It’s time to make the critical shift from leading the business by yourself to leading an organization of people. At P2Excellence, we help you navigate the uncharted territories of organizational growth with clarity and confidence.
This is the last post in our Business Disruption series, but an important one. In large part, much of our disruptions are fueled by the rapid changes in business technology. It seems like a short time ago when we were debating the merits of what is now necessity. We use our computers and mobile devices daily if not hourly to get our news, information and to conduct business.
How technology savvy are you? The plain and simple truth today is that if you are not a technology company, you will not thrive. That means more than using technology – it says that technology must be part of your strategy, it must be considered in your organizational design. You must think about technology in training your teams. You must drive it into every process. That’s not easy if you aren’t personally comfortable with your skill set, your“ mindset. If you aren’t a natural technology geek (and I’m not), it’s critical to set aside time weekly to gain knowledge and skill. Don’t think you can “get by” You can’t! Disruption is easier managed when you know your technology options.
What’s your personal modus operandi for managing disruption? Individually, we always have more power than we realize. We cannot always control disruption, but we can control ourselves. Be an activist, not a pacifist. Be curious about the world around you. Learn to balance patience and impatience. Create both strong outcome goals and be flexible about how you get there. Pay attention to “what is.” Learn where you can insert yourself, your responsibilities and your collaboration skills into your company’s big picture. Step up. Lean in.
What do your power partnerships look like? No one works in a vacuum. Within any business, we look to partnerships and collaborations to combine our strengths for greater outcomes. Business disruption and innovation requires us to reach outside the fixed power partnerships that we’ve grown accustomed to. Agility is key. We must be on the lookout for new combinations of skills and strengths in other partnerships. We need people and organizations that challenge us to move forward in positive and proactive ways. The very principles that worked for us and our companies in the past, may actually hold us back in the future. Embrace disruption for what it is. Stay alert to ways to adapt and evolve rapidly. Be bold.
Your daily five. Understanding disruptive trends begins by analyzing those disruptions. Ask yourself:
- What business am I in/will I be in (today, tomorrow, and next year)? What business should I be in?
- Who are my customers (internal and external), and how are they changing?
- How does my value proposition need to change? Is it dynamic and flexible? (Note, the question is not “Does my value proposition need to change,” but “How does my value proposition need to change.”)
- In the face of disruption, how have my competitors changed? What can I learn from them?
- The speed of change can be – is – unforgiving. How prepared are we/how prepared am I – every day – to be relevant and effective to the business and to stakeholders?
Disruption is undeniable. P2excellence specializes in the “people side of business” and we’re here to discuss how disruption can work for you and your business.
