Smart Business Magazine, January 2016

62 Smart Business Columbus January 2016 MICHAEL FEUER TIPS FROM THE TOP The Survival of the Fittest mentality A sustainable business strategy a recipe for burnout or both MICHAEL FEUER Co founded OfficeMax and in 16 years as CEO grew the retailer to sales of 5 billion in 1000 stores worldwide Today as founder CEO of Max Ventures his firm invests in and consults for retail businesses Serving on a number of boards Michael is a frequent national speaker and author of the business books The Benevolent Dictator and his newest book Tips from the Top His long running nationally syndicated Smart Business magazine column has received more than 10 awards for excellence mfeuer@ max ventures com Particularly in the case of startups and businesses targeting off the charts growth the harsh reality is they have limited amounts of time and or money and other resources Generally a launch and leap frog expansion strategy becomes a race with competition from mind to market People who choose to toil in this environment both employees and owners must realize from the get go that its much more a sprint than a marathon To accomplish mega goals typically takes an inordinate amount of effort and the clock seemingly has no hands with respect to the amount of time needed for the job Frequently survival and success are measured by the amount of ones craftiness and endurance Should a company be chastised for requiring its employees to make sacrifices that periodically deprive them of family and leisure time and even more There are always pluses and minuses The best way for those considering trying to make their mark in a less than serene atmosphere is to put all of the cards on the table and determine if the pursuit of fame and fortune outweighs the negatives From an employers standpoint as long as the requirements and expectations are fully disclosed to all involved and provided theyre ethical then there should be no surprises In a no holds barred structure it is not uncommon for the weak to fall by the wayside as there is little time and resources to coddle them It is not that the company trying to forge new ground is heartless or mean spirted It is more a case of all or nothing to reach the desired objectives before the clock strikes midnight and the entity turns into that proverbial pumpkin Reality is its difficult if not almost impossible to have it both ways meteoric growth and revolutionary disruptive breakthroughs in a traditional Monday through Friday 9 to 5 workweek Those who choose the fast track the all or nothing opportunity could be very richly rewarded albeit possibly giving up much in their personal lives For others who want to coach Little League a couple nights a week and be home at 5 oclock every evening more power to them They should work for a stable more predictable organization where they will be appreciated but likely forgo dramatic economic gains and the gratification of going places where others have never gone before Survival of the fittest has been around since the beginning of time but anyone who has played in the startup hypergrowth arena knows that over a sustained period burnout is almost inevitable Timing is everything and knowing when to go is key There is nothing better than the free enterprise system and the word free in this handle says it all Everyone gets a choice During the past year a great deal has been written and said about companies that foster a Hunger Games type work ethic where employees who put in the most time exert Herculean effort and make the biggest contributions rise within the organization Those who dont are sometimes shunned and eventually get their walking papers ORDER TODAY Get your copy of Michael Feuers newest book Tips from the Top 100 Award Winning Columns Proven to Solve Complex Business Puzzles along with his previous release The Benevolent Dictator Empower Your Employees Build Your Business and Outwit the Competition at www amazon com