As the long, gray winter throws in the towel, at last, we’re treated to one of Nature’s finest shows – the arrival of spring – as the cycle of the seasons turns in its predictable and expected way. It’s always a thrill to see the flowers bursting up out of the ground along with the reappearance of butterflies as they come out of their chrysalises – even though we know that winter will inevitably be [...]
Cycle Theory is an idea that’s been around for a very long time. It’s a pretty straightforward concept that applies to many aspects of life, and a way that humans have made sense of the universe for millennia. In fact, we’ve been talking about cycles for thousands of years. The pre-Columbian Mayan calendar was based on cycles, the Hindu belief in reincarnation is a cycle that extends beyond this world, and the ancient Chinese believed [...]
If you have a company that’s had two massive transition points—first a Tornado and then an Avalanche—you have two options. First, you may have to sell. Even worse, of course, you could simply go under, with nothing to show for all of your hard work. Your best alternative, though, is to follow the path of Devon Energy. In a previous blog, I told the story of Devon Energy: Having survived their Avalanche, merged with a [...]
When your company’s been through the punishing rounds of the Business Storm Cycle – from the high-growth Tornado where sales are climbing so fast you can’t keep up, to the Avalanche of high inventory and shrinking margins that follow – how you deal with the consolidation phase that follows can mean life or death for your enterprise. Make the wrong choices, and you may not survive the next cycle. Make the right ones, and you’ll [...]