The older we get, the faster time seems to go by. Regardless of speed, however, the years most certainly come with cycles, and we’re in the middle of one right now: the holiday cycle.
This time of year (and all year long), I like to take quiet moments to reflect on how businesses, including my own, can do better. With just a few weeks left in 2017, we all want to figure out how to finish strong and prepare ourselves for an even better year next year.
This forward planning is a bit burdensome, and often feels like it takes us off of our short-term focus, but it’s critical for companies that want to stay relevant and profitable. The only certainty in business and life is change – for that, I am grateful. And I think you should be, too. Here’s why …
Over the past two years, I’ve written two books on digital transformation with coauthor Olivier Blanchard. In both cases, we set out to explore the impacts of technology on the future of business. In both cases, we wound up writing books that talked a little bit about technology and a lot about culture and change. Why? Because, when we studied companies – ranging from small coffee shops to the world’s most prolific brands – we found that the ability to weather technological change was rooted in an organization’s culture and approach to adapting to change.
Identifying that change was the biggest catalyst in building a business that transforms to meet the needs of customers today – and on into the future. This provided a new lens that I could use on my own, but that could also be shared with companies of all shapes and sizes.
For integrators that like to use this time to consider what lies ahead, recognizing that adaptability is the first major step toward digital transformation provides the structure to move business forward with a new direction and purpose. Being able to adapt is the tool that sets your compass to find true north. Then, you can change course on your map, being certain to get where you want to go.
Like the seasons in my beloved home of Chicago, change comes fast and furious – no matter what your business is. Great years can be followed by average years (or bad ones). Sometimes, this is an unfortunate circumstance beyond our control. Often, however, it’s the lack of vision and business adaptability that throws us off our path and leads us to results that don’t match our expectations.
The good news? While change is scary for some, the companies that are do the best are those that embrace the power of change and use it to power their businesses forward. This is exactly why I’m so thankful for change. If you make being change-ready a bigger part of your strategy going forward, I believe that you will be, too.
Happy holidays! —Dan Newman, Cofounder of V3*Broadsuite