Why its Sniffles for me, not the Rumba

The sniffles I've had for what seems like an eternity is getting worrisome. A fever seems to be round the corner. Looking back, I have only me to blame. After all, this is sniffle season. The onset of winter brings along ailments that are all too common. Its a pity I didn't take the right precautions when the transition happened. From higher to lower temperatures. From dry weather to one heavily laden with atmospheric moisture. In fact, I now know its the wobbly transition, that is fluctuating temperatures and weather that did me in

Transitions are difficult times. For it needs a shedding of the old for a new. What worked for the 'old' now has to be abandoned for what is necessary in the 'new'. In my case what was important was a change in clothing that could have warded off the incoming cold.

For Businesses too, transitions are difficult times. And transitions come in varied ways and hues. For example, a business could face a transition in terms of a changing demography. An aging populace could be replaced by young uns. This means business models will have to be tweaked. The conservative store that you had, will now have to be done with one bursting on colour and product types. Where once you had coffee being served, cappuccino makes an arrival. Where once you had toned down lighting, the store's now big on neons. Shut down the soft piped music. Let sounds boom.

Another transition could be in terms of technology. And this has happened once too often. The arrival of Internet, for example, revolutionised the way business was done. This added interface radically changed the way customers were engaged with. The Amazons, Ebays, Paypals, Googles, Pricelines, Drudges made it big. Because they understood and capitalised on the transition.

Transitions can also be driven by a change in political philosophy. Socialism giving way to hesitant capitalism changes a business landscape. Like the way it did in India. Soon you have competition like never before. Consumers have choices they never had and their bargaining power skyrockets.

Businesses that can't handle transitions that sweep their industry, like me, soon are bound to fall ill. But the ones who see it coming, and prepare for it, can ride the transition in a manner they emerge unscathed. They even come out of it, raring to capitalise on new opportunities that the new climate brings. The Tatas, Bajajs, Birlas are good examples of companies that rode the 'socialism to capitalism' transition well, in India.

On a personal note, if I'd been a bit wiser, rather than nursing the sniffles, I'd be navigating the dance floor doing the rumba.