One month into 2021, we are not certain that any of us have come any closer to answering the question whether this year is a threat or an opportunity. Or, maybe the answer is “yes”.

There are lots of evergreen quotes in which we can all seek comfort, e.g. “The future is already here, it is just unevenly distributed”, “everything must change to remain the same”, “the future starts today, not tomorrow” and the classic from Yogi Bear “The future ain’t what it used to be”.

These quotes work and they are evergreens because they hold elements of the truth and can be interpreted to work in anyone’s context, a bit like good fortune teller (or cookie) does it.

The Big Question

So, what can we observe and say that probably would work for most leaders?

Perhaps this: 

Post-Corona, the biggest challenge businesses and enterprises face is becoming intentional with their actions and adapting to change in the next normal. This in turn leads to the big question: How can organizations form new patterns of thinking which will help them thrive in uncertainty?

Meet the Pioneer

Before we even consider offering follow up questions to that big question, then we want to introduce an analogy that has helped us, when looking at the messy Corona world: That of a pioneer, and in particular understanding organizations as pioneers, pioneers – meeting a new world with openness and curiosity.

Here’s what we are thinking: Companies today are like pioneers moving into a new environment. They have all their skills and knowledge gathered in the past, in the world that was, but that may not be enough to be successful the new world. New tools, new competencies and perhaps even an entirely new focus and a new way of thinking needs to be developed.

A new world asks different questions to the pioneer, it offers new opportunities but also presents new dangers. A pioneer needs to meet the new world with openness and curiosity, but also a relentless desire to learn and succeed. The Pioneers needs to rewire how they see the world in order to see what is at hand.

In short, we believe companies need to meet the post-Covid market with the mentality of the Pioneer and like the Pioneer they need to rewire, how they work and how they see their world.

Rewiring three main areas

We have identified three focus areas that we think call for a REWIRE check: STRATEGY, LEADERSHIP & OPERATIONS. 

We will unfold these three Areas and the idea of intentionally accelerating evolution in our next blog post…. Now, how is that for a cliff hanger!