Navigating the stormy seas of change

How does a business swamped by the stormy sea's of change survive and get through the other side, still on course, and with all its crew and passengers alive and safe enough to tell the tale?

Or are you more like the ancient mariner, driven by the storm into unknown waters that have becalmed you and the business. There you sit 'as idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean'.

There's a lot written about how fast things are changing. From the ongoing impact of the storm that is the pandemic seen in things like the move towards hybrid working and consumers changing buying habits, to the disruption from the 'digital' winds of change like our use of data, the simplification of buyers journeys and automation in pretty much every industry you can think of.

It's fair to say those of us that have been around for a while have never seen anything like it, and likely never will again. And those that are new to business are growing up in a data driven and technologically enabled age that democratises business to a level never seen every before.

Seemingly almost anyone with internet access can become an entrepreneur or business overnight. with very little in the way of investment, businesses built around personalities are proliferating. Content creators and Influencers abound.

I'm here to say, all is not lost!

We've been collectively handling situations like this in business for decades. It's faster now for sure. And it's the pace that can catch us out. But you'll remember that old mantra of 'Form, Storm, Norm and then Perform? Thats been around since the 60's!

Many of the staples of change management designed through the last couple of decades still apply. This is a great example from Smart Sheets.

Anyone familiar with Agile Methodology will recognise these steps and its pretty easy to apply them to your businesses situation too.

Put really simply, any business affected by what's going on and feeling a little lost or even floundering, needs to think of the following steps.

1. Deconstruction

The process of understanding what's going on in your business and where is fact is it that you want to navigate to? What are the critical business issues that need to be resolved. Drill into and beyond the apparent problems, until you get to the actual problems. Then plot the course to where you want to be.

2. Plan

Now come up with the plans that will take you to where you want to be. Like all plans, they should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant to your business and timed so that they don't drift.

3. Build

Make things happen. Develop those new products or processes. Introduce new systems and start making changes.

4. Measure

Don't just leave your changes to chance. Understand what's right, and whats not working. As you progress through this process, you'll understand more about your market and your products.

5. Learn

This is the key takeaway. Using your assumptions and then the data from the changes you made to your business, LEARN. Adapt and adjust you, your company and your offering driven by the data and the insight it provides.

And finally, if it all still seems a bit daunting, talk to someone like me who can help you navigate through the current difficulties into clear blue water, and a new world full of riches and success.