Running lean can make you mean.
Whether we have a lot of cash on hand or not, we need to be a company or department that runs lean. Besides the obvious benefit of being responsible with spending, there's a far greater benefit related to ideas and innovation.
If there's one thing that having a lot of money can do to a company, it is to tempt people to be too laid back and satisfied. Any of us that remember when we had to struggle for every cent in a business, know how we would struggle and push to drive ideas in our people and ourselves to make the business a success.
Being lean is far more than being responsible with handling money, it's a way of thinking, the culture of a business and how you lead.
As Steve Jobs said once: "Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. It's not about money. It's about the people you have, how you're led, and how much you get it."
