Thinking of What Can Be

Micron just announced plans to lay off another 2,000 workers by August - yet another item in a long series of bad economic news. Wow, it can make you feel down if you think about it too much.

All of this turbulence and change is bringing the focus on an important issue:

Most people think in terms of what was. Some people think in terms of what is. And a few think in terms of what can be.

In stable and bouyant times, it is often good enough to simply do what worked before. This is thinking in terms of what was. You can usually get by with that, but not in these unstable times. The people who survive and even thrive will be the ones who spot and seize new opportunities. Because the same forces that are shaking and hindering the old institutions and old ways are also opening up new cracks and fissures of opportunity.

Here is the key: Keep moving, scanning the situation in front of you, and pounce on any new openings and possibilities that arise.

This is a marketing blog, and marketing is a key part of seizing opportunities. You have to spot them (call it market analysis). You have to sell your service or product or idea. This requires a clear, distinct, relevant message and a sense of who your audience (i.e. target market) is. Then you have to communicate it. Yes, marketing plays a role.

But most important is to acknowledge the evolving situation and think in terms of what can be. When this storm passes, the people who will be in actually a better position than before are the ones with this mindset. For them, this is all opportunity.