“Therein, lies the dilemma,” I nodded.
“Absolutely,” Ellen replied. “And it’s not just the uncertainty about what might happen with this customer or that project. There are larger things going on. There is uncertainty about taxes and markets. My customers don’t want to make commitments to me and I can’t make commitments to my suppliers.”
“So, what are you going to do? How are you going to plan?” I asked.
Ellen was silent, then finally, thoughtfully, spoke, “It’s not so much about making this decision or that decision. It’s about position. How can we put ourselves in a position that keeps our options open? More than contingency planning. Really keeping long-term moves as viable alternatives.”
“Having your cake and eating it, too?”
Ellen laughed. “It’s not a finished cake. It’s having all the ingredients to make a cake, or a pie, or a dozen warm cookies.”
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True enough succes can often be more about timing and simply being in the right place at the right time, as opposed to specific desicions made toward that end.