Many leaders are experiencing change fatigue. In this era, we are faced with product shortages, COVID concerns, employee shortages and much more. Just about the time you think you have a solution, the conditions change, and you must adapt again. This experience feels very chaotic and causes many to give up on planning. They become closed to new ideas, and reactive, expecting that our proactive strategies will have little impact.
However, the truth is the opposite. When you are in fast-changing and somewhat unpredictable situations, the more planning and strategy you practice the better able you will be to navigate in real time. By planning and developing long term strategies it provides you with insights into options and knowledge. Applying these strategies will guide decisions that must be made quickly.
The more unpredictable the environment, the more you will need to commit time to research. You will need to understand trends, options, and approaches before you know what will be needed. Training and exploring new ideas will be critical to quickly assess your situation and how the market has changed.
Further, exploring new ideas or approaches, and being able to respond appropriately, provides you with a sense of hope and purpose. It energizes us to try new strategies and challenge ourselves and our teams to innovate. Many times, as we realize we can accomplish things that before were not thought possible, it lifts our vision and increases our confidence.
Do not settle for the motto, “there’s nothing we can do”. There is always something you can do. Things such as learning, brainstorming, trying things that might not be perfect but that will create opportunity for movement. Leadership in changing times is not easy, but it is extremely rewarding when you guide your team through the changes to the end goal.
