In a very short amount of time, everything has changed. there is Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity. However, with this and other previous crises, a new normal is going to happen. I call it ‘Next Normal’. While it’s hard to predict how long the crisis will last, one thing is certain, the other side of the crisis will not look the same. We can all agree that there will be dramatic restructuring of economic and social order in this transition to Next Normal.
The key question is: What can we do to prepare for the Next Normal?
Our approach to this crisis can be:
- Close our eyes and Go with the flow. Reactive approach.
- Choose our response and Lead in crisis. Proactive approach.
Like Viktor E. Frankl famously said, “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
So, we have the power to choose our response, our destiny and our future. And I assure you that the future is bright. Winners are born from crisis. We need to focus energies on our circle of influence and not on circle of concern. I believe that this crisis presents tremendous opportunity to Reimagine, Reinvent and Reform the current state of affairs.
Let’s go invent tomorrow rather than worrying about what happened yesterday – Steve Jobs
I believe that the future belongs to the people and businesses who understand disruption and leverage disruption to win. The next normal is about Effectiveness, not Efficiency. The next normal is leading and not managing. The next normal is doing the right things, not doing things right. The definition and achievement of next normal is connected to understanding the current situation, charting an aspiration blue print and embarking on transformation roadmap with clarity and alignment.
Let’s pause here to discuss aspiration blueprint and transformation roadmap.
Aspiration Blueprint:
Setting bold aspirations and establishing a sense of urgency is the first step in successful transformation journey. It is important for people and businesses to go back to drawing board and understand the current situation. From one side this crisis brought a lot of pain, at the same time it is making us think different and breaking a number of well-established paradigms. The severity of this crisis is pushing us to rethink our value proposition and reengineer value delivery.
Guiding Purpose: The secret to living the dream is hidden in the purpose and passion and what we do because of them. Purpose acts as a lighthouse to guide in the journey to excellence. So, the story about purpose goes like this about two bricklayers. A traveler came visited two men working laying bricks. He asked the first person what he was doing and the person said he was laying bricks. He asked the second person what he was doing and the person said he was building a cathedral. If you think about it, they both were doing the same thing. The first man had a job. The second man had a calling. We may be laying bricks every day, but if we can envision cathedral, a higher calling and purpose to our work, we are living a meaningful life. Now, the purpose becomes a rallying cry to create change for all stake holders.
Winning Capability: Winning capabilities are combination of abilities, qualities and experiences that enables us to achieve excellence. We have many capabilities in our ecosystem that are hidden and we are not paying attention. I call them “Embedded Value”. I take an example of a diamond ring that has the main diamond; however, it has many other smaller diamonds. Our eyes are normally fixated on the big diamond. Same thing applies to people and businesses. Now is a great time to understand our capabilities to excel in this market.
Exciting Opportunity: Before you can see an opportunity, you have to be looking for opportunity. To understand the exciting opportunity, we need to gather, analyze & apply market trends, competition and customer information for confident decision making. While guiding purpose and winning capability are the ‘Content’ of the aspiration blueprint, exciting opportunity is the ‘Context’. If Content is King, Context is the Kingdom.
Transformation Roadmap:
Now, as the aspiration blue print is ready, it is time to chart a detailed roadmap to achieve the vision. While a long term vision is important, it is key to define concrete short and medium term objectives to achieve the grand vision. Transformation roadmap defines simple steps to put aspirations into action. Having planned, clear and visible within reach objectives greatly supports in setting pace, momentum and motivation. The result is significant value creation and waste reduction.
Last but not least, leadership is critical during these times of crisis. Change happens when, leaders personally own, model, advocate sense of urgency, shared vision, broad based action & anchor change. Step up!
Stay safe and stay blessed.
Cheers.