What are you creating?

Who has used Uber or Airbnb? Probably all of you!

When Uber and Airbnb came on the scene they completely disrupted their industries and changed forever the business models in their respective markets. To do that they had to entirely shatter the status quo.

For most of us, when business is going well, returning reasonable although not stellar results it feels very high risk to experiment and try something new. We tend to focus at those times on incremental improvements, tweaking our systems and processes rather than reinventing them.

And now Coronavirus has disrupted the status quo of the whole world. Suddenly business as usual no longer exists for any business this disruption is providing us with an opportunity to uncover our own Creativity in new ways.

Create a way forward in a time of adversity

One of the industries which has been completely shut down by the pandemic is the live performance industry, and as an industry which exists frequently on tiny margins and often in the not for profit space, closing the doors is a huge challenge for everyone associated with it.

As expected in the world of theatre there are some wonderfully creative minds finding new ways to either do business or stay connected to their audiences.

Locally, Sydney Theatre Company has exceptionally talented artists performing monologues, Belvoir St Theatre has its creative talent providing recommendations for books, movies and activities, and internationally there is a huge amount of arts content being released for online viewing (check out the National Theatre in the UK).

One of my favourite business stories locally is that of Stagekings, a production company used to making large scale sets for massive concerts, who within a week of losing all their business due to the events shutdown, switched their staff and their equipment to making flat pack desks for people setting up home offices.

In the events industry there have been stories of huge conferences being moved online in super quick time. Where people’s businesses have been hit hard there have been wonderful stories completely befitting of the old adage ‘necessity is the mother of invention’!

And in our social media feeds we are seeing huge numbers of unknown talented people creating music and comedy as a means to both occupy themselves and entertain their friends! (I am contemplating my own music video parody, my daughters are mortified!)

Create a new future

Even if your business has not been closed down there is no doubt it has been impacted by the pandemic, and I think we have all realised that there will be no ‘snap-back’ to the old ‘normal’.

Sitting down with a blank piece of paper and imagining new possibilities is a great starting point both for you as an individual and for your business. Rather than jumping straight into problem solving mode, how about we explore the current reality and consider what we would like to see instead? What are the ways in which we want to improve the world and make it better than the world we came into?

This is the time to focus on what is the problem we are here to solve, as a business. There is a great quote from Albert Einstein “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.” So how can we think differently? How can we ensure that we have a wider range of voices participating in the conversation? Who are our stakeholders, not just shareholders, and how would we serve them in an ideal world?

What would we like to be different in the world?

If we can reconnect with our sense of purpose and focus on the outcomes we want to achieve then we can lead with both compassion and courage, understanding there are no right vs wrong answers, rather that we are continually navigating uncertainty and complexity, and we also have a need to keep moving forward. For me right now, as I experience the roller coaster of emotions, the most important question I can ask myself each day is 'what would my purpose have me do today?'

I have heard it said that creativity will be the fuel which drives the 21st century economy, and if we can combine our creativity with a sense of social purpose we have an opportunity to create a more inclusive world, kinder to both people and the planet.

I would love to hear about what you are creating!

Be kind to yourselves and each other.

with love

Sue

If you would like support in becoming a courageous and compassionate leader, leading a purpose-driven organisation, and achieving your goals in 2020 and beyond please contact me at [email protected].

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Sue runs sue rosen executive coaching and specialises in helping people unleash the power of their potential.