A company’s success or failure is ruled by many factors, not all of which are controllable. These include resource allocation, macroeconomic conditions, competitor behaviour, regulatory shifts, and technology advances. And when the chips are down, leaders are often faced with two basic choices: stick or twist. So what should you do?
Twist
Historical data and past experiences indicate that things aren’t going your way, and change is needed to continue achieving your mission and purpose.
What this means for the employee: In the short term it means ‘business as unusual’. Employees can find themselves in newly devised meetings and teams. There can be a tendency to feel anxious or exposed and question why certain actions are necessary. However, a renewed focus can also feel like a fresh start. And the extra effort, when coupled with results, can be extremely rewarding and bring teams closer together.
What this means for the enterprise: Pressure from leadership and shareholders is relieved through the knowledge that action is being taken. A renewed sense of accountability exists. And comfort zones have become uncomfortable. This can lower morale, but can also serve to separate the wheat from the chaff. Changing course with renewed vigour can yield better results for a company than maintaining the status quo, with or without negative external forces.
What the data says: Almost 90% of executives believe that agility within an organisation is critical for business success. One-half of all CEO’s and CIO’s agree that fast decision-making and execution are not only important but core to a company’s competitive standing.
The verdict: The ability to pivot is not only a success driver but a differentiator.
How Kalido can help: When fighting corporate headwinds, Kalido can help in multiple ways. It can bring your teams closer together, allowing them to form deeper connections. It can help you hire for newly created critical roles through matches and introductions. And it can give you a holistic view of the skills available to you, so you can form teams and deploy resources effectively. And Kalido does all of this through an environment that supports private networking, communication, and collaboration.
Stick
Competitive or economic factors that affect a business are out of your control. Expending energy on things beyond your control is futile. So, be fearless in the face of adversity and stay the course that has delivered success so far.
What this means for the employee: In short, focus. Focus on what you’re good at and the projects you’ve been delivering for weeks, if not months. The uncertainty that comes with upheaval is removed, taking with it stress and anxiety. Explicitly communicating the decision to stick also comes with reinforced trust in the organisation and its strategy.
What this means for the enterprise: The employee and the customer don’t suffer. In times of uncertainty, rash decisions can negatively affect both of these parties in the medium to long term. This, in turn, can have severe ramifications for the enterprise, especially when coupled with external forces. All storms eventually pass, and more often than not, the sun comes out in their wake.
What the data says: More than 80% of companies have undertaken one or more change initiatives to improve agility over the past three years, yet 34% say they have failed to deliver the desired benefits.
The verdict: Change initiatives, while a natural reaction, are often unsuccessful. So, don’t waste the energy, unless you know you can deliver the change.
How Kalido can help: Whether it is hiring, skill discovery, communication or collaboration – Kalido can help. Through the power of a private network, you can form teams, build deeper connections and foster collaboration. Even if you are maintaining the status quo, Kalido can help you do what you do well, better.
Predictably, there is no hard and fast answer as to whether in times of uncertainty you should change tack or carry on regardless. The reality is, we stick and twist every single day on decisions large and small that affect us, our loved ones, our colleagues and our companies. But the call you or your company makes should be done by weighing up the pros and cons of doing so, and by addressing only the things you can control.