You need something more than inspirational platitudes to recover from the massive disruption created by this pandemic. Sadly, most business professionals are merely “treading water” until indicators arise that signal what “next” will be, so they can begin re-building their new chapter. This passive response is a costly mistake that can easily result in becoming less relevant to customers and/or employees.
In recent months we’ve all seen (yes, even your employees and customers) how government and businesses have been forced to react in radically different ways to responds most quickly and effectively to chaos and changing needs. When the dust settles, and it will, you can be sure that going back to any obsolete ways of operating will be rejected – by employees and customers alike.
Do you think your competitors are just idling so that you can both jump back in where you left off? Don’t bet on it.
The better action to take is to strategically initiate a new, improved way of doing business. Notice how the consistently successful companies (those who have effectively adapted over the long term) pivot in anticipation of where the shift moves. Having been behind-the-scenes with them during turbulent times such as these, we’ve seen them initiate crucial discussions regarding the evolving circumstances, such as “What could our customer/employee experience be?” and “What frustrates our customers/employees most often?”
Now is the perfect time to “future-proof” your business – establishing proven approaches to being agile and leading the turnaround rather than desperately trying to return to what no longer works. Building off the momentum of this business shift can help involve employees (and, therefore, improve engagement) to innovate any existing shortcomings (and, therefore, improve your customer experience, satisfaction, and loyalty), and address ways to optimize your business operations (to improve your bottom-line financials).
Yes, the change has been forced upon us all, but you can use this as an opportunity to create a new competitive advantage. Those who are best engaged – in tough times or good times – actually thrive in all circumstances.
Make this comeback the “best ever” chapter in your company’s history…with some strategic agility!
To help you get a jump on your competition, World Class Benchmarking has tools to effectively position your company for success. Visit our curriculum overview when you check it out here.
We also have created online tools that allow for virtual learning. You can see a sampler overview our Excellence & You online modules on enabling agility. Here’s the link – check it out:
