Get ready for change (2)

In his book Good to Great, business leader and author Jim Collins compared mega grocery stores A&P, the largest retailing organization in the world in the 1950s, with Kroger, a small, value-based chain of supermarkets also thriving at that time. Both of these companies realized that the world was changing with technology. Smartly, both companies conducted research and hired qualified analysts to forecast how these changes would impact future business. They each concluded that going forward, convenience for the customer would be paramount. One-stop shopping was the name of the new shopping game. And Kroger took steps to adjust its stores to the new “superstore” strategy that we take for granted today. In addition to food, they started to carry toiletries, prescription drugs, household items, and more. A&P, however, chose to ignore the findings. The result? In 1999, Kroger generated profits eighty times that of its one-time competitor A&P and took over the number-one spot in the market. There’s a lesson here for you. To achieve what you want in life, you can’t afford to ignore the signs of change or the oncoming challenges. And pretending that something isn’t happening is simply living in denial. Like the Sam Cooke song says, “A change is gonna come.” So are you ready and willing to adapt to change when it comes? Are the techniques you use to cope proactive and effective? Are you seeking God’s guidance and blessing? “The Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding” (Proverbs 2:6 NKJV).