World-renowned motivational speaker Zig Ziglar in his book See You At The Top relates a story from his childhood growing up in Yazoo City Mississippi in which his neighbor’s cook, Maude, made biscuits.  Ziglar remembers one occasion when Maude brought out a pan of biscuits that were no thicker than a silver dollar, he asked her what had happened to the biscuits and she replied that “the biscuits squatted to rise, but they just got cooked in the squat.”

Over the last eighteen to twenty-four months many organizations have experienced less than stellar financial results, corruption and fraud at the highest levels, downsizing and rightsizing in an attempt to make the organization profitable, and overall unrest and fear of what the future may hold.  The good news is that many indications show that the economy is starting to turn and that organizations are starting to experience positive results, which leads to an expectation for a robust 2004. 

Unfortunately, as we work with companies both small and large within every industry and business sector, we still see organizations that are “squatting to rise,” and if they don’t make some adjustments quickly prior to the economy’s complete recovery, they may find themselves “cooked in the squat.”  This article will outline 8 action steps based on our observations and experience that if implemented, will enable organizations like those biscuits, to rise rather than being “cooked in the squat.”