The world is very noisy right now, filled with political and geopolitical positioning, rivalries and conflict. Economies are on a roller coaster, with prices up and consumer confidence down. This isn’t the first time the world has faced widespread turmoil and struggle, and it surely won’t be the last.

During my tenure in the dive industry, we’ve seen times like these and invariably, some dive operations don’t survive, many survive, and others scrape by. But, regardless of tough times, a large group do grow, prosper and expand. I’ve been around long enough to learn that weak organizations and businesses are usually destroyed by crisis, good organizations usually survive them, and great companies are sometimes strengthened by them.

As pointed out in the last Straight Talk, we can’t control most of what happens, but how we respond and what we do with what we can control makes all the difference. Some people let anxiety paralyze them. They hunker into survival mode waiting for things to pass, and if they have enough resources and things turn around fast enough, that can be effective. But when things are prolonged, and the road ahead is difficult, often the businesses they operate don’t make it.

In my career, I have avoided trying to just wait out difficult circumstances for too long. I try not to look at life as a “victim of circumstance.” It is often difficult to see at times, but by adopting the perspective that every adversity has opportunities, it is possible to survive, grow and even thrive. True survival requires the mental discipline of asking yourself how you can make a challenge work for you.

We saw this during the 2007-2009 recession and in the recent pandemic. Many dive centers and resorts experienced a falloff in customers; however some not only survived, but grew. Instead of worrying about the customers they didn’t have, they focused on the customers they did have – both locally and from tourism. They asked, “Who are the customers that are here and who are coming and what do they want?” Answer: Serious enthusiasts who see diving as their primary lifestyle, and those with more financial resources. These divers want and are willing to pay for more continuing education, local dive adventures, dive travel, equipment and so on. These businesses didn’t cut prices, rather they created incentives and packages that kept these divers enthusiastic, active and engaged, expanding and innovating on what these divers wanted. They developed referral programs that incentivized sharing diving with friends. When the recession and pandemic faded, these operators’ businesses took off because now they not only had the traffic back but had learned to serve each customer better – thriving more on account of that.

Today we have more ways to quickly reach and network with our customers. There are more than 7 billion smartphones, over 60 percent of people are on social media, and more than 20 percent of retail business takes place online – and these proportions are substantially higher in certain markets across the globe.

While we can’t control a lot, one of our superpowers is that we can control how we think and react, which gives us the power to find opportunity in adversity, and to leverage that opportunity using the resources we have today. Do that at times like these, and you will feel the power of self-empowerment and better control navigating the pathway ahead of you.  

Sincerely,

Drew Richardson
President & CEO

The post Straight Talk From PADI CEO: Find the Opportunity in Adversity appeared first on PADI Pros.

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