The great Pivot

A lot has been discussed about adaptability and change and the buzzword that tends to go along with it (and the book title, I think - disclaimer, I've never read it...). Nothing sums up in 2 syllables what organizations and people have had to do in the past month quite as well. Everyone has had to pivot.

When we think of the word itself outside of the context of a business or organization, we (I... I actually can't speak for anyone else) tend to think of basketball (You can't take a step, but you have to swing your body to get the ball to another player) or that one episode of FRIENDS. In both cases, you can see how the PIVOT is useful - keeping one foot planted (or one end of the sofa) you swing around like the counter end of a Skip-It. It seems pretty simple, but it is extremely important to remember the first part of my description: Keeping one foot planted.

We often celebrate when people or companies seem to hop 180 degrees 'overnight' to become an entirely different organization altogether, but that is not realistic for many or most of us. Being able to keep part of the organization planted while another part swings into a new place is what makes a pivot work.

Office workers have become remote workers who are now part of 'distributed teams' and are navigating the world of working away from each other and the office. Some public workers have shifted to tasks that are needed to support those on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Restaurants have had to figure out how they can keep the doors open by offering curbside service or delivery. One that particularly impressed me, but did not surprise me, was Chick-Fil-A. I frequent one that is a couple of miles from my home.

Now, most quick service chains have switched to drive-through-only models - they were already equipped for it. But have you ever analyzed the CFA drive-thru against other mainstays in the industry? They do it better. They have more resources/people in the chain and even juggling duel ordering lines they don't get mixed up or frazzled. In the case of 'my' CFA, they have pivoted and are now a drive-through restaurant (different from being a restaurant with a drive through...)

To excel at the 'new way of doing things', they have made only a few changes, ut the experience has become a great one. For starters, they just shut down their parking lot. That caused traffic to be awful in 3 places in the shared parking lot they occupy. It was dicey, as people coming in were waiting in one of three lines and had to use the honor system to make up for skewed understandings of right-of-way (don't get me started on how people around here do at 4-way stops...). The last time I went, the entire operation had changed. Instead of employees parking in the closed lot and adding to the in and out confusion, the lot has become staging space for the people in line for the drive through. They have clearly marked the lanes/path from the entrance (that is just wide enough to be a 2 lane in/out space) around the closed parking spaces to the entrance of the drive through. There are clearly cones down the one side that make an exit lane once you've received your meal.

This location's experience has gone from a big Oops in the first days of the shut-down to a well-designed experience that understands the different needs of the drive-through-only model. The lines may be longer, but there are plenty of mask-wearing staff to take care of the increased numbers in a timely manner. They have successfully pivoted and are now functioning as they need to right now.

How are you pivoting to meet the needs of your people and your customers? How is your business setting itself up to thrive, despite all that is thrown at you? How can your processes be adapted to help show that you are ready for whatever is next?

I hope everyone is safe and doing what you can to stay healthy. I also hope that your organizations have been able to pivot as much as they can to keep business going and people employed. Times are different than they've ever been and the ability to make lasting change is needed more than ever!