7.10am, Friday, August 7 2009

We’re into the Dog Days of August. Long, slow, humid, hot days washed down by cold beers is the way it’s supposed to be. This is a time for languid movement and luxurious reflection. It’s summer time and the living is easy. It’s the hiatus before the storm as we prepare for the action that explodes after Labour Day. Or is it?

August is the new September. All around me I see the signs of commercial awakening. On both sides of the border, I see more than green shoots. I see bursts of colour as the green shoots begin to flower. Financial services, Health-Care, IT, Energy, Automotive, Government – they’re all coming back. New businesses are being ignited, older businesses are reinventing themselves, the best are getting ready for a Great Fall.

I’m having my busiest August since I arrived in Canada in 2001. I’m running with a pack of clients who have adapted to the new realities. They know it’s tough. They know their markets are tight. They know their margins are sliced. They know their Customers are hurting. They know the competition is intense. But they also know this is the best time for the best to bring out their best. Anything less means oblivion. I’m serious. Survival and winning are becoming the same thing. Either you demonstrate your superiority or someone else eats your breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Have you noticed that even the Celsius levels have dropped? August isn’t hot and slow any more. It’s cool and fast. So if you’re on vacation, enjoy. Kick back and relax. But think about how you’ll kick your game up a few notches next month. Plan your moves. Imagine the possibilities. Relish the opportunity to think not do. Prepare to be preeminent – that’s where you become the benchmark by which all others are judged. What would that take? Who would you have to be? What would you have to create? How far would you have to go? And how can you get there with passion and grace?

Some things to think about on this first Friday in August. Let me know your thoughts as well.

Rest Easy Today. Hunt Well Tomorrow…