Do you have Zombie’s in your company?
Consider..., Zombie’s move forward at the same slow pace, even while under attack. The loss of a vital organ will not spur a Zombie to change direction or move any faster. Zombie’s do not notice the loss of a limb, and when a living thing gets close, the Zombie will be interested only long enough to sap its strength before continuing on down the same path as before, unchanged and undisturbed.
Are there Zombie’s in your company? Do you have Zombie’s working for you?
Regularly assessing your business, the people who are that business, as well as the world around you is critical to success. The onset of new technology, new marketing strategies, and new communication techniques often appear quickly and if you are not keeping pace, your market can disappear ahead of you.
Is your current path forward based on a hunch rather than having a vision, alignment and a strategic execution of the plan? Perhaps you feel you are ahead of the curve and don’t need to change. Perhaps you don’t feel you need anything new to maintain the success you enjoy today. Perhaps you wonder why change for tomorrow what does not appear broken today. Maybe you know you need to change, but do not know how to attach it!
In May 2016, Nokia’s CEO ended his speech saying this “we didn’t do anything wrong, but somehow, we lost”.
In fact, Nokia didn’t do anything wrong in their business, however, the world around them changed too fast and Nokia not only missed the opportunity to make it big, they lost their chance of survival. I wonder if Nokia had been evaluating their company, market and technology on a regular basis would they have been blindsided by their competition.
There are eighteen (18) different areas that each company needs to continually evaluate to remain competitive and know what to be working on and when. Nokia’s opponents had pivoted and adapted to changing needs and trends. If you don’t change or at least adapt, you will be removed from the game. To continually assess, change and improve your company, career or yourself is part of “growth”.
Think of your career or company as a barrel of water. You must always check the staves to make sure that they are all water tight and not broken. You can only raise the water level to the level of the weakest stave. You can keep adding water (money) but to no avail.
Paying attention to each stave and addressing any changes before failure will help you keep in front of the curve. You do not want to report to your stakeholders that “you did nothing wrong but still lost”. Their reply might be that they agree with the beginning of your statement. “You did nothing”.
How does your business measure up? If you don’t really know, how can?you really improve? An experienced Business Coach can help identify the eighteen (18) key areas to assess.
A Zombie would walk by the barrel at the same slow pace every day, even while water is pouring out, and see nothing. A division or office may close down and even that would not spur a Zombie to change direction, adjust, pivot or move any faster.
Even when a solution gets close, the Zombie will be interested only long enough to see the challenge, and then continue on down the same path as before, unchanged and undisturbed.
It can take courage, strength and determination to make changes or champion a new direction. But when you do, you will feel empowered with new energy.
This is your chance to make your mark. You know that you were meant for more. Make the switch from hunches to metrics. Awaken the entrepreneur inside you. It all starts with a conversation.
Derek Millar
Management & Business Coach
Rhapsody Strategies