RETAILOBSERVER.COM APRIL 2024
4
Eliana Barriga
eliana@retailobserver.com
Here's to successful strategic planning!
APRIL 2024, VOLUME 35, ISSUE 4
CELEBRATING OUR 35
TH
YEAR
AS THE RETAIL OBSERVER
PUBLISHER/MANAGING EDITOR
ELIANA BARRIGA
DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING
MOE LASTFOGEL
ART DIRECTOR
TERRY PRICE
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
RANDY CARNEY
GORDON HECHT
ANDY KRIEGE
DEAN LANDERS
STEVEN MORRIS
DAVID NIEDZIELSKI
JOHN O'HALLORAN
ROB STOTTS
JOHN TSCHOHL
LIBBY WAGNER
ALAN WOLF
DEADLINE FOR JUNE 2024 ISSUE:
MAY 1, 2024
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Elle's View As I See It
Y
ou know, life happens with or without us. It gets in the way and throws us curve
balls in the form of the "unexpected". This is when we need to fall back and assess
the situation.
In life it's always good to know where the escape routes are in case of emergency.
Every time we get on an airplane we are instructed as to where the exits are. Sadly, when
we go to a stadium for a sporting event, concert, or even a movie theater nowadays, we
have a heightened awareness of our surroundings, and we take mental note of the exits.
We don't plan on using them, but the information is filed for easy access in the back of
our mind. We are prepared to act if the need arises.
There are times when nothing in life goes smoothly, and it is during these times that we
are often not able to access our best thinking in the moment. How often do we use our
precious brainpower to think about all the ways something won't work before we've even
given it a fair chance? Planning in advance for the weaknesses of our businesses and
analyzing the most common breaking points can help us to navigate in challenging times.
Swapping plans does not signal failure but indicates a tactical change; we're simply
proving we've got the smarts and decision-making skill set that are crucial to every area
of our lives and business. A fallback plan gives us the ability to keep moving forward on
the path to success.
With Plan B in place, we can access a mind shift that allows us to fall back when the
"stuff" hits the fan. In this moment let yourself ponder the thought: "There is no backup
plan". This exercise will put you in a mental frame: "we've got to make things happen".
You're more apt to work stronger and longer when your Plan A must work because there
is no other option. Total commitment without a safety net will inspire you to work harder
than you ever dreamed.
Plan B isn't about planning to fail, it's about planning your road to success during
difficult times. We can sleep better at night with a backup plan in place –the beauty of
Plan B is that it frees us to work our Plan A with total abandon and strategically maneuver
through the storms of life.
THE RETAIL
CREATE A PLAN B:
THEN WORK AS IF YOU
DON'T HAVE ONE!
fallback - Wiktionary: An act of falling back. Having a
backup plan or contingency strategy; an alternative which
can be used if something goes wrong with the main plan;
a recourse if you will, can be imperative to survival.
