Having witnessed many business leaders fighting fires and alligator challenges day after day, year after year, I am concerned.

Alligators are sneaky and hungry. They seek out prey and when they find a feeding ground other hungry alligators join them.

Alligators tend to come in packs.

Business success happens when alligators are anticipated and removed before they arrive. While it is not possible to anticipate and remove all alligators before they arrive it is very possible to anticipate and remove most of them. Strength in this area can be developed. Success happens when business leaders find the best ways to anticipate alligators and do this at the same time they fight alligators [in those ongoing day-after-day battles].

Experience helping owners fix business problems confirms month-after-month, alligator-after-alligator, fighting does not work unless it is coupled with permanent alligator repellents. Inevitably, alligator fighting drains energy and weakens spirits. And the reality is, alligators keep on arriving. When the list of business alligators is too long it signals a larger ‘root’ problem - the environment, the culture, and the atmosphere is such that alligators are able to feed and breed in the territory. When this is the case, the environment needs to be changed so alligators no longer find it easy to feed and breed. Clear fencing needs to be constructed to establish the alligator boundaries. The territory itself needs to be changed so it repels alligators. And, all people in the territory, not just the owners, need to know how to shoo away alligators not just when they are big and scary but also when they are babies…before they grow and become annoying and troublesome and require expert handlers.  

It's best to handle alligators when they are babies.