As autumn fades and the first flurries have begun to descend on New England, I’ve taken time to reflect on the behavior of honey bees.
Since early spring they have been racing around my yard, buzzing from flower to flower in an orgiastic frenzy of pollination. In fact, they would regularly glut themselves to drunkenness. It was as if they had no idea that fall would come, flowers would shrivel and die, and that nothing would remain to sustain them through the coming winter.
As I watch them now, I know that the hive will survive because they planned ahead for the winter months. The queen is protected and the non-working drones are kicked out to die in the cold. The young are safe and warm, the honey is there to feed them, and they will all slowdown and sleep through the winter. But come spring, the hive will fly again.
The aviation industry behaves in the same manner. We have been enjoying the seemingly never-ending spring of a good economy, but now fall has descended with high fuel costs, a shrinking client pool, and an economy moving slower than a rug on valium. The time of huge profit growth is over, and the first snows of the season are here.
Are you prepared for winter? Check your honey stores and make sure you have enough to get by until spring returns. That means slowing down on consumption, releasing non-essential “drones” , withdrawing your honey bees to the hive, and taking stock to make sure your shelter is secure.
Now is not the time to waste energy on irrational, fast decisions; the honey bees cannot change the turning of the seasons nor can you change the turning of the economy. The bees don’t panic and fly themselves to death desperate for more and more pollen. They slow down, make the most of what they have, and ride it out. The queen will reproduce again and the hive will grow, but only in its season. For now, its a matter of restructuring and sustaining the hive until the sun shines again.
Don’t panic!
Reassess what your business needs to sustain. Think long term growth over short term profit and make sure you are situating yourself so that when spring comes again (and it will), your hive has survived and is ready to fly.
–Dan Graham
p.s. Strengthen your hive by clicking here and learn about my day job, RSVPair and the madmen that spawned the idea and hired me to write
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