Cast your mind back to November of 2008.

Unlike many political commentators I suspect your memory of the time is vivid, filled as it was with layoffs, plummeting investments, layoffs, negative profits, layoffs, the failure of huge financial institutions and layoffs.

One might almost think something important went on back then.

When you have a flat tire, do you:

A. Keep driving, complaining about how bumpy the road is?

B. Pump air into the tire and hope it won’t leak out this time?

C. Bolt on a new axle?

D. Repair or replace the tire?

In far too many companies the answer is, for some reason, “Anything but D.”