Sensing The Weather

By Norm Friberg

When old time mariners needed to know about the weather, they had no internet or TV to clue them in. They relied on their powers of observation, their logic, and their experience. They would look at the sky, feel the wind on their faces, observe the surface of the sea. Some even swore they could smell any coming changes in the weather. The more sophisticated sailors would consult a barometer. All of them knew what to expect for their part of the world during certain times of the year.

The mariner’s ability to read the weather was of critical importance, even life-and-death importance in some situations. In the age of sail, every decision depended on the weather, and even these days, failure to pay attention to the weather can lead to disaster.

So, what is the weather like in our world today? Do we really need the barometer of the Dow Jones Average to tell us that rough seas are ahead? Can we not sense the shift in the wind, feel the difference in the wave heights, smell the sea change in the air? Certainly, all of us but the greenest landlubbers are foreseeing a storm, reefing their sails, preparing for a blow. Only the bravest, or the most foolish, are leaving all sails set.

In the corporate analogy, it’s time to trim down and reduce or eliminate all non-essential activities. The trouble is that many captains of industry misjudge which “sails” are needed and which are not. Panic discounts and distressed merchandising contribute to the downward momentum of the economy. New product development, vital for survival, is placed on the back burner. And the classic item to “deep six” in the event of foul weather is corporate training. After all, do we really have the time and money for training when we are struggling to meet our expenses, much less show a profit?

Well, the great sea captains knew that the most learning came when the weather turned rough. Anyone can be a fair-weather sailor. It was the storms that developed and tested the skills of their crews. No skipper would keep his green hands below while the old salts handled the ship through the nasty stuff. The raw hands had to do their share of the hauling, reefing and steering, and by their successes and mistakes, learned their craft.

What does corporate America do when heavy financial seas are upon us? Well, first, there is a tendency to offer early retirement packages to the most knowledgeable and experienced people. Then, they tend to deny training and learning to the youngest and least experienced workers. As for the folks in the middle, (if they haven’t been outsourced,) they tend to keep their heads down and do as little as possible to risk their own jobs. When the weather calls for skill, competence, creativity and drive, corporate leaders cultivate the qualities of inexperience, incompetence, and apathy.

American business needs the competence of its people to be brought to bear on the challenges they now face. That competence must be developed in a focused, cost-effective way. We need to have all hands ready and capable of working the ship through the storm, and bringing her out the other side without losing a hand, even more capable and seaworthy than before.

About The Author:
Norm Friberg is a Consultant at gogreenlearning.com, a training and development company. Norm is based in New York and has over 20 years of quality management experience. You can contact Norm at: norm@gogreenlearning.com.