I look at the world and notice it turning.
A conversation starter from Combined Arms Consulting:
Points covered
- Thinking is far more important than blindly acting
- Consider all variables and anticipate even those variables you cannot directly control
- A plan will reduce the stress and anxiety of the unknown because at least you have a road map, which can consider giving you a degree of control
“While my guitar gently weeps, with every mistake we make we must be learning, While my guitar gently weeps.”
Great lyrics by a master songwriter, George Harrison. But apart from the enjoyment of the Beatles, what has this got to do with leadership in the 21st century?
As leaders, we tend to look at the world turning as passive observers. Why? Shouldn’t we put in place plans that prepare us for eventualities that might be on the horizon?
If we consider the current national discussion about fuel security and strategic reserves, the challenge Australia now faces, if we believe the media, which I do, it is now serious.
The tension in the Middle East since October 7, 2023, would have suggested that the possibility of a fuel crisis was on the horizon. Just look at history, the October 1973 fuel shock.
At a micro level, the same can be said about how leaders in the corporate world consider variables that are outside their immediate control that might, however, affect their operations.
I am in no way suggesting that an SME leadership group can impact the Middle East conflict, but what I can argue is that appreciating the potential impact of external factors on the medium to long-term viability of a business can at least be considered and planned for.
With respect to the above situation, did any of the large corporate users of diesel consider their own stockpiles? I do not know even if that was possible, but was that question asked months, if not years ago, in the corporate boardroom?
Work from home discussion is another planning conundrum, especially as it is very much in the public square. Have leadership groups consider the possible impact that would have on internal culture, training, recruitment, and other flow-on effects long before the legislation is even enacted. I hope so, but my experience in the university sector was that they were caught completely unprepared for COVID and the online teaching model, and by enlarge made a hash of it.
The one thing that work from home offers is that companies do have a somewhat relatively recent model to consider, the Covid approach to working from home.
Other debates and events that are currently playing out, immigration numbers, social cohesion, and others, although external to businesses, may have either a direct or indirect impact on a business’s operations and trajectory into the future.
Mark Twain once said, "History does not repeat itself, it rhymes". Consider the examples offered above.
The challenge leaders face today is that the focus is on the here and now; that is not new, it is a reality that we all address. As Stephen Covey noted, we address the urgent and important first, sometimes just the urgent.
We are comfortable with what we understand and what is directly in front of us. Henry Mintzberg saw this as putting out brush fires, rather than looking for the match that caused them.
Leaders, especially today, must take the time to think, to step back and consider all variables that may impact their operations, variables they have direct control over, and, as important, variables that are external to the business but would also impact.
Thinking is the most important skill that any leader can bring to a problem, but we are hard-wired to be seen to be doing something, even if we do not know why we are doing it.
Many of the leaders in the hi-tech organizations that dominate the world spend 20% of their time thinking, not doing for the sake of doing, just thinking. Musk is an exemplar of creating a future rather than being a servant to it.
So, what does all this mean?
- First off, stop what you are doing and set aside the time to ask why.
- Then divide up your world into three parts: what you can control, what you cannot control but will affect you, and what you cannot control and will not affect you.
- Define your strategy, what you stand for
- Then, and this is essential, set aside a dedicated time frame, ideally monthly, to review and plan your next 6-month period. It will be a rolling plan that will either confirm stated assumptions or review them in light of current and changing events.
- And above all ensure that this model becomes part of your corporate culture and that all members of the team, from the cleaner to the CEO, have bought into the plan and have had the opportunity to contribute, remember success is a team effort.
Creating this benchmark will alleviate the panic and emotional stress in challenging and changing times, because at least you have a road map to follow rather than doing it on the fly. It is called scenario planning; I call it common sense.
“I look at the world and notice it turning - While my guitar gently weeps”
Observe trends, do not be blinded by what is in plain sight, and anticipate and prepare, and just maybe, your organization will not gently weep.
Do you think this conversation is worth pursuing for your enterprise? Please reach out.
Asking questions never asked — Combined Arms Consulting