The nature of things

No one is really "fast on his feet." A man or woman who understands or acts in a flash is really only someone who has prepared to handle what comes. The hard work that goes into the learned arts of knowing a subject and remembering most of what you have seen, heard and done is at the root of what seems like magic to many.

Running a business is a constant test of these attributes.

Every customer contact is a high-stakes interaction that requires a calm commitment to balancing market savvy, business model, organizational emphathy and bottom line recommendations.

The cost of replacing people is so much higher than the value of their salary and benefits that it demands a rapport, support and flexibility that can run counter to the needs of customer contact.

Pursuing new business opportunities requires a heightened level of focus and attention that can make that flexibility brittle.

And investing in it all is a guess at tomorrow's revenue when no day has ever been what you thought it would be. How can you prepare for what you can't predict? Because while what might happen on any given day may come as a surprise, there is little that someone has not seen before.

Rely on what persists over time. Understand what works, why and when -- the nature of things. Anticipate problems and have solutions in the queue. Create systems to offer an early warning for what has vexed other companies. Embrace the informal communications networks, but don't supplant the official ones. Engage people.

In talking to people about this, it becomes clear that success requires a full-time commitment. To a handful of folks this means erasing the line between work and personal time. To a growing number of people (I can give you their names), though, it means integrating who they are into what they do.

Think about the companies and colleagues you count on. Are they "fast on their feet" or just better prepared?