Sometimes when people talk about “The Red Headed Step Child” I have a slight flashback to my childhood. I was not a step child but my hair did occasionally turn red during the summer time. At age 5 I was very confused because no one else in my family had red hair. Picture a 5-year-old kid with an afro that was black at the roots but dark red/burgundy as you got closer to the tips.
Since there did not seem to be a good explanation about my hair I made up stories. I told some of my friends that my grandfather was from a special tribe that occasionally had red hair and the gene was only passed down to me. Another explanation was that my hair was on fire like a comic book character and as I got older, the flame would get bigger. After some trial and error with my parents we realized my red hair had nothing to do with my genetics or being a superhero, it was the hair moisturizer/lotion that I had been using.
When it comes to our finances and business we have to avoid the temptation to explain away deviations or misses in our budget and strategy with weak stories. Each year, we work with clients to do deep dives of their business strategy, financial performance and marketing strategy and it never fails, the biggest struggles can be fixed with simple corrective steps. We encourage all of you to take time to do a deep dive exercise of your own lives and you’ll be amazed at the number of opportunities that have been right in front of you the whole time. We’re here to help if you need it.