Are we there yet?
We all need to hang on just a little while longer, as we plan for future challenges.
Those of us with children can relate to the question, “Are we there yet?” On any long journey those are the words that are uttered over and over again from the back seat as the younger ones wonder when the journey will finally come to an end.
The same can be said about the challenges facing our industry today. Just a couple of months ago, most of us assumed that we had arrived at the end of the pandemic and the lockdowns. It certainly looked like we were going to get back to business, and that the only thing we’d have to worry about is getting the supply chain to catch up with demand.
Then the war in Ukraine broke out, and all of a sudden we were no longer “there.”
Canadian ingenuity
Despite all the setbacks and challenges, I must say that I’m optimistic about the future of our industry, and of Canadian businesses in general. We’ve seen many in our industry come up with some truly ingenious and innovative solutions to the challenges we’ve all had to deal with over the past two years.
I’m particularly encouraged by how Dynamic Tire, a Canadian importer and distributor of tires re-invented the entire shipping process just so they could deliver product to their Canadian customers, despite the mammoth supply chain issues they faced. I think you’ll be truly impressed when you read about their adventures on page 34 of this issue of Autosphere Mag.
Mind you, they’re not the only innovators in our industry. Everywhere we look, business leaders are thinking outside the proverbial box in order to find solutions to parts shortages, human resources challenges, transportation issues, and so much more.
Plan now
As we hope for an end to the current challenges, and as we prepare for what might come next, I think the words of Simon Therrien, Senior Fleet Manager for Bell, and NAFA Quebec President should be taken to heart. In his column in the French version of Autosphere Mag, Therrien offers the following advice: “Don’t work on a ‘plan B’ or a ‘plan C’ during a crisis. Have those plans in place long before.”
So perhaps now is a good time to think about potential challenges we might face in the coming months, and perhaps now is the right time to focus on our own “plan B and C” so that we can weather future uncertainties, until our bumpy ride is over, and we no longer have to ask, “Are we there yet?”