I’ve been talking about the “perpetual whitewater” of inevitable change in the business world ever since my grad school days.
And, as I’ve gone from corporate to entrepreneur, those rapids have only seemed to get more intense. Today, it’s nearly impossible to keep up with the swiftness of change all around. In fact, it’s the number one complaint I hear from business owners: “How do we keep up with all this craziness?”
In reality, it’s more than just continuous change; it’s the fickleness of the marketplace. We all want something new, different, bigger, better than last week’s thing. With that, comes a nervousness in business. Are we making the right choices? Are we giving our customers what they want before they even know they want it? How can our business partners ever hope to keep up?
Well, when you claim to know everything, you might as well admit to knowing nothing.
This is where the finger pointing comes in. If your clients, customers, or partners view you as the all-knowing Oz, then there’s going to be a big problem for you whenever there’s a *blip*.
You are in the hot seat: Are you the right man or woman for the job…or might it really be team of people that can better share the burden? Of course, the problem with bringing in more resources can be a money issue, time issue, or both. The best any of us can do is to balance the requirements ahead with the resources we have at hand.
Aspire to be a capable guide–an expert whitewater paddler, who can lead a boat full of people, all of whom are also paddling as fast as they can. It’s your job to set the overall goals and figure out which direction makes the most sense to take. It’s a mistake, however, to think that the waters will ever be calm or that you’ll be able to paddle all by yourself.
As you well know, the only constant is change. And, in this scenario, that change is happening fast! We all act differently under stress. My advice is simply to look ahead, scan the horizon as much as you can, and just keep on paddling. Avoid the finger pointing and get everyone on the team involved in the big picture. More often than not, it’s easier to make a course correction than to start all over. Don’t be afraid to remind people of that.
What will really make your position in the raft secure? Adaptability to change and flexibility during the unexpected.
And, so, in an effort to help you during this time, I’m offering a FREE, 1-on-1 Clarity.fm call for 20-minutes. Just contact me for details: olga [at] chunkofchange [dot] com. Seriously. I’m here to help!
