When to Chase Squirrels [Instructions]

Happy New Year! 2022 here we come!

• New beginnings.
• New opportunities.
• New squirrels to chase.

And, perhaps a new hangover evicting 2021 last night…

The new year opens people’s minds and creativity – more so than any other time of the year. Let’s just say, there’s a lot of squirrel chasing that happens in Q1. Every leader seeks the pot of gold that will drive growth.

Here’s a fact.

The single driver of success in business demands staying focused and disciplined on the plan (you have a plan, right?). Execution & accountability remains a close second.

If you’ve spent any time around me, you know my favorite Russian proverb:

“A fox chasing two rabbits catches none.” 

I recite it time and time again to leaders to stay focused and work the plan. Yet, there are times to be opportunistic.

I was on a call this week with a client who has heard the fox saying many times. He’s an expert squirrel opportunist. Exasperated, he said, “But…when should you chase a squirrel?”

I guess I left that part out. 😳

5 Questions to Ask Before Squirrel Hunting

Yes, there are times to chase squirrels. I use these questions to evaluate if the squirrel is worth chasing:

1. Is the opportunity in the normal business flow? You don’t have to significantly adjust systems or process to accommodate the opportunity.
2. Is the opportunity with an existing customer? Good, known customers ease the process of delivering a new opportunity. Chasing squirrels with unknown hunters is dangerous.
3. Does the opportunity use existing resources? Don’t go buying a bunch of crap equipment you’ll fire sale later. If you are leveraging your existing infrastructure to pursue the opportunity, this is attractive.
4. Does it represent a potentially catastrophic event to your business? The company must be able to sustain the investment of mindshare, time and capital – even if the squirrel is underweight and can’t feed the troops. Keep dry gunpowder for the rainy days and the big battles worth winning (see #5).
5. Does it represent a meaningful impact to the company within the next 3 years? You only have so much bandwidth. Place the resources on the opportunities that will deliver meaningful results.

If the squirrel stands up to this test, go for it. 

Otherwise, stay focused on the plan. All other opportunities should go through a planning, competitive analysis and vetting process to ensure you can execute against the opportunity and that it represents a meaningful impact to the business.

In short, don’t mess up your core business chasing squirrels all year. But, don’t let golden squirrels run right by when you can knock them down.

To discipline, focus and execution in 2022!