Each month, AchieveGlobal conducts an online poll through our eNewsletter, Achieve. In February, our survey asked, “What is the most pressing business issue you face for 2012?”
Admittedly, we were a little surprised by the results!
Of readers who responded, only 1% ranked “Responding to Competition” as the most pressing issue. Similarly, only 1% ranked “Responding to Globalization” as their top challenge.
Other issues ranked relatively more evenly, as shown below:

But this survey provides further insight into how we think about the realities of competition and globalization. Additional discussion might have revealed that for the individuals and companies who participated in our survey, an environment defined by globalization and competition is simply the cost of doing business these days. In other words, these two factors perhaps serve as the foundation on which the other issues are prioritized.
Taking this idea further, most companies accept competition and globalization as reasons for placing emphasis on developing leaders, driving sales growth, improving morale and productivity, managing change and creating an innovative culture.
To me, this implies that intensified competition and globalization have become the new normal. Which raises other questions, how does this shift affect our strategic and tactical approaches? Are we seeing another quantum shift in our thinking?
Sharon Daniels is CEO of AchieveGlobal in Tampa, Florida

