FOCUS – Response & Query

This response came in following the 1/16 posting:

”Some friends and I were talking the other day and I mentioned your Focus, Focus, Focus scenario.  Even though we’re in the marketing department of a much smaller company (hence I’ll call myself “Lion Cub” vs. “Lion Queen”), boy could we identify with it!  I don’t know what’s up with management these days; they keep saying we need to ‘do more with less’. That may be fine if you’re not the “doer”, but I’d like to see some of them trying to accomplish everything and juggle layer upon layer of responsibilities when they’ve either taken away half the staff we had or won’t even consider necessary adds to staff. But what’s that doer to do? We really wonder when management will learn that sometimes the wisest course is to spend a little money to make money. Or maybe it’s better to outsource some things…at least from a marketing perspective. Tell me – how can all of us cubs convince the so-called Kings of the Jungle before we get trampled by a bunch of stampeding elephants??”
P.S.  We all agree if we hear “do more with less” one more time that we’re going to go postal (with all due respect to the probably equally overloaded postal service).

My sympathies, Lion Cub. This is a terribly familiar cry for help that I hear not only from beleaguered marketing groups, but from plenty of other down-sized, cost-cut groups and organizations. Certainly I don’t have all the answers. But besides getting creative, get real. Keep pushing back. There really IS only so much a person can do with fixed resources. And if a company is not in the position to hire additional staff, they should use outside resources in efficient, limited ways to increase overall productivity – and employee happiness.

Stay tuned for the next MarketUP Knowbits which will reference the subject of outsourcing, and quote insights from Peter Drucker (who is far wiser than this humble writer).

Donna