Twenty Tips for Uncertain Times

Twenty Tips for Uncertain Times

Psst…We’ve always lived in uncertain times

You know, people talk about this being an uncertain time. You know, all time is uncertain. I mean, it was uncertain back in - in 2007, we just didn't know it was uncertain. It was - uncertain on Sept 10th, 2001. It was uncertain on Oct 18th, 1987, you just didn't know it.

We always live in an uncertain world. What is certain is that the United States will go forward over time.
-Warren Buffet

We’ve Always Lived in Uncertain Times

Seven keys to ready your company for persistent uncertainty

1. Increase organizational agility and adaptability
2. Know when to imitate the best and where to innovate something better
3. Master experimentation and the art of the fast fail
4. Operationalize continuous improvement efforts
5. Adjust as needed. Not every industry/market event requires sudden, massive course correction
6. Make listening, knowing, and understanding your people, your customers and your customers' customers the job of EVERYONE in leadership
7. Be intentional about diversity. Who's at the table? Every table. Every time. Do they all look like you, think like you, agree with you, make decisions like you, evaluate risk like you? If yes, find different people.

What now? Act or React.

Thirteen tips to move from reacting to proactively taking action

Most companies had to rapidly react to COVID impacts earlier this year. With the more next normals to come, are you prepared to ACT or REACT?

1. Reflect on lessons learned from the past six months - what has worked? what are you learning? where can you improve? what creative actions did you take in response to COVID that should be operationalized?

1. Refocus on your company purpose and values

2. Rebuild team morale - celebrate wins, both big and small; encourage and acknowledge the efforts of all

3. Rethink short and long-term priorities - don't ditch all long term plans even if that's your reflex

4. Reset strategic plans - year long roadmaps should be living guides that are revisited and adjusted as needed

5. Return to Revenue and prevent revenue leakage - by renewing your focus on Quote Accuracy, Workflow Approval, Pricing & Margin Control, Discount Governance, and Version Control

6. Auto Upsell/Cross Sell

7. Reimagine office and work-from-anywhere norms

8. Reevaluate how you listen to employees and customers, how you take action, and how you close the loop

9. Repurpose team members to roles with max customer value; everyone benefits by spending time working more closely with customers and/or those directly serving customers

10. Reuse effective ideas and leading practices to avoid reinventing every wheel - imitation isn't always a bad thing!

11. Recapture culture of innovation, imagination, creativity, and effective problem solving

12. Refine technology investment plans - to focus on max customer impact

13. Revisit sustainability practices - where can you do more?

Take strong, bold, decisive action to emerge from 2020 stronger and from each subsequent #nextnormal!

Need a visual prompt to remind you how to Move Away from Reacting to the Next Normals?