“Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone.”
Charles M. Schulz
Creator of “Peanuts”
Accelerating a Trend
The Pandemic has stimulated discussion about how life will be different because of it. Dr. Scott Galloway’s “No Mercy, No Malice” blog posited that Covid merely accelerated significant social changes in our society that were already underway before Covid hit.
WSJ Columnist and Reagan White House Speech Writer Peggy Noonan offers an excellent (and sobering) executive summary of the aforementioned study that everyone should read as it will affect our families and ultimately our businesses (directly or indirectly). She warns: “We are seeing ‘a rising generation acutely averse to risk, and so to every form of dynamism,’ and this trend isn’t confined to the young. “Excessive risk aversion” is deforming other areas of American life, from child rearing to work and public leadership…….—we see this in speech and conduct codes, which leave Americans ‘walking on eggshells around each other in many of our major institutions….. and tells us how not to behave without showing us how to thrive.” (Emphasis mine).
As Peter Drucker once said, demographics is “the future that has already happened. “ These are trends that will affect every business, directly or indirectly
The Amazon Sidestep
One of the many unintended consequences of the pandemic was the tangled supply chains, for which the many container ships laying at anchor off the port of Los Angeles have become emblematic.
Amazon, however, seems to have effectively sidestepped much of the tangle. Ships bearing its goods wait only a day or two to be unloaded; others have waited weeks. The story of how they did this is a remarkable tale of foresight, planning and financial resources. Learn How Amazon Beat Supply Chain Chaos with Ships, Containers and Planes (Thanks to David Abell, CEO of AM Transport and Vistage 175 member for sharing this with his Vistage Group).
The Last Last Mile
At the risk of overconcentrating on Amazon in a single issue, a blog post in Dr. Scott Galloway’s “No Mercy, No Malice” blog does an excellent job of exploring the real value the company creates through the strategy and tactics set forth in the “Amazon Sidestep” section above.
IT companies often talk about the challenge of delivering content over that “last mile” from a hub of some kind to the consumer. Amazon has faced and met the same challenge when it came to physical goods by focusing on what it identified as the scarcest of all resources for all of us. Maybe it’s success will help you do the same in your business. What is your Last, Last Mile? (Galloway offers an interesting profile of how a company born 50 years ago anticipated Amazon’s real competitive model. That story alone is worth the read).
Econ Recon
Money and Macro 2022: What will the monetary and macro economy look like in 2022. Regarding things Monetary, Brian Beaulieu of ITR Economics writes: “The Federal Reserve is downshifting from overt stimulus to a more normal policy stance. This may not have the effect that some people are expecting, and not along the timeline others are expecting. Knowing the probabilities of the change in policy should help us all plan with confidence for the year ahead.” Spend a few minutes to review his post: 4 Things to Think About as Fed Policy Changes.”
As to the “real” macro economy, Gretchen Schatz of ITR Economics has some interesting insights.
A Message From Scott:
Friends,
I wish you all, my friends, colleagues and group members a holiday that is full of love, joy and gratitude. Regardless of which holiday you celebrate, we can all be thankful for the blessings we have been given. I wish you all success in the new year at you grow in your leadership and service to those in your circles of influence. In the midst of fear and incivility we can be voices of optimism and love.
My best, and my thanks, to all of you.
Scott
