New Look and Feel – Recharge, Reignite, Regrow – Get America Growing

Those of you who follow my blog should have noticed a new look and feel today!  If you receive this missive in your email box via an RSS feed, I encourage you to stop by www.ThePhoenixPrinciple.com to see the new look.

As most of you know, I'm quite serious about helping organizations realize that they all can rejuvenate.  It's a mission I started in 2004, and devoted my life to in 2007 when I started writing Create Marketplace Disruption.  And now, in the midst of this terrible recession, it is clearer than ever that we need to realize that different phases of the lifecycle take different management approaches.  And for most companies today, old fashioned notions of "focus" and "hard work" simply won't pull them out of this recession and toward better returns

So I've rededicated myself to this mission.  And part of that rededication is hiring some professional help with this website!  Thanks to Public Words for the new design – and this is just a small part of what they will be doing to help me over the next year to increase the awareness of this mission and expand the base of people who want to help their organizations recharge, reignite and regrow!  I'm also spending more time public speaking to companies, leadership teams, industry events and multi-company conferences about what we need to do so we can get back to growing!  (If you know of groups, please let them know how The Phoenix Principle and Adam Hartung can help them get growing again.)

So, let me know what you think of the new look and feel!  Your comments can help the site be more productive for us all.  If you want things added, speak up!  I read all comments, whether here or emailed my way, and my new team will consider them all.  In addition to the look and feel, please offer your ideas for how I can drive more links, and attract more readers to our mission.  Some of you offered great ideas recently (special kudo to reader Bob Morris for his insightful recommendations) about how to better use tags, technoroti tags and trackbacks.  Please keep telling me places I need to link, and other things which can help grow readership.  Your help in spreading the word is greatly appreciated.

Also, if you haven't noticed I'm not twittering.  So you all are invited to reach out to me on Twitter – there's even a link to twitter me on the blog now!  I'll be getting my facebook page up soon as well.

I read a fascinating report published today you can dowload from Bank of America claiming that this recession actually began in 2000 – and we're somewhere between 60% and 70% of the way through.  Real estate could decline another 15%, and the big equity averages may drop another 20-40%!   Whether that's true, or maybe we're closer to "the bottom", for most of our organizations to be prosperous again will take a different approach to management.  One that overcomes Lock-in to outdated Success Formulas (often created in a previous industrial era) by obsessing about competitors to learn about market trends, never fearing disruption – internal or in the marketplace – and utilizing White Space to test new business ideas which can create better, higher return Success Formulas that fit newly evolved markets.

"Hiring Plans or Firing Plans" is the headline on Marketwatch.comPreviously, the lowest number achieved for "net hiring plans" was in 1982 when a net 1% of firms were planning to hire.  But in the entire 47 years of the Manpower hiring survey (since 1962) never was the index a negative – where more firms plan to lay off than hire!!!  That was until now, with the index at -1%.  Just one year ago the number was +17%! (Find the complete Manpower Employment Outlook Survey at this link to their site.)  More of the same "ain't going to cut it".  Instead of looking for reasons to lay off workers, we have to realize that there are a lot of reasons to hire more!  If we follow the right management principles – The Phoenix Principle – we can get going again!  If we encourage Disruption and keep White Space alive we can continue to grow!

A past client of mine recently discovered a way to introduce a new line of products with 80% less development cost.  But the new product is being delayed because the CEO feels he must lay off workers and slow down product launches – due to what he's reading about the economy.  The CEO is afraid that a new product launch, which would cement the company's #1 position ahead of competitors gnawing at their position the last 4 years, would be a tough sell to the Board of Directors.  The CEO is clearly focusing on the wrong thing – because his Board would be happier with growing sales and profits, and a reinforced #1 market position, than anything else!  Especially now!  But this company is almost afraid to grow, locked in fear of what to do next.  Instead of reallocating resources to growth projects, and jettisoning "sacred cow" products that are low-profit and declining in sales volume, management prefers to follow today's popular wisdom of cutting costs, cutting new product introductions, even cutting revenues by sticking with historical products nobody is buying - so that's what they will do!!!

So, please be a part of this journeyParticipate, don't just be a spectator.  Provide your feedback and comments.  And share the word!  Nothing is more valuable than debate.  Great ideas are developed in the marketplace, not in someone's head!  Pass along the message, and get others involved

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