Succeeding in an Evolving Company

There is little doubt that working for a company during a period of innovation and rapid growth can be an incredibly motivating and exhilarating ride. Staff members in such companies are often provided with challenging roles and opportunities to develop with cutting edge procedures, ideas and technologies and the office floor is constantly abuzz with a humming energy that feels like success. However being a part of a company during such an evolution is not always a positive experience with the ever-present risk of moving goalposts, time and budget critical outcomes, and constantly changing reporting chains and organizational structures amongst a long list of hurdles that can quickly chew up and unprepared.

Changing Mindsets

Few companies have embraced evolution and innovation with as much enthusiasm as Virgin with the ethos and spirit thoroughly embodies by the companies founder Sir Richard Branson. Branson has written at length on his views that companies during both start up and innovation phases require team members to embrace an entrepreneurial mindset that directly conflicts with the traditional conservative approaches to business.

“Entrepreneurial business favors the open mind. It favors people whose optimism drives them to prepare for many possible futures, pretty much purely for the joy of doing so”

How can we embrace the open mind?

1. Ignore what people have told us can’t be done within a business and focus on the challenges that prevent them from being done. For every challenge as “if there were no limitations, how could I overcome this problem?”
2. Remove the fear of change. Although change can be frustrating and challenging, remember that it also comes with opportunity. Ask yourself “what does this change now allow me to do?"
3. Focus on the big picture rather than the small detail. In a rapidly evolving company decisions need to be made quickly in order to maintain momentum and capitalize on innovation. To succeed in this environment, follow Branson’s own advice; “When you’re first thinking through an idea, it’s important not to get bogged down in complexity. Thinking simply and clearly is hard to do.”
4. Harness the power of brainstorming. Working within a team environment to quickly brainstorm ideas allows us to break free of the traditional limitations of our own experience and thought process by harnessing the different views of our peers. In some instances, getting others involved from outside of your team or department can help provide fresh insight into overcoming challenges without the shackles of industry “group think”.

Working within an evolving company can be a challenge, but by embracing the experience and challenging your own thought processes, it can provide an opportunity to achieve things you had never considered possible. Remain flexible, focus on optimism, and challenge traditional barriers to ensure that you succeed where others fall by the wayside.