President's Message: Are You Even Aware, Bro?

My sons, though all adults now, are still fun to watch grow up. I have 5 sons for those who didn’t know. And over the summer months I’ve gotten to spend a small bit of time with each of them. With the boys scattered all over the USA, their mom and I find it challenging to get time with them regularly. So, when we do see them, we value that time immensely. It’s just never enough.

Some of our recent trips have involved airport travel and then of course the necessary roadway travel to get to our final destinations, and usually a restaurant or two, an event of some sort and maybe a local pub. What’s been fun to watch, in different states, in different situations, and in totally different atmospheres, our sons all seem to have inherited the ability to sense when people have no spatial or situational awareness.

For example, the next time you find yourself standing and waiting for your car to arrive at the airport, it’s probably a good idea if you don’t actually stand in the road, with your bags, looking around feverishly for your ride, while cars line up waiting to drive through. The spot for that, as my 4^th son so aptly noted, was back there on the sidewalk, under the sign that said to wait for your ride here. “Let’s go people; move, move, move!”

We took in a concert with our oldest son over the summer. It was absolutely packed with people. George Strait and Chris Stapleton were on stage so I suppose that makes sense on the crowd size. But my oldest son, generally not one to mince words, and with the vocal chords of his father, used the words of a different artist, an old Ray Charles song – “Hit the Road Jack” – to encourage folks to back out of the way. (Or was it a Ludacris song?) I can’t remember exactly. It was loud there.

Probably my favorite “are you even aware bro,” moments happen at events where there’s a bar or two and, as people tend to do, they get a drink then proceed to stand right in front of the bar talking to friends, preventing others from getting close. My second son, the former defensive end, has no patience for this lack of spatial and situational awareness, and may or may not have simply pushed his way through a group or two. Politely of course (sorta). After all, we raised ‘em right! My other two sons, numbers 3 and 5, often, just shrug their shoulders, turn around and walk out. Their tolerance drops to zero almost immediately in crowds.

There’s a lesson in each of these reactions. And in all seriousness, our ability to see the world around us, to be aware of our surroundings, and to act accordingly, are critical life skills. When you leave home to go somewhere, it’s important to think about what you’ll encounter, and how you might react. It’s good planning, and frankly, a smart thing to do to remain safe.

So it goes in running your business as well. Have you looked around lately? Are you reading the signs? Do you know how to get people moving or go around or through them if needed? Maybe you decide not to play along, and that’s ok too, as long as it’s based on facts and how you see your company in relation to those facts.

Here are a few things to think about in practicing situational awareness at your company and in turn, getting better performance from your team and company.

1. First, observe. Watch and study the market, analyze sales trends and what the data is telling you, stay on top of political and regulatory winds of change.
2. Next, focus on your company’s orientation to what you’re seeing. Is your company prepared to deal with change, to adapt to these realities if needed? How is your company situated to deal with what you see?
3. Then, make a decision. After you’ve interpreted the environment and how your company is positioned to move forward, decide and stick to it. (Though always be mindful that decision may need to change if your observations do.)
4. Finally, take action. Be bold, thoughtful and deliberate. Incorporate the feedback of your team and make sure they too are read in on the action plans. In fact, you should be encouraging them to be a part of this entire process, because then the action will happen almost naturally, seamlessly, as you’ll all be on the same page. And yes, this may sometimes mean deciding not to take any action other than to walk away.

It probably goes without saying, but this entire concept has to do with being strategic in your business. If you don’t have a company strategic plan, why not? It’s the driving force behind all successful companies. Winning companies observe their environment, they understand how their company is oriented in that space, they make thoughtful decisions and then take decisive action.

I hope you’ve all been paying attention to the fact that the NASGW Expo and Annual Meeting is just a month away now. Have you made decisions about your time in Kansas City? Do you have your sales and pricing in place to share with the wholesale buyers? Wholesalers, do you have your meetings planned and a big enough team to cover the nearly 250 exhibitors we will have onsite? If not, you are running out of time. Once we get to Kansas City in mid-October, it’s go time!

I’m really looking forward to seeing you all again this year. It’s a special year for NASGW as this is our 50^th Expo Celebration. I’m so glad to be playing a small part in the continued success of this organization and I’m super excited to see you all in Kansas City!

Until next time,

Kenyon Gleason
NASGW President