While this morning's article by Ryan Derousseau, MSN Money, points to significant wins in Wal-Mart's e-commerce business; it also points out why the deck is stacked in favor of Amazon. The point is that many invest in Amazon on long-term growth potential vs. current profits and performance.
The owners are in it for the long race.
Often I've reflected that many companies do stupid things to keep stockholders happy in the short-term; in the process, they neglect the long-term health of the enterprise.
In a parallel, often we do stupid things in the workplace (and in our lives) for short-term gains; our focus falls far short of a more promising future.
To be sure, we all have to react to issues of the moment - but that must be balanced with the opportunities of the future:
What do you want your future enterprise to look like?
What do you want for yourself, professionally and personally, in five years? Ten years?
What do you desire for your team over the course of their professional careers?
In the next five years, what do you want your company to be known for? What do you want to be recognized for? What is it that will make your team superior in their performance? In a well-planned and better built future, what are the great opportunities that await?
Short term or knee jerk reactions often undermine the answers to the above questions. When you are facing the decisions of the hour; balance out what seems to be the most expedient answers with solutions that will build your team and your professional profile over the long-term. The bonus here is that the extra thought invested will not only give you a better product for the future, but also a superior solution for the here and now.
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My book "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is available on Amazon Kindle.
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