Preparing for the turnaround

In his conversations with business owners and CEOs, Carmel consultant Bud Roth sees attitudes about the recession changing, but not changing enough.

Many leaders have figured out whether or not their organizations will survive, says Roth, who was vice president of human resources when he left Conseco in 2000.

Those who expect to survive are itching to take action. Some are motivated by wanting to last a few more months, others by boredom or frustration. But at least theyâ??re moving, which is progress from months of hunkering down.

However, Roth warns, executives who think only about the near term risk missing opportunities. They should be looking ahead to where their companies and organizations could be in a few years.

â??You gotta get past some of the fear,â?? Roth says. â??Itâ??s important to start these conversations.â??

Admittedly, that isnâ??t easy when everything seems to be working against them. But execs should be asking lots of hard questions, he says. What are their organizations good at and bad at? What is known and not known? What can and cannot be controlled? (Most leaders have more control than they realize, Roth says.)

Are you also seeing what Roth sees â?? renewed interest in trying something different?