I seem to be striking a chord with folks this week with my posts on reinvention and recovery, so let's run with the theme -resilience!
Here's what I know - I always need to be careful. It can become all too easy to descend into the dangers of denial. I must jealously guard and protect my optimism, battle any inclinations toward negativity, and be cautious with the edges of reality. I should always be careful not to discount or dismiss ideas I do not understand. Most importantly, I must always remind myself of the fact that any of the remarkable progress and success I have been so fortunate to enjoy could disappear in but a heartbeat if I ever take for granted my reality.
I must ensure I always add to my fortress of resilience.
Resilience is an interesting concept - individuals and organizations learned a LOT as to what it means throughout Covid. They suddenly discovered that volatility was the new normal and that they had to develop the ability to recover quickly from all kinds of complex circumstances. Looking back, it's pretty clear that many lessons were learned as to how to deal with relentless volatility.
Think about it - your business will never be the same! Not your business model, structure, skills base, or any assumptions about your future. Everything has forever changed, and if you don't study the powerful lessons that leaders have adapted, you'll fall behind! Check this clip from a recent keynote I gave in Detroit last November, outlining how the axis of our global universe has changed. Have you aligned your leadership team to the powerful lessons learned?
I warned about the emerging era of 'volatility as the new normal over a year ago - and suggest that companies might have to go so far as to establish the role of the Chief Resilience Officer.
Here's what I said:
The world of cooperative commerce is breaking down, a victim of the global pandemic. And yet, that breakdown was already well underway pre-Covid a victim of rising economic trade nationalism. The events of the last year just might be the final trend to put a nail in its' coffin.,,,,global supply chains are badly broken, and it's only likely to get worse!
Nailed that trend!
If the world is going to continue to be more challenging going forward, resilience must be one of our core attributes, in addition to agility, speed, and flexibility. And a personal level, if we have achieved much through recovery, reinvention, and rebirth, we must jealously guard and regularly protect that which we have accomplished.
Because otherwise, we might slip back to where we were, rather than focusing on where we need to be going!