Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1496084
I have been pondering a question for some time now: "Why do some businesses keep moving forward and growing, while others stagnate and eventually go out of business?" The answer I have come up with is summed up by one phrase that makes my skin crawl every time I hear it. "We've always done it that way." Have you or one of your colleagues said this recently? I surely hope not, because the underlying attitude attached to this phrase is that everything is just fine as it is. Some people refer to this attitude as "status quo syndrome" and once it creeps into your management style or into the culture of your business, it becomes contagious and can lead to the eventual demise of your career and/or business. I believe that there are two main reasons for status quo syndrome: fear and complacency. For many people, fear of the unknown, of failure, of making a mistake or losing what you have, cripples their ability to take chances, to make tough decisions and to react quickly to changing market conditions. Complacency is often borne out of the irrational fear of letting go of where we are now and moving toward uncertain possibility. Complacency is also often a result of success. The trap that many people and businesses fall into is assuming that their past and current success will continue into the future without striving for continual improvement. I hope that the quotes below will provide you a little bit of inspiration to face your fears and fight complacency at every opportunity in order to achieve your personal and professional goals. "To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often." —Winston Churchill "Failure isn't fatal, but failure to change might be." —John Wooden "Complacency is the last hurdle standing between any team and its potential greatness." —Pat Riley "Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly." —Robert F. Kennedy "We shall have no better conditions in the future if we are satisfied with all those which we have at present." —Thomas Edison All the best in 2023, — Jeff Theiler, Chief Operating Officer, United States Ice Rink Association Opening ADDRESS Welcome from Jeff Theiler THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE UNITED STATES ICE RINK ASSOCIATION MARCH/APRIL 2023 // VOL. 26, NO. 2 USICERINKS.COM // INFO@USICERINKS.COM C E O Laura McEwen C H A I R M A N Steve Farbman P R E S I D E N T James McEwen S E N I O R V I C E P R E S I D E N T David Jensen C O N T R O L L E R Mike Schwarz C R E A T I V E D I R E C T O R Rob Johnson A R T D I R E C T O R S Mike DeArmond, Brandon Favre D E S I G N E R S Theresa Shim, Taylor McCumber A D S A L E S Bryan Nelson V I C E P R E S I D E N T, M A R K E T I N G & C L I E N T S T R A T E G Y Jessica Disch E D I T O R Aaron Paitich C O N T E N T W R I T E R Emily Sizen C O N T E N T M A N A G E R Elizabeth Boger A D C O O R D I N A T O R Samantha Cady RINK Magazine is the definitive business publication for professionals in the ice rink industry and is the leading source for information on facility management, operations and programming. PUBLISHING PARTNER 1601 Utica Avenue South, Suite 110, Minneapolis, MN 55416 P H : (763) 595-0808 E - M A I L : info@touchpointmedia.com W E B S I T E : touchpointmedia.com Mission: "To advance the ice rink industry through membership, world-class education, training, resources and events." C H I E F O P E R A T I N G O F F I C E R Jeff Theiler D I R E C T O R , E D U C A T I O N John Monteleone P H : ( 719 ) 538-1149 F A X : (719) 538-7838 E - M A I L : info@usicerinks.com W E B S I T E : usicerinks.com A P A R T N E R W I T H E D I T O R Aaron Paitich C O N T R I B U T I N G W R I T E R S Elizabeth Boger, John Monteleone, Jeff Theiler E D I T O R I A L B O A R D T.C. Lewis, John Monteleone, Craig Petersen, Jeff Theiler D E S I G N E R S Mike DeArmond, Brandon Favre, Theresa Shim, Taylor McCumber 12 / MARCH.APRIL.2023 USICERINKS.COM Don't Succumb to Status Quo Syndrome The trap that many people and businesses fall into is assuming that their past and current success will continue into the future without striving for continual improvement.