What if Harry had never attended Hogwarts?
What if Luke was still living with his aunt and uncle on Tatooine?
What if Frodo never left the Shire?
Then our villain would have been - inaction - not Voldemort, Darth Vader, or Sauron. Great stories have great endings because someone decided to stand up and do something to overcome the struggles, hardships, and obstacles in their life. The hero did not wait and see or shy away from a challenge. They faced their fears, embraced failure, and fought to win.
In our blog last week (see 7 Keys to Build Back Better), a very specific plan of ACTION was shared as a guide to help you Build Back Better. With all the uncertainty surrounding the current environment, the purpose was to support you in taking control of your future. But what about those of you who are "waiting to see what happens", or "aren't sure what your prospects and customers need right now" or ask "how can I do anything when I'm just trying to survive"?
Here are a few things to consider if you choose inaction:
1. Inaction prevents growth – One thing is certain… if survival is most important, taking action improves your chances of surviving. Dale Carnegie once said,
"Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy."
As we recently shared, client retention IS the new acquisition. What are your current customers doing to prepare for when THEIR customer demand returns? Have you helped them think about strategy and best practices, and how you can specifically support the acceleration of THEIR revenue?
2. Rise to the challenge - Momentum comes through actions, so do something that moves you forward. Even a small act is significant. If what your business delivered prior to COVID was valuable, it could be even MORE valuable now. In his book, The Infinite Game (a great read by the way), Simon Sinek refers to a concept called "existential flexibility".
"If you're not willing to blow up your own company, the market will blow it up for you,"
said Sinek. "Companies think about flexibility, but it's often defensive, not offensive. Be willing to make a profound strategic shift, and [take a] short-term loss, to stay in the game. If you have a just cause and trusting teams,…people will understand why you're doing it and agree."
3. Time – What are you doing with it? - As Tom Peters says,
"Being good is a stupid idea. The only thing that counts is that you are getting better at a more rapid rate than your principal competitors. You see, it's real simple, if you are not getting more, better, faster than they are getting more, better, faster, then you are getting less better or more worse."
Right now, your competitors are counting on inaction. You see, many economists believe the overall pie will be much smaller when we fully recover, so our ability to capture a bigger piece is all the more urgent to our sustainable growth. Historically, we've had the money to invest in the skills of our team, our leaders, and our future, but something for which we never had time. Now the opposite is true…we have plenty of time, but funding may be a challenge. If you want to gain a sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace, you MUST be a learning organization.
Now is the time for action. Now is the time to be better than before. Now is the time to invest in your team and invest in your growth. Now is the time to build back better. Inaction…that's the real villain, and it will be your demise.
We're all struggling these days. So, how will you write your next chapter? At Butler Street, we are taking action and are prepared to help you and your growth with relevant and affordable virtual offerings. Contact us to set up a time to discuss what actions you will take to Build Back Better.