Boldness in the time of shrinking violets…

One of the great ironies of the business world is that when times become economically difficult and great voices of leadership are needed the most; the weak tend to withdraw and complain, the mild hesitate, and even the strong tend to go silent. And to add to the irony as this silence becomes more pronounced, it’s compounded by a rush to abdicate operational leadership to those least likely to have long term vision…the internal accounting and legal naysayers to which risk is the most profane of four-letter words. And risk tied to spending on (everyone whisper now)…. PR or advertising is close to sacrilegious.

Let me be clear in this time of crashing stocks, bankrupt auto companies, and failed political campaigns…risk is not inherently bad, evil or profane. Stupid, ill-conceived, and scurrilous risk is…and those that practice it are stupid at best and criminal at worst. But don’t get me wrong. The virtues of caution and hesitancy are well documented and do have a place in a successful enterprise. Our most recent presidential election, for example, where ‘gotcha’ politics could have spelled instant disaster. But even here, I think we pined on both sides for a little more bold, straight talk and a little less circumvention and caution.

But fortunately, we’re in business and not politics; where we hopefully try to appeal to the highest common denominator of our customers and stakeholders and not the lowest. Doesn’t it just make sense then, that when the economics of natural selection begin to dictate fewer and quieter voices in the marketplace, that those that have great products and services needed to move the economy forward, and a positive story to tell, be allowed to tell it…loudly and boldly? Instead, those companies both well-established and just emerging go silent because of a myopic but frequently held view internally, that the first place to cut spending is on those line items that will be the most important for its survival in the long run. Huh?

We have a real live crisis going on in this economy and in our free markets. If you’ve made it this far and haven’t been wiped out or reduced to the point of mere survival, this is not the time to abdicate operational responsibility to timid accounting and legal naysayers preaching the mantra that by pulling back you’re actually moving forward.

This is absolutely the best and most opportune of times to be shouting and preaching, and getting your message out. That is not risk no matter how you spell it and no matter who tells you. Your company can achieve a double positive hit in doing so…. because the channel is less crowded, the message content will be clearer; and bonus points earned with your audiences for bold action rather than timidity.