Everywhere you turn today you hear that the Newspaper’s problems can be blamed on craigslist. I am sorry if the newspaper’s and their leaders would do some real soul searching, they might find that the real problem was themselves.
The newspapers were in trouble before craigslist just like the airlines were in trouble before 9-11 and the car companies before the recent financial downturn. Management and investors in the newspapers, the car companies and the airlines believed that nothing out there could stop them. They will last forever and be a constant great return on investment. They were only reading historical (hysterical?) information.
I can hear; “we don’t understand this new thing however it will take years before it amounts to much so maintain the status quo”. Surprise and now they are in trouble and have to blame someone else. “It could not have been my lack of foresight, I’m too bright!”
These icon’s of wealth have (or had) no clue to what was happening and those around them were not helping (we called the “brown nose's”). I would have to say that they were not blinded by the light - they could not even see it. These changes are not new. We have been headed this way since the 80’s and the handwriting was on the wall but you have to be able to read something outside of the last years report.
Here is a concept; people can self publish. Wow, so now why not use this new medium to reach those people and maybe be on the leading edge? “We didn’t know.” Better said would be, “we weren’t listening”, be honest about it. “We screwed up!” It’s not the fault of craigslist – he took advantage of your reticence, your lack of due diligence, your inability to “see”.
One thing that I think is really sad is that your newspapers were reporting on all this while it was happening but you didn’t read it. Talk about being blind.
One thing that should be a part of all management/leadership policies is to “LISTEN”. Someone in your organization knows what’s happening on the inside and on the outside. However it may not be the next in line who cannot afford to rattle your boat. You know the drill; Life is short and I need that promotion. Really big corporations have too much in-breeding, too much stay the course, to understand the future – they live in the past.
It would appear that no one realizes there is an issue until last quarters reports are bad and by then you cannot act to resolve the issue. In some cases it takes a number of last quarter bad reports before we get it. We can always blame last quarter on a financial downturn, 9-11, or whoever, even craigslist.
