Transform & Grow

BLOG – #1 – 301220 – Planning for Change

Four years ago, Brexit became a reality and the countdown started on the time we all had to prepare for the business change ahead of us. Much uncertainty existed then (and to a certain extent still exists today) about what Brexit would mean for our businesses – but uncertainty does not mean that planning for change cannot happen.

Afterall planning is not an exact science, it is just our best estimation, backed up by the data we have to hand, as to what approaches and activities we are going to undertake in order to achieve the business objectives we have set.

Coping with Change

In my experience, people deal with uncertainty differently. Some of us are more comfortable with it than others, and this makes it easier for them to set out strategies and business plans even when much is unknown and liable to change. Others, will be less eager to start laying down plans until they have more information and data that they feel they can rely on – and this got me starting to wonder about how many businesses might have put off planning for the impact of Brexit until the beginning of 2020?

And then, out of the blue we are all hit with the impact of a global Pandemic. Who could have foreseen that one coming, and who (apart from maybe those in the health sector) would have included scenario planning for that in their annual business planning cycle?   Surely not those of us in retail, hospitality, sports, the arts, the beauty industry . . . . . .

One thing is for sure, whether we have reached the point of accepting it or not, life and business as we knew it only 12 or so months ago has changed, our customers have been forced to ‘consume’ our goods and services in a different way, and businesses are having to re-think business models in order to continue to deliver on their customer promise, and adapt to changing consumer requirements and behaviours.

Outlook

Depending on your viewpoint, the situation we all find ourselves in today, could be seen as a threat or an opportunity. Yes, these are challenging times, and I absolutely accept that for huge numbers of businesses the unforeseen constraints and restrictions imposed on them have made it impossible for them to carrying on doing what they were doing.

However, for those businesses who are still struggling to find a way through and who are continuing to trade and overcome the threats, I hope you can find the time and space to consider what new opportunities may exist for your business and what you need to be doing differently in order to tap into them.

Change is never easy and oftentimes we put off dealing with change far longer than we should – we put it in the ‘too difficult bucket’, to be dealt with later, when we have more energy, time, resource to focus on it.

But in these unprecedented times, where we find ourselves in a business environment which has changed rapidly and with little warning, we have little choice but to innovate and adapt.

So, if you have not already started on this journey, I encourage you to take the first steps and set out your vision and your roadmap for transforming your business.

Contact me today on 01702 879548 or drop me an email enquiries@harley-west.com.