2 Questions: Taking Advantage of Potential

I've got two "management-esque" questions for you. I'll set it up like this:

There is a lot of potential right now for growth, improvement... profit... like a tightly wound spring. Take stock prices, for example. This is bargain basement business right now. A buyer's market. Look at Citigroup ( C ). This is a stock that was consistently trading at $50. It dropped to around $1, got rescued and now, well, it looks to be headed back from whence it came. 

Of course, it's an analogy that I'm pointing at here. 

Companies have shaken things up, right? They've thinned out their rosters (hopefully they've kept their high potentials), they've moved some money around. They might be feeling a financial squeeze, but when it comes to Human Capital, they've got some wiggle room. Didn't like the old management? Well... A spring thaw.

So, this is the big 'What's up?' It's one thing to ask, “what should a company be doing right now”. You can ask that anytime. It's a little broad. I want to know about 'taking advantage of potential'.

1) What should companies be doing to take advantage of this 'potential'?

2) Has your company done anything to take advantage? If so, what?