What
We Can Learn From The Dodo Bird
By Brandon Brown, CFI
Regional Loss Prevention Manager
The Dodo bird of the 17th century, was actually a winged
creature that did not have the ability to fly. Some
attribute its inability to fly to food source abundance.
Over time, it was that inability that contributed to the
animals scarce population levels and ultimately it’s
extinction. An animal that got too comfortable and
complacent. Sounds familiar.
The landscape of the Loss Prevention industry is
changing quickly. So quickly, that if we are not
currently preparing for the changes, we will become
extinct as well. Today we face an economic climate that
is responsible for swallowing music stores, book stores,
and neighborhood businesses. It’s sights squarely upon
more of the services and companies we have grown
accustomed to. The US Postal Service recently announced
an end to its Saturday delivery service and is
feverishly treading water, with electronic mail delivery
and private shipping entities favored by most. Change is
inevitable, and we see it everyday across all
industries. As loss prevention professionals, we work
for public and private corporations, for franchisees,
for family owned small businesses, for financial
organizations, etc. Regardless of the type or size,
these organizations must continue to adapt and evolve or
they will otherwise eliminate themselves from the
market. But this not only applies to the organizations
themselves, but to us individually and collectively as
loss prevention professionals. Preparedness ensures
survival.
Gone are the days of solely relying on what you think
you do best. Interviewing, investigating, auditing,
training, etc. These are things that all loss prevention
professionals should be proficient at, but in today’s
climate, technology and ingenuity have paved the way to
instant information access as well as outsourcing
opportunities. Solution providers that offer more for
less. Take the small business owner for example. He
needs a solution to his loss prevention problems. But
why should he hire you? Maybe he needs to create an
audit, there’s now an “app” for that. Perhaps he needs
an interviewer, he can hire one among the hoards that
are available a la carte, or better yet, he can take a
webinar for less than what he pays in dry cleaning per
month and learn the craft himself. He may need a
restitution or civil demand solution, in which case he
can secure a vendor or read up on the laws in his state
and do it himself. Perhaps he needs an investigation
completed? There are hundreds of investigative
consultants ready to answer his call and for a fraction
of the price of what a full time loss prevention
professional would cost. On-boarding, awareness
training, coaching, inventory management, etc. The list
goes on and on. We live in an information rich age. If
problems exist, owners and company executives can learn
the solution to that problem themselves, or outsource it
at a reasonable cost. These options aren’t limited to
small business. The same learning opportunities or
outsourcing options are available for large corporations
as well, lets not be naïve. The time is now, to
integrate yourself into the wave of change, and to add
value to not only your organization, but to yourself.
Now before all the independent consultants and vendors
start to get comfortable, realize that the evolution of
technology will affect you as well. With technological
advances, comes a hunger for automation. Most business
professionals value time as much as they do money. If
you’re a consultant, why should they employ your
services , often time consuming and cumbersome, when
there’s a faster, cheaper way of getting the information
they need through technology and networking? If you’re a
technology solutions provider, how relevant will your
product be in 3 years? If you think your business is
sustainable for the long haul without constant evolution
and adaptation, your mistaken. Pay homage to the VHS
recorder on your way out.
I, as you, need to be concerned, stay focused, and
evolve. I understand that more needs to be done to
diversify my skill set. To add value to my organization
and myself, above and beyond the task oriented
fundamentals that we as loss prevention professionals
are built upon. But since this is a thought challenge,
then I challenge you to think. Are you learning a new
skill? Training yourself in the latest technology?
Investing in your continuing education? Learning other
sides of the business? Are you exploring your own
business ventures, or pursuing your own dreams? Stop
putting it off until tomorrow. That day may never come.
Somewhere, a 15 year old computer prodigy is creating
the next big thing to replace what you provide for your
company. I suggest diversifying your skill set before he
or she secures a domain name. As the Dodo bird has shown
us, becoming complacent, comfortable and naïve will
certainly end in our extinction. Lets start a loss
prevention evolution, shall we?
Think big.
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