Ninety-five percent of enterprise resources should be trained on short-term profitable revenue generation.
ADAGE
A Bird in Hand
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RESPONSE
Ninety-five percent of enterprise resources should be trained on short-term profitable revenue generation. Avoid engaging in a strategic (i.e., unprofitable) transaction in the expectation that it will lead to future profitable transactions. If you do otherwise, you are likely setting yourself up for a fall. All businesses have a finite capacity for unprofitable transactions. There is nothing more shameful than watching a healthy company wasting large quantities of resources over periods of time reaching out for strategic business that stays just outside of its grasp. Don’t be reluctant to explore and experiment with strategic initiatives, just do it with other people’s money. Stick to your knitting. The longer out the potential ROI is, the more opportunity there is for things to go wrong. Live in the moment. Plan for the future. Balance between saving and investing, between going forward and holding back. Don’t give up today for tomorrow, but don’t sacrifice tomorrow for today. Leadership is a constant struggle for balance between thinking long-term and working short-term.
SCRIPTURE
James 4:13-14 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.
QUESTIONS
How do the Scripture(s) apply to the business adage?
You have a significant new business prospect. The volume will double your business. But you have to take the initial orders at break even in order to beat their existing supplier’s prices. You believe they can become profitable in the long run, but the initial impact will be negative both on your income statement and for your existing customers. Do you take the business? Why or why not?
If your primary focus is short-term, will you miss longer-term trends and opportunities? If so, how?
As Christians we play an eternal game. But in business we have payroll to meet next week, and taxes to pay next month. What are some examples of short-term business decisions that conflict with Christian values?
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