture community have a new formula: build to sustain.  Instead of the traditional model which was buy low, pump up and sell high as quickly as possible, the smartest operators are embracing the new reality by backing their firms with the best experts that money can buy and those experts are helping the firms improve execution around core tasks like development, product management and marketing.  Instead of the former oversight & badger model, the venture firms are taking responsibility to support strengthening in areas that will create value for years to come. In the words of one leader, “this is hard work, but worth it.”  

-Other entrepreneurs see remarkable opportunities in the application of new technologies to helping people manage their lives. From the Trunk Club for Men that I am now a proud customer of, where technology meets, expertise, meets convenience for men’s fashions, to new devices and programs underway to help millions of people manage difficult health problems, the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and excited about the potential.

-In chatting with the great professionals at Construx , a leader in advancing best practices in software development effectiveness, one gets the impression that what they offer is more valuable and more in demand than ever.  Their recent announcement allocating 25% of the seats in their open-enrollment workshops at no-charge to unemployed developers is both a testament to the firm’s values (I’m a former customer and got to see these values first-hand) and a remarkable gesture to support the continuing education of industry professionals.  Face it, it’s also a brilliant way to strengthen people’s allegiance to the firm. No momentarily unemployed developer will ever forget Construx’s help.

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I like what I am seeing and hearing.  The focus on operational execution underscores the need to focus on procuring and strengthening talent. 

The “run to sustain” model takes into account the new formula for creating value…which is of course the same one as the old model that we keep forgetting in a “mania-a-decade” world.

The focus on looking at today’s crises and creating solutions to either eliminate or to help manage is just great business. 

Hey Leader, Your Baby is Ugly

I can’t complete this piece without looping back to the reality faced inside many firms.  I talk with and teach hundreds of great professionals through workshops and in classes and what I continue to hear is that YOU (leader) don’t get it.  The nightmare stories of poor execution, misalignment, missed opportunities and waste are coming from people that want to help and fix, not people that relish the opportunity to complain. 

Try listening to your people and then try freeing them up to save your skin before throwing them into the street.  If someone has to go, throw yourself out first.  Of course, you probably don’t have the courage to do that, so focus on my first suggestion.

The Bottom-line for now:

Next week I travel to The Data Warehouse Institute’s World Conference to deliver my workshop on Leadership for Technical Professionals.  The pre-enrollment numbers are great, and I view this as a sign that everyone…even the most creative and brilliant of our technical professionals are seeking opportunities to grow and contribute.  I’ll also be looking and listening for more signs of success.  While the storm in our economy is nasty, I like the forecast just a little bit more with every conversation.