Charlie Nicks

Ethics in the Great Recession

2009-11-28T18:31:00.000-08:00

When economic conditions get dicey, ethics slip. That's not news.

When the economy gets so bad that solid, tenured companies begin dropping like flies, ethics take a nose dive. And it's during difficult times when your ethics may be the one thing that will sustain you.

When a successful company falls apart, the people who own the company aren't often willing to assign the blame to their own inability to adapt to the changes in the market, instead they turn on their vendors, partners, suppliers, bankers and even their people. It's always someone else's fault.

After 30 years working as a marketing consultant to real estate companies, I can tell you there are only two kinds of clients I ever worked with - (1) Those who bought-in to the changes we collaborated on and made it work, and, (2) Those who dropped the ball and blamed everybody but themselves. Often me.

More drop the ball. And stretching ethics is one way you can drop the ball in a terminal way.

I am proud to say, my ethics are shinning, and that makes me feel good. And that comes off the worst two years I have ever experienced in business.

There have been times over the past three decades maybe I didn't consider the weight that ethics carry. Today I am crystal clear on the importance of one's reputation and how that reputation is built and maintained.

I don't think one needs a class on ethics. You know right from wrong. That's ethics. That's all you need to know. The truth takes two things, good intentions and guts. Most people have good intentions.

The real estate industry by nature is quick to challenge the ethics of others - anyone who has ever worked with this industry in a large way will tell you that. Particularly if you're selling something. Especially if you're from out of town - you must be a crook - you must have bad intentions - you must lie - you must only care about the money you make. It's something you learn to get past. Something that goes with the territory.

On the other hand, part of personal ethics means standing up for yourself - and that isn't always as easy as I am making it sound. Nonetheless, has to be done.

Don't cheat. Don't manipulate. Don't sell people up. Don't capture people's name. Just be a non-narcissistic nice person who knows what the hell they are doing and do it well, all day, every day. Quality is a big part of ethics. Deliver quality.

If your company is all screwed-up and losing money and you're scared to death - stop for a minute and think. Have some ethical discussions with yourself. If your problem is you haven't made the necessary shifts and adjustments - make them. You can do it. Just sit down and think.

Summary thought: It's all about doing your Personal Best. Forget the attacks, the gossip, the stories - just do your part.

Retailers Brace Themselves

2009-11-12T04:26:00.000-08:00

If Christmas doesn't brighten up the lives of most of America's retailers, many big brand name stores will likely be history by Easter. Ask Linens and Things. Ask Cicuit City. There's already a surprisingly long list of stores you will never shop at again. (And I kind of liked Circuit City).

It's not like retailers are looking at a skinny Christmas. It's that retailers are looking at a skinny Christmas on top of 2 years negative cash flow. The cumulative affect of this long recession is begining to emerge - everywhere.

At its core? Everyday Joe has no money now. Savings are spent. Credit cards are tapped. Loan from Mom hasn't been paid back. Golf clubs pawned won't get redeemed. Everyday Joe is broke. Mad. Feeling like a victim. And he won't be spending much on Christmas this year.

Walmart now does 10% of all the business done in the United States. Walmart is half the size of all of the health care segment - their earnings are up this morning, as they have been throughout this recession. And say what you will, Walmart is wily in ways most retailers haven't even dream-up yet.

Price. So long as this recession persists - low prices will continue to attract customers - lower prices won't.

The decisions as to whether which retailers will be around in the Springtime have already been made. Everyone is just standing around the crap table waiting for the dice to stop rolling to see what the numbers are going to be. If 7 comes up, they'll place another bet, if any one of 10 other numbers come up, they'll pick-up their chips and find another game to play.

I wish them all a grand holiday season. Unfortunately, I don't see it happening.

BLOG RELUCTANCE

2009-11-02T05:25:00.000-08:00

Only doing this out of my instinctual sense that blogging (God I hate that word) may somehow actually be [or become] necessary for survival. Like learning how to use a cell phone. Like learning how to use the Internet. Like learning how to load a gun.

So, I will return, and I will write - I don't have a writing problem - at least a big writing problem so that won't be hard. Remembering my new extra-long password is the hardest part, new passwords are a lot like new wives - if you don't get it right, you don't get in.

This is just kind of warm-up stuff. Once I get comfortable with blogging you can expect some rants the likes of which you've not encountered before - well crafted, hilariously entertaining and apparently free. I haven't figured out how to charge somebody for blogging with me, but I am working on it.

Go slow, it's my first time.

2009-11-01T05:36:00.000-08:00

Well, here we go... now blogging. God.