RECOVERING FROM A 'KAITASTROPHE'

Sani Kaita, a hitherto level headed utility player in one moment of unexplainable agitation stamps the studs of his boots on the thigh of another player in an off the ball situation and instantly earns a red card and at last count over a thousand death threats.

The event spurred creativity and launched a slew of new words; one in particular stands out - kaitastrophe!

What do you do when an enterprise suddenly tumbles from its respectable height to the lowest ebb; when your brand becomes a metaphor for failure overnight?

1. Tender an unreserved apology and mean it.
2. Ignore the chatter - people will criticise you even if you are doing the right thing.
3. Rest assured that human beings are fickle and that you can regain your position by consistent brilliant performance. Read a striking account of how you can instantly shore up your brand equity.
4. Work harder than ever before to surpass every positive record you have ever set.
5. Accept that some people will never forgive or forget - learn to live with such people.

Who's in? Who's out?

One of the most difficult choices an enterprise leader makes is who is in, who is out? It is always a tough decision and rightly so to determine Who is in as a partner? who is in as an employee? etc.

Jerry Porras and Jim Collins in their book 'Good to Great' talked about getting the right people on the bus and the wrong people off it before even deciding where the bus is headed. While they are right about choosing the right people to travel with, it is necessary to point out that where you are headed quite often determines who the right people are.

While established corporations typically have exhaustive criteria for choosing who is allowed on the bus, new enterprises are typically not equiped enough to make this critical choice which dramatically raises the risk of their becoming a part of the 'failed startup' statistic.

Knowing that it is a lot easier to make the hire decision than it is to make the fire decision, enterprise leaders should from the initial develop detailed criteria for evaluating the suitability of prospective partners and employees.

Even Jesus wouldn't let the rich young ruler join his team without meeting His criteria.

The Diabolus Code

The instincts that drive life are the same ones that drive enterprise; it is very important to ensure that your enterprise is not run by the diabolus code.

The Diabolus Code is a spiritual gene (some would like to call it a social gene) that drives three basic (base if you like) instincts:

1. wanting your own way


2. wanting everything for yourself


3. wanting to appear important

If you have the diabolus code, you tend to think that your enterprise is the centre of the universe - everything revolves around you and your objectives. You want to be number one or nothing else; you want 100% of market share.

In reality, you don't need to strive to be number one, you are the only one (see Red Ocean Strategy); you dont need market share, you've got your own market all to yourself.

The Diabolus Code casts other enterprises as competitors to be conquered - in reality, they are co-travellers to be helped.

Define your rules of engagement.

One of the toughest parts of consulting in an unstructured market is pricing and payment; clients hardly ever believe that the service you are going to render them is worth as much as you are proposing to charge them. In a market where supply far outstrips demand, the consultant tends to get the short end of the stick.

One way to improve your chances of striking a fair deal with clients is to set up clear 'rules of engagement'. As difficult as it might seem to require that clients sign a service agreement with you even before you render them service, I have come to believe that it is the best direction in which to head. On your part though, you must exhaustively detail what exactly you are going to deliver and where available, provide clients samples of your past work.

Of course your first few attempts to get clients to sign agreements will be met with stiff resistance but after a while of saying the cryptic "it's company policy", you will find your own pool of clients... of course you can choose the alternative of sticking with the headache of argueing over terms after you have rendered the service.

It is critical to your well being to always agree before proceeding.