Which Retail Companies Will Survive?

-Branded Nightmares-

Essential Lessons from Fallen Brands

The devil is certainly not in control because behaviors and attitudes are all human responses based upon choices and intentions.

And if I start blaming the devil for personal or business failures, then I am simply transferring the responsibility. That exonerates me from all bad habits and wrongdoings; because someone else was controlling the situation. 

And that does not happen!  In management, either you control the situation or be controlled by it! 

Lesson 1 – No company is infallible – All are susceptible to failures! 

Lesson 2 – Do not treat the symptoms, but address the cause of the problem 

Lesson 3 – Never Ever BADMOUTH other brands 

Lesson 4 – Understand the importance of present moment’s Collective Brand Focus

Lesson 5 – Learn the Art of Involvement 

Let’s expound on each: 

1.   No Company is Infallible

If I could go straight to the origin, the sources of nutrition for business failures are ego and greed. Those branch out into many other areas. And business failures are also personal failures. Bad habits are like viruses which corrupt a smooth running system. They always seem to attack the foundational pillars and start to chew the principles which a company is founded upon; which then creates the domino-effect and slowly dysfunctions start to surface. It has destroyed famous brands which started out great, but fell from grace once they gorged on the Viagra of disengagement by compromising the rules of success. 

To err is human is what we generally hear. The uselessness of this paradigm branches out into multiple outcomes which all point to its origin. The trick is how intellectually leadership responds to a distress signal in the event of an attack. Either we freeze up and get adrift, or competently install a thicker firewall of unbending rules which can guide the company out of the ashes. 

The steering wheel of an automobile during a drive continuously shifts and does not remain static. Businesses require functioning exactly along those lines. That is adaptability with changing trends and seasons. 

2.  Do not treat the symptoms, but address the origin of the problem 

OBSERVABLE

• Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result
• No strategies in place
• Lack of Brand Vision or leadership attributes which deliver
• Pluralistic ignorance, sub-optimizing departmental behavior
• Corporate Bullying and Conflicts
• High tolerance of failures 
• Ultra weak FPOCs in branded sales 
• Broken down Behavior–Consequence chain
• Mixing business & pleasure
• Not reading the warning signs 

HIDDEN

• Misguided belief patterns and paradigms
• Uncooperative departmental stance and ambiguity
• Absence of trust
• Non-productive business meetings
• Disunity, no daily goals, absence of teamwork, blame games, improper time management, personal agendas, no accountability and lack of focus
• Untrained and unmotivated HR personnel
• Failure of value-based selling

Most do not know where to begin the clean-up process or how. And the solution is so simple that it escapes us all. Start building the foundational strength of employees, which includes belief management; and the existing situation will cease to exist.

3.   Never Ever BADMOUTH other brands

Badmouthing is a sign of weakness. Even if a brand is the leading one in the industry, maligning names makes one loose the chance to learn something vital from the competition. After all, others are also in the game; even though just a notch behind. And the new arrivals are making headway already. They are brimming with new information and seem to be more upgraded in every way. In most cases, they will run over the unsuspecting ego. 

Badmouthing in most companies leads to termination; depending upon the severity. And that keeps the inside politics at bay and employees stress free in numerous ways. This actually creates the culture which simply says: We are a family of values and unity; try not to destroy the trust.

4.  Understand the importance of present moment’s Collective Brand Focus
 

Please do take #4 into account very seriously. Collective brand focus shapes events, creates circumstances for success and opens doors of progress.

Imagine a water hose with multiples holes in it. In how many directions the water shoots out? That is what actually happens when the company loses its focus. Employees’ brainwave patterns get off the chart and their electro-magnetic energy starts to go to waste in frivolous non-productive matters. The loyal ones have actually left companies due to this one factor alone simply because they don’t want to deal with nightmarish issues.

There are steps by virtue of which focus restores itself back to its performing peak. As a basic step, it must be rejuvenated individually which will then reflect the collective brand-focus. And it requires maintenance which gets taken care of through indulging in point 5. 

5.   Learn the Art of Involvement

In most cases, founders and the top hierarchy don’t get involved on what’s happening at the very bottom. They completely rely on HR (if they have one) or the manager(s) in charge. To me that’s like a father who refuses to see a child (the brand) by not wanting to know the caretakers. It’s as detrimental attitude absence of which can actually solve most of dysfunctions and employee complaints. In my experience, employees miss that connection and have also been vocal about it. 

There is fierce brand competition ahead and problems happen without much warning. Weaknesses which remain ignored will asphyxiate the brand inevitably. The question is - what measures the leadership is willing to take before the brand goes on life-support and refuses to breathe on its own?

The list of fallen-brands is not small by any means imaginable. Autosan Bus manufacturer recently filed bankruptcy; one of the oldest factories in Poland, with its beginnings reaching back to 1832.