Why are you just sitting there?

I ran into one of my bankers the other day, in the hallway, and we started to chat.

"It's hard to get in front of people these days," he said to me, "They don't even want to talk."

I knew what he meant. Unsure about what action to take next, some business people sink into inertia. When someone should at the very least be out front painting the sign, she is instead... moping?

Let's travel back in time... to the Great Depression. While we're at it, let's have a bowl of cereal - from Kelloggs. Why Kelloggs? During the Depression, while Post was taking the "logical" course of pulling in its reins, Kelloggs doubled its ad budget, got on the radio and promoted the heck out of Rice Krispies. In fact, Snap, Crackle and Pop got their start in the 30s. By the time the economy recovered, Kelloggs was the predominant player. While market share was dwindling, Kelloggs grabbed more and more of it.

Can that work for your firm? Will top management allow it? What are your greatest concerns and hopes? We'd love to hear from you.