As the world changes at a rapid pace our organizations must be agile. We need the ability to respond to sudden changes, to anticipate those that can be seen coming, and to know when to lean into strengths and when to pivot in new directions. Here are some strategies. Some of them may be ‘reminders’, others may be new ideas to consider, or resources to enhance your own approaches.
A changing world and unpredictability
- Strengthen relationships – as the African proverb goes: if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together. It has never been more important to have partners and focus on nurturing those relationships.
- Know your and your organization’s moral compass – when an organization is faced with a lot of competing pressures, having a strong consensus among leaders and staff will make the job of those who speak for the organization easier, and enhance its credibility.
- Strengthen ‘sense making’ skills – In a hyper-divided world, thoughtful conversation starters can help build desperately needed bridges. This is not new (It’s all about the questions) but an even more important strategy in the current moment. Irene Gujit and Judy Oakden provide some examples in a recent article: What are you seeing? What are the exceptions to the generalizations? What is surprising about what we are seeing or not seeing? Read more here.
- Use scenarios as one tool to take your organizations through the process of anticipating trends and strengthening the organization’s agility. Here are some examples: Scenarios Impact Works Associates – INGOs to 2038 and Thrive scenarios for resilient leaders Deloitte 2020
Pressures to redefine ‘political’
- When politics push to the forefront of daily life, even ‘staying out of politics’ as a leader can come across as a political choice. Writes Noa Gafi “The question isn’t whether to engage with politics — it’s how to do it authentically, in alignment with your business strategy and values.” That’s why knowing your organization’s values and moral compass is so important.
Re-orienting how we see the world and our potential collaborators
- Reflecting on her 10 year journey with We Robotics Sonja Betschart shares: “I had to let go of many of my underlying urges to control, to interfere, to “right the wrongs”. I had to remind myself how to always first take a step back, listen, and re-think.I had to learn to fully trust the infrastructure and always be true to the directionality set, even if they defeat my pre-set certainties and realities. You can see more of her 10 year learning posts here.
- Finding yourself a peer group sharing similar challenges or some ‘accountability buddies’ can help you to stay on a new path when the old habits try to pull you back (as they inevitable will :).
