I live in an oil state. Low prices have just hammered major sectors of our economy. Many people are nervous. Some are angry. Quite a few are concerned about the future.

Others are getting busy building their futures.

I think about the Great Recession in 2008 and the years that followed. I’m a radio listener. Because I’m diagnosed as political-ideology-dysphoric, I flip back and forth between NPR and conservative talk radio. It keeps me focused.

During the Great Recession era radio listening, what stood out to me is that either side of the political spectrum generally arrived at the same conclusions: 1) The sky is falling. 2) The other side is to blame.

Conventional thinking (left or right leaning) was useless. It relied on a perspective that said “We need someone to build our futures for us.” Neither side spent time discussing, “Here is how you can build the future.”

Meanwhile, I was also reading business literature. Over and over there were stories of successful entrepreneurial ventures. Of large companies reorganizing and expanding. Of some people building their futures.

During that period companies like Redbox, Facebook, Ford, Apple, and Starbucks all reinvented themselves and took off. None of them were selling anything new or unique: movie rentals, ad space, cars, technology and coffee. While competitors floundered, needing bailouts, buy outs or just went belly up – they decided to build.

When I look around my community, I see an enormous amount of new businesses that were launched during that time period. I see smarter non-profits that have expanded their impact. They let challenging times – challenge them. And came out the better for it.

Recently, facing the current downturn, I was at a meeting of policy makers and economists. The complete message was doom followed by gloom. No one was talking about the opportunities that are being created. No one was doing a historical review of how others have leveraged rough economics to grow. Doom and Gloom. No path forward, no hope, no solutions. Just an economic version of “batten the hatches, throw unneeded cargo overboard, hunker down and pray.”

During a Q&A following a presentation brought by a group of economists – I asked, “Why is it that my best clients are all projecting growth?” A number of other consultants in the room agreed with me. The economists didn’t know. Why do some people intend to grow – regardless?

Here is what you can expect: Those who plan to build – likely will. (I didn’t say hope to build.) Those who hope that they will just survive rough times – only might. (Those who plan to survive will do better – but just at surviving.)

Three Tips For Doing Well When Nothing Is Going Well

1. Be Prepared To Work: The reason many established companies or organizations fail is because they’ve relied on momentum and float – not effort. They misinterpreted the speed of a downhill coast for their own effort and power. When the hill came, their organizational legs had atrophied and they found they had lost the courage and grit to power up another hill. Many entrepreneurial efforts fail for similar reasons. They mistake starting a business for a short sprint followed by a long coast. Instead, they should have been prepared for a Tough Mudder race. Long and hard – but fun and rewarding for those who choose to see it that way.

Effort alone won’t guarantee success or solve every problem. But it is pretty tough to find examples of success or problem solving that didn’t involve effort. Don’t be lazy. Don’t expect that your road should be easy. The raw ability to gut through tough work is one of the biggest separators from those who will succeed and those who won’t.

What is one, specific area that would benefit from your sustained & focused effort?

2. Offer Real Value: A) Make sure that whatever you offer will dramatically improve someone else’s condition. Whatever that condition is: Their marriage, the greenness of their lawn, the experience in home ownership, whatever. B) Make sure that whatever you are offering is answering a want or a need that people feel now (not what they used to want.)

Personally, when I meet with a prospective client, part of my thinking is that, “My services need to be able to bring about a 10X return on whatever they invest in working with me.”  This is one of the ways that I screen prospects and design projects, “What can I do that will improve their condition 1000%?”  I don’t focus on offering a product or service. I don’t offer some value. I offer dramatic value – or I don’t offer it.

The fact that it is usually not that hard to find ways to do this tells me that growth is more about mindset than it is about internal capacity or obvious opportunities.

People go to where they find value. If they stop going to you, don’t blame them or the economy. Re-examine the value you are offering.

What is one product your service you can offer that would dramatically improve someone else’s condition?

3. Invest in Developing Yourself and Your People: When times are tight, it is easy to stop trying to grow personally. Anxiety and stress consume so much of our bandwidth that we don’t have room to explore or learn. Then we assume that the best approach for survival is to cut back. Your personal development (and that of your people) is what “seed money” is to farmers. If you consume it and don’t invest it – you are creating your own famine.

Recently, my sister gave me a gift subscription to Audible – An Amazon service of voice-recorded books. Since I read 50+ books a year, at first I thought, “How am I going to have time to fit any more content in?” But I decided to try it. I listen while I’m driving or doing chores. The first book has already generated a ton of ideas so that I can provide even greater value to my current and future clients.

This year I’ve traveled to several costly training opportunities and conferences. There have been moments where I’ve wondered, “Should I have spent that money elsewhere?” Then I realize there was a seed (or 2 or 3) that I took from each event – which if I cultivate them – I can grow into fruitful trees. (Back to reminding myself that I need to Be Prepared to Work!)

What is one opportunity for internal development that I should invest in?

These are the three activities that you need to do as a growth oriented leader.  Put in effort, offer dramatic value and invest internally. When the current challenge has passed – you’ll be the one who flourished.

Of the three (effort, dramatic value or internal investment) what is one specific action or change that you think will have the greatest impact?