SmartPulse — our weekly nonscientific reader poll in SmartBrief on Leadership — tracks feedback from more than 160,000 business leaders. We run the poll question each Tuesday in our e-newsletter.
Last week, we asked: As 2012 approaches, what are your plans for your business?
- We’ll make targeted investments in hiring and growth opportunities: 62%
- We’re going to continue to hunker down until the economy improves: 29%
- We’re increasing investment in hiring and growth significantly across the board: 8%
It seems the economic clouds are lifting from a business-investment standpoint. The large majority of you is starting to spend, albeit on targeted investments and hiring opportunities. Hopefully, those investments translate into growth, increased profitability and the beginning of an improved hiring and spending environment. For those still hunkering down, beware of staying that way too long. Your competitors are likely making investments, and they could pull ahead and seize opportunities you miss because you have the purse strings pulled tight.
Mike Figliuolo is managing director of ThoughtLeaders and author of “One Piece of Paper.”