Change is Inevitable. Change is Constant.

“This is a formative time for you in which you realize that the conventional ways of doing things aren’t working anymore. Spread the word.” This statement was part of my horoscope this morning. Yes, I do read my horoscope daily albeit I do so only because it makes me think. I find it enjoyable, unlike the news of the day. And sometimes it has me asking myself ‘what if’ questions, especially if today’s horoscope would be something I wish would be true.

Possibly you may not be superstitious. Yet, you think twice about a black cat crossing your path. Or you may cringe if you break a mirror. And certainly, you’ll walk around a ladder instead of walking under it. You may not be superstitious but you may think, why take a chance in creating bad luck for myself when I can easily avoid a situation?

I have similar thoughts when reading my horoscope. If it states that something great will happen if I close a deal today, sure I’ll see if I can make that come true. As well, if the message is to avoid something that day, I’ll most likely heed that advice. More so, I do love things that get me thinking as thought spur creativity and innovation. At times it enables me to see things in a different light, outside the box, if you will.

Today my horoscope has reinforced my thoughts about the strategy and action plans necessary from which to move from pandemic-related challenges as well as from shifts in the way business had been conducted before the pandemic. Essentially, many of the conventional ways of doing things aren’t working anymore. Yes, changes are necessary not only to survive, but also to thrive.

“Change is inevitable. Change is constant.” Benjamin Disraeli

Through the pandemic, change had been looked at as the New Normal. Before we dive into how the New Normal had quickly become the norm, I’d like to spur some thought regarding change with two questions:

How are you currently handling change? How will you handle change moving forward?

Maybe if we take look at the definition of change, it may help better understand change:

change (verb) — 1. make (someone or something) different; alter or modify. 2. replace (something) with something else, especially something of the same kind that is newer or better; substitute one thing for (another).

Change, has changed!

In the past, business leaders predicted threats and planned responses with a risk-management strategy. Today, however, the nature of risk itself is different… It’s right upon us, and repeatedly at that! Change, in and of itself has changed. Instead of a single occurrence, change has become a fluid, recurring event. As such, change has become constant.

Changes being implemented today to survive will continue to be necessary through recovery and beyond. Most likely, repeated change will be key to future success as customers and clients will become accustomed to changes and look for them to continue. This will be the case even if it means changes are to run alongside what was once viewed as standard operations.

For example, think about the focus over the past two years on take-out & delivery in the restaurant industry. Customers are now expecting these welcomed additions to continue long after standard operations have resumed. So, what was described as the New Normal is now normal.

Actually, these additions to the business model have helped many businesses to recover faster, going from surviving to thriving as processes have been perfected and improvements have been made along the way. On the flip side, businesses that had considered the shift as a temporary solution for the times, have either continued to struggle, or have already closed their doors.

A proactive approach to change is key.

As businesses continue to face, seemingly one challenge after another, many have settled into a perpetual survival mode. Unfortunately, that will hurt more in the long run than the very challenges believed to be the sole reason for diminishing sales & profits.

Are these businesses just putting off the inevitable by essentially having become complacent and numb to recurring challenges? Most likely, yes. But it’s not too late to act in a proactive manner. Adjusting to challenges, offsetting or making drastic changes is the right strategy — one that is more inclined to work than just reacting. Often, just reacting is often too late.

Business owners must [always] be thinking about the next steps in addressing challenges, lest they fall short and lose the war (long-term survival) despite winning battles (short-term survival) along the way. In a world of constant change, non-adaptive behavior is inevitably a kiss of death for many businesses. Quite frankly, I’m very tired of the funerals!

Have a great day. Make it happen. Make it count!