Going through a few years of downturn in your career, business, or even in private life matters, optimists tend to think the next year or season will be better until you find yourself, with time, wondering how you have managed to find new lows. You are drained out, and it is obvious that you have tried all that you can, and all you have left now is just a flat version of yourself. Well, I have good and bad news for you; your experience is proof that your current course is not working, and something needs to change. You also are fortunate to have a consciousness of the unfavourable situation, which means you are probably ready and more likely to do something meaningful to rectify the outcome.
Why am I writing about this? I have had numerous experiences in business where there was much chaos; staff weren’t following protocol, and I am so tired sometimes I would rather work in a café shop than my office. Clients seem to have a lot to complain about, and yet we try harder, doing more of the same thing. In hindsight, I was inflexible, unable to adapt and be agile to address our current situation, to be more proactive and less reactive.
As I developed as an entrepreneur, a manager, a husband, a father, and a few other roles, I realised that the ability to be nimble in life is an asset towards being able to learn fast and be prepared for whatever God has for you next. This post is about learning to quickly embrace a corrective position where you find yourself going off-course. To realise you are going off-course requires your honesty, and you also need to be vulnerable to receive help.
As a Christian, I cannot be oblivious to the Bible where I see what is God’s perspective and instructions on the issue of “getting back on the right path”. In the book of Proverbs chapter 3 and verse 5, it says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV). Whether you are a believer or not, there is always a right path as well as the worn path to any goal. To be wise is to seek the right way and stick to it.
As the world is faced with multiple natural, political, and criminal disruptions, adaptability is ever so much more necessary if you are ever going to go far. By being adaptable, I mean exercising strength to keep focus on achieving your goals. In business, it is not enough to just make money; you need your core values to help you steer through many challenges, and if your core values are obsolete, you better evaluate them as you cannot keep using the same strategy and expect a different result.
Governments, organisations, and institutions that do not assess their objectives against their results will soon find themselves in deep waters where anything can happen next. It’s a gamble, and no one can guarantee what the outcome will be.
Today, if you are reading this, perhaps it is time for you to take a look at where you are in your business. Are you deep in the waters already, or are you close? It is not the end of the world to take a step back, but it may be the end of the world if you carry on gambling that perhaps you will be alright. Do you need to reassess your operational setup? Or perhaps you might need to change your business model completely; maybe for some, closing the business is your best option. Whatever you need to do, please be nimble in approach, be humble at heart, be vulnerable to receive help and be willing to adapt for the right change to occur.