In our last blog, The Future of Business in a World with Coronavirus, we talked a lot about resiliency in the face of unprecedented change. We discussed embracing these changes and making them work for you. The blog was based on McKinsey & Company’s article 7 Predictions for a Post-Coronavirus World. It’s an interesting and thought-provoking piece about our “new normal,” and I recommend you read it yourself.
If there’s one thing I took away from the article it’s that the pandemic is reordering our world—in and out of the office.
Few things seem normal—so now might be the time to “disrupt” the way you do business. For example, in the past, you might have thought your overhead was too high for you to make changes. Many of you are being forced to shed that overhead now, so maybe the time for change is here.
You might be compelled to make changes you don’t want to make, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. You can make disruption work for you if you embrace a disruptive way of thinking.
Some thoughts on how to be disruptive (and embrace change):
- Silence prideful thoughts. Avoid thinking things like, “I spent 20 years building this company into what it is today, and I’m not about to change how we do business now.” Or “I hate the thought of having our products being sold online.” Do what you need to do.
- Ideas come to you in a whisper. That’s why you have to have clarity and calmness in a stormy time. Silence the crowd noise so you can hear what your experience and expertise are telling you. Get away from the office more often—even if it’s just a regular walk around the block.
- Ask yourself important questions. Consider these questions: “If money wasn’t an issue, I’d …” or “In a perfect world, I’d …” or “If I started all over again today, I’d …” Ask your customers what they think you should do. Ask your employees—they know your business better than anyone. Talk to people in other markets, and ask them what they are doing. Another good exercise is to write down 15, 25 or 40 ideas of what you can do now. It forces you to keep being creative.
- Target a need that isn’t being met. What is it that others in your industry are not doing or don’t want to do? Here’s an example: A client told me he’d hired a firm to sanitize his office. The company he hired is in the disaster restoration business, but they have pivoted and are offering sanitizing services—and are getting a premium for them.
- Identify your strengths. Evaluate your strengths, and play to those strengths. Know your limits, too, and be realistic. Don’t start building houses if you’ve never built a house. If you are going into a new area, maybe you shouldn’t compete head-on with an established player. Instead, consider what you can do to meet an unmet need in a new or existing area.
- Focus on the what—not the how. The “how” comes later. If you do both at the same time, you’ll think of lots of reasons not to do something. “What” is the most important first thing. Decide what you want to achieve, and then come up with a plan for how to achieve it.
- Just do it. Maybe you’ll have to start a small division that does something different or operates in a different way. Maybe that calls for a separate office. To be disruptive, you’re going to have to take risks.
- Look for setbacks and failures. With anything new, there are challenges and setbacks—especially when you first try something different. Expect some failure. Learn from it, and move on.
- Assess results, pivot as you learn and adjust. Stay agile. The future is uncertain in so many ways. Be ready and willing to make changes as necessary.
So much of what’s happening in our disrupted world is out of our control. Figure out what you can control, and act on that. That is how you will succeed in these uncertain times and do what you do better.