We are in the midst of an Economic downturn.

Organizations are questioning how to proceed.

Many are laying off large chunks of their workforce.

Some are considering their options.

What you decide to do in the next few months will determine your trajectory for the next few years.

The Path of Mediocrity

When times get tough, most organizations do the same thing.

• They lay off people out of fear

• They decrease their marketing

• They stop developing their people

• They wait to see what will happen in the market

When these organizations lay people off, everyone that is left goes into panic mode.

"I might be next."

The organization's decrease in marketing leads to clients not hearing about their services.

On top of their teams being in panic mode, their teams are no longer invested in, which leads members to seek out other potential paths.

No one wants to work in a company where they have no security and where they aren't given the resources to thrive.

The final blow is the organization waiting, not taking action, which drives more fear into every stakeholder involved.

The Path of Legendary

On the flip side, organizations that rise above in the next few years do something different.

• They try not to lay people off, though if they do it is tactical with a plan

• They make calculated increases in their marketing efforts

• They develop people significantly more

• They create the market

Legendary Organizations know the value of all of their people.

They understand exactly what members contribute, and they know exactly the damage that will happen if they let members go.

Their last resort is to get rid of their most valuable assets, though if it becomes required, it is planned for.

There is a path to make sure the people who are let go understand their worth and that their efforts meant something.

There are plans in place to make up for the people no longer there.

The people who remain know exactly why others were let go, and the remaining people also know they will not be let go.

Marketing efforts are thought about intensely.

New paths are tested, their success (or lack of success) is noted, and marketing is evolved to get results.

The marketing is also being tested against the one result that matters, end revenue - not vanity metrics such as "likes" or "shares".

If an effort doesn't lead to results, it is abandoned and new paths are tested.

People who remain in the organization are invested into heavily.

This gives them security, they know they are valued by the organization, and it gives organizations a major competitive edge against the competition.

These efforts lead to the organization standing out as a beacon of hope against a market that is too afraid to do anything.

End Result - They gain Market Domination

What Path Will You Choose?