When you are on the wrong train

𝟵𝟰% 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 8200 for Small Businesses - 8200 Alumni Association 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝟯 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝟮𝟴% 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲.

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I sat in that room as a business owner, staring at those numbers, feeling both impressed and mildly annoyed. We all love to believe that sheer grit, hard work and technical expertise will carry our business through any storm. They usually just carry us off a cliff with great enthusiasm.

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When you are on the wrong train, every extra station makes the ticket back more expensive. The tricky part is that inside the cabin, the air conditioning works, the seats are comfortable, and everyone nods in agreement that you are making incredible speed in the completely wrong direction.

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Sitting on the receiving end of tough advice reminded me why an external pair of eyes matters so much. You cannot spot your own blind spots while driving the vehicle. You need someone outside the machine who is willing to pull the emergency brake, wave a red flag, and tell you that your route leads straight into a wall.

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In marketing or finance, staying on the wrong train drains cash and delays growth.

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In EHS, staying on the wrong train ends in administrative shutdown orders, criminal exposure for executives, and people getting hurt. Too many leadership teams surround themselves with beautiful procedures and thick binders, mistaking documentation for actual operational control.

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Real consulting is an external sanity check that cuts through boardroom comfort, forces you to look at the ground reality, and recalibrates your direction while turning back is still an option.