Most HR departments are operating under huge budgetary constraints right now. This means that vendors and marketing companies are stuck trying to offer amazing products/services at the right price without undermining their future value in the marketplace.
Yeah, good luck with that.
When resources are constrained, my advice for both HR departments and vendors is the same: Go big or go home.
- It’s fine to do without — but don’t go quietly. We are living in the middle of a ginormous business case study, so document the impact of your tough choices. Daily. Use your internal blogs, your company’s Twitter account and your internal email/IM services to talk honestly and transparently about what it’s like to make tough choices in a brutal economy. Candor and professionalism can move mountains.
- Examine your appetite. What does 50 percent of what you want look like? Well, it’s 50 percent better than nothing. When you can’t buy the whole enchilada, or when the interest in enchiladas is low, think about how good half an enchilada might look in the marketplace. Same great cheese — just a smaller size. Adjust accordingly.
- Dreaming is free and gives people hope. Like a cheap uncle, your first impulse might be to say no to just about everything with a price tag. That’s very wise and practical of you; however, spend a minute and visualize the future. It could be great. It could be amazing. It could be less expensive than you fear. And if you keep hearing no, dream big on behalf of your clients and help them find a way.
Nobody ever accomplished anything great by looking back, whining, and talking about crushing market forces.
Why be a loser when you can be a Rockefeller or a Carnegie? Be bold. Be innovative. And don’t be a whiner. Opportunity comes from adversity. Wealth is built at times just like these. If not now, then when?
