Posts

StrategyDriven Editorial Perspective – Unnecessary Uncertainty

Washington dithering, favoritism, and power grabs are crushing the American marketplace. The question is: Can it survive?

All markets possess a natural amount of uncertainty. And it is from uncertainty that great business opportunities are born. Some uncertainty, however, is unnecessary; creating risk without proportionate reward. Fully avoidable, unnecessary uncertainty arises from the efforts of those who would seek to manipulate and/or control the marketplace to advantage some and punish others. It is not an attempt to bring fairness to the market through regulation, as in the case of monopolies, but rather to garner personal power by changing the rules of an equitable game after it has already started.


“By pursuing his own interest (the individual) frequently promotes that of the society more effectually than when he really intends to promote it. I have never known much good done by those who affected to trade for the public good.”

Adam Smith (1723 – 1790)
author of The Wealth of Nations
and the father of modern economics


Who creates unnecessary uncertainty? Sometimes it results from the market turmoil created by the manipulations of a few such as the grab for wealth by former Enron CEO Ken Lay. At other times, it is born of the power grabs and indecision of politicians – Federal, State, and local from both parties.

Today’s marketplace is stifled under the tremendous weight of unnecessary uncertainty created by the lawmakers in Washington D.C. as they vie for power behind closed doors and procrastinate in decision-making. Marketplace uncertainties resulting from the continuous and unscrupulous redirections, inaccurate information, and dithering of politicians include:

  • Capital Availability Uncertainty
  • Investment/Expansion Cost Uncertainty
  • Resource Availability Uncertainty
  • Consumer Buying Power Uncertainty
  • Produce/Service Demand Uncertainty

Going forward, we’ll examine the areas of unnecessary uncertainty; calling out the policies, practices, and perpetrators driving these conditions and their impact on the marketplace. But unlike other commentators who decry the unfairness of these events or focus on what should be done in Washington or what the masses should do to shape what is done in Washington, we’ll share with you our thoughts on how the StrategyDriven organization itself deals with these conditions in a way that positions it for long-term success. And we won’t be suggesting the next best stock pick.

We’ll keep the discussion fact-based, balanced, and business focused. As we share our thoughts with you, we hope you’ll share your thoughts with us – and challenge our thinking and perspective.

Final Request…

StrategyDriven Editorial Perspective PodcastThe strength in our community grows with the additional insights brought by our expanding member base. Please consider rating us and sharing your perspectives regarding the StrategyDriven Editorial Perspective podcast on iTunes by clicking here. Sharing your thoughts improves our ranking and helps us attract new listeners which, in turn, helps us grow our community.

Thank you again for listening to the StrategyDriven Editorial Perspective podcast!

Lessons From Scrabble: Learning How to Win the Strategic Game

This past Thanksgiving, my eight year-old-son convinced me to play Scrabble. Some members of my family love board games, but me… not so much. I usually just watch. However, with the spirit of the holiday swirling and the smell of pumpkin pie in the kitchen, a game of scrabble at the kitchen table oozed with twinges of Norman Rockwellness and seemed all too appropriate.


Hi there! This article is available for free. Login or register as a StrategyDriven Personal Business Advisor Self-Guided Client by:

Subscribing to the Self Guided Program - It's Free!


 


About the Author

Shelli Stinson is the VP of Business Development at WealthBridge Connect. She brings experience from education, sales and marketing as well as project management. Most recently, Shelli was the employee wellness manager at Northern Kentucky University. In this position, she learned how much influence that leadership has on the physical, emotional and mental wellness of employees in the workplace. After graduating from NKU with a Masters degree in Executive Leadership and Organizational Change, she joined WealthBridge Connect. In this new role, she hopes to influence businesses to invest in their employees through comprehensive leadership development initiatives, promoting healthier and more productive workplaces- from the top down and the inside out.

Project Management Warning Flag 2 – Breaking-up a Project to Avoid Approval Thresholds

Most organizations increase expenditure authority with each successively higher organizational level. Such budgetary constraints necessitate higher levels of approval for increasingly resource intensive projects; adding to the work required of lower level managers who need to ‘sell’ senior executives on their larger initiatives. Subsequently, circumvention of these often difficult to get authorizations may be sought.


Hi there! Gain access to this article with a StrategyDriven Insights Library – Total Access subscription or buy access to the article itself.

Subscribe to the StrategyDriven Insights Library

Sign-up now for your StrategyDriven Insights Library – Total Access subscription for as low as $15 / month (paid annually).

Not sure? Click here to learn more.

Buy the Article

Don’t need a subscription? Buy access to Project Management Warning Flag 2 – Breaking-up a Project to Avoid Approval Thresholds for just $2!

Leadership Inspirations – Don’t Just Sit There

“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”

Will Rogers (1879 – 1935)
Oklahoma’s Favorite Son, Cherokee cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer and actor

Five Easy Principles?

It’s not enough to know what to do. Understanding why is important, too, so the Ethics Guy explores the deceptively simple guidelines that govern behavior

Over the past four weeks, this column has looked at some ethical questions that arise in professional and personal life, such as the ethics of New Year’s resolutions, whether it’s O.K. to lie to help the company, and collecting for kids at the office. By now, you might be wondering, “On what are you basing your analyses, Ethics Guy?” After all, it would be easy for anyone to shoot from the hip and say what he or she feels is the right thing to do when presented with an ethical dilemma.

As a professional ethicist, however, my responsibility is not merely to explain what we ought to do, but, perhaps more importantly, to say why we ought to do it. My ethical obligation to you is to provide good reasons for how we ought and ought not to act.

For the next several columns, I will present an account of the five fundamental ethical principles that are the foundation of right conduct in any arena of your life. They are:


Hi there! This article is available for free. Login or register as a StrategyDriven Personal Business Advisor Self-Guided Client by:

Subscribing to the Self Guided Program - It's Free!


 


About the Author

Dr. Bruce Weinstein is the public speaker and corporate consultant known as The Ethics Guy. His new book, Is It Still Cheating If I Don’t Get Caught?, (Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press) shows teens how to solve the ethical dilemmas they face. For more information, visit TheEthicsGuy.com. To read Bruce’s complete biography, click here.