Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/101441
Editor���s Note More and Less Whether resolutions are an annual ritual or a daily faceoff with the mug in the mirror, they only matter in the areas we can control. By kIM pHELAN I haven���t really made a New Year���s resolution yet, have you? I kind of already know the areas that need improving, and it���s more of a day-today, week-to-week combat of ���good��� versus ���evil��� here in the life of Phelan. But here���s the thing about all our noble resolutions: They���re almost always about either doing more or doing less of something, right? Like maybe we say we���re going to work a little less and play or rest a little more; eat (or drink) less and exercise more; talk less and listen more; swear less and pray more; spend less and save (or give) more. Guess it���s plain to see where my weaknesses lie, eh? Lifestyle resolutions are hard enough, but what about business resolutions? Where do you start? Our industry is ridiculously riddled with a mounting list of business threats, so where do you begin drafting goals for improvement? You can���t control the economy, the politics, the regulations, the supply or the demand, the customers, the weather, the competition, and the list goes on. So what can you control? Because it���s only those things reasonably within your control for which you can formulate a resolution. I���m sure you���ve got these figured out, so here are a just a few reminders: Attitude. It���s a very great discipline to choose to remain calm in chaos, or flexible in situations of conflict. Whatever is in store for your company in 2013, you can (with effort) rise to every occasion, positive or negative, with a level head and strategic thinking. An aside: at my grandmother���s memorial service in December I learned that she abided by an Austrian phrase she learned as a girl, which loosely translated, goes: ���When you���re in a tug of war, be smart and let go of the rope ��� it���s the dummy who will fall in the mud.��� I believe there are lines worth drawing and battles worth fighting, but is there any futile tug of war going on that could benefit from an attitude adjustment? Engagement. Maybe you can���t control what happens in Washington, but you can create influence by becoming active in the political process. AED offers you a number of opportunities to be informed, to build connections with lawmakers, and to help shape policy that impacts your industry. Equally challenging as getting involved for the first time is staying actively engaged if you���re exasperated by the election results. If you���re at Summit this month, please talk to our Washington staff at their table in the CONDEX lobby, and get pumped up. Relationships. You can control actions that make your business relationships better, be it those with customers and employees, or manufacturers/suppliers, as well as lawmakers, both federal and state ��� and AED networking events are a good place to start. Resolving to improve our relationships is possibly the best goal we can set for ourselves, because it spills over into just about everything else. A word about dealer-manufacturer relationships: In my conversations with dealers this year, I have heard snippets of concern about manufacturer approaches to the channel partnership, at times leaning heavily on numbercrunching and other times just leaning heavy on dealership business decisions. That worries me, because for now my outlook tent is still pitched in the pessimistic camp, and now is not the time for brand partners to be at odds with each other. My two cents: The dealerships that are going to rock out this year are the ones whose manufacturers listen and respond to market nuances and customer needs ��� which, frankly, are the dealer���s turf. Skills and Intelligence. What I���m talking about here is your personnel, the folks who are employed at your company ��� the skills and intelligence they bring to your dealership are also within your control. Continuing professional education keeps the bar high year after year, and keeps the rut of complacency from carving its stale grooves in your company. Maybe there���s something you���d be able to improve upon in that area? Go ahead and ride that thought further by checking out pages 10 and 12, which will show you how easily you can achieve this resolution. Resolve to Make It a Good Year In brief notes added at the end of their Business Outlook surveys, several dealer executives indicated frustration over the election results, the federal deficit, absence of economic stability and confidence, and regulatory pressures, especially on coal. I, too, took that Nov. 6 outcome right on the chin, but now, to paraphrase one dealer comment, since these are the cards we���ve been dealt let���s just deal with it. We���re in your corner all year long ��� let us know how we can help. Thanks for reading. Kim Phelan (kphelan@aednet.org) is the executive editor of Construction Equipment Distribution and director of programs for AED. January 2013 | Construction Equipment Distribution | www.cedmag.com | 7 7_editors note_KP.indd 7 12/21/12 10:20 AM