Successful Meetings - July 2009 - (Page 20)

PLANNER’S WORKSHOP management matters Are you crisis-minded or opportunity-minded? Weathering the Storm By Sam Allman “T Sam Allman is CEO of Allman Consulting and Training, Inc. He is also a motivational speaker, consultant, and author, whose books include Heart and Mind Selling. For more information, visit www.allmanconsulting.com 20 I SM I July 2009 I SuccessfulMeetings.com Illustration Credit: www.markbrewer.com hese are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.” Thomas Paine wrote these words in the winter of 1776, as George Washington’s army, battered by defeats in New York and New Jersey, teetered between dedication and desertion. Washington’s soldiers were of two minds. Some crisis-minded soldiers had expected to prevail. When defeated, they reacted with fear, denial, or complacency. Other, opportunity-minded soldiers had expected they would encounter nearly unbearable conditions. But instead of shutting down, they harnessed the discomfort to trigger their ingenuity and internal resources. In modern terms, we would say they put their coping mechanisms to work. A century later, Charles Darwin would confirm that this is the best strategy: “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” Today, with the economic boom gone, what’s your attitude? Are you thinking “doom and gloom”? Or are you thinking “hidden opportunity”? When resilient people meet a change that showers adversity and loss of con- trol, they experience the same apprehension as crisis-minded people. It’s their reactions that differ. Resilient businesses orient quickly to changing circumstances. They apply their resources and they persist until they lift themselves up to a profitable position. The ancient Greeks believed that we can improve our future by developing our abilities and acting in ways that yield positive benefits long-term. They knew that no one’s plans ever fully materialize so they urged citizens to prepare for all eventualities and make choices today that would give them resources for tomorrow’s unknowns. You should seek this combination to survive this time in our own industry. In the silver-lining department, what good do you think you can draw from these times? Might you improve your market share where competitors have closed or will close? Might you find other selling opportunities or markets you had not entered because you were too busy? Might you find waste in your business that has been costing you money—costs that you had been too busy to uncover in good times? What can you learn from the failures in your business and in competitors’ companies about running a business better? Crisis-minded people think successful people are lucky. But the lucky ones create their luck. They believe the grass is not greener on the other side of the fence, but is greener where you water it. The opportunity-minded are not Pollyannas. They are aware of problems and that’s where they look for solutions. They know about difficulties, but believe they can be overcome. They see negatives, but accentuate positives. Like you and me, they have reason to complain, but choose to smile. SM http://www.allmanconsulting.com http://www.SuccessfulMeetings.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - July 2009

Successful Meetings - July 2009
Contents
Editor's Letter
News Update
Education
Mouth for Sale
Incentive Insights
Meetings Law
Management Matters
Gurus
Path to Success
Cover Story: ROI Guide
Medical & Pharmaceutical Meetings
Safety & Security
Industry Roundtable
Places + Spaces
Alabama
Georgia & the Carolinas
Hong Kong
Melbourne
Golf Meetings
Planning a golf meeting, 101
Formats, games, prizes, and the awards ceremony
The how, what, why, and win of hole-in-one insurance
How the PGA professional can help your meeting plans
A woman’s view of golf
Opinion: The (new) perception of golf resorts
In closing: Boondoggle is not part of the golf vocabulary
Hawaii
Business Unusual
Q&A with Michael Murray
The Latest and Greatest

Successful Meetings - July 2009