Can we talk about the ‘C-word’? No, not COVID-19. In truth, we want to talk about several ‘C-words’. We often ask new clients, “what is the single biggest challenge to your business either in terms of the model or proposition?” The answer is almost always ‘change’ (our first C-word). The natural line of questioning from here would involve asking, “who heads up your change department?” But, of course, we know the answer to this is no one and that no such standalone department exists.
The reality is that change management is seen as part of strategy and responsibility for it, along with a whole host of other competing priorities, falls to the C-suite. But without a dedicated representative and resource, does change management really get the creative thinking and attention it warrants as one of the greatest challenges (and also, we’d add, the greatest opportunities) faced by many businesses?
This has been a preoccupation of ours at NEO for some time now, but it is more prevalent right now what with change and adaption emerging as the greatest themes in everyone’s lives.
‘Think creative’ to take back control and effectively manage change
Most people have been forced to modify virtually every aspect of their day-to-day existence by current events, which has certainly heaped discomfort upon an already uncomfortable situation. What’s even more disconcerting is that nobody really seems to know what comes next. Certainly not for sure. There is likely to be a bit more of us being buffeted about as the situation evolves and more change is necessary. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. You can take comfort from the idea of taking back some control (our second C-word) by planning your own business’s ‘exit plan’ from current events or, considering nobody knows exactly what normal is going to look like after this period, by preparing various ‘exit plans’. Before you get bogged down in the practicalities, though, this could just be your opportunity to ‘think creative’ (our third and another excellent C-word) and beyond mere plans and tactics to determine a whole new strategy and position. What position do you want to inhabit at the end of all this? Use this as your starting point. Then work back from here to provide yourself with the best route map or various routes to give yourself the best chance of achieving your aims. Those businesses that do this, and early on, will emerge stronger. This has proven to be the case time and again. You just need to take a look at past socio-economic schisms like depressions and recessions for evidence of the businesses that survived and how they did this. There are plenty of them.
Adapting a business position takes a great many things including bravery. Bravery to let go of the usual, perhaps your usual ways of doing and seeing things. Bravery to not only think outside your ‘box’ but to reimagine it and on your terms. We can support you with this, but where we can add real value is in helping you to extend your insight, unleash your imagination for what is possible and demonstrate how this can then be delivered in practical terms. We’ll apply our creative thinking to enable you to ‘think creative’ to effectively manage change, to take control of your position, your offering and how you communicate this.
If you have a B2B brand challenge we can help you ‘think creative’ about, get in touch for a free 20-minute Zoom consultation. Email [email protected] to get in touch.