Rabbit in the Headlights

While everyone is still wondering, what do you need to be doing?

With so much uncertainty and confusion in the world, many things are becoming more unpredictable.  Our senses are telling us to be cautious and careful and not take risks due to an unknown future.  I see much greater risk aversity and concern in business leaders.  On the one hand there is some reasoning in this and it is of course sensible to be pragmatic and prudent in driving a business forwards, but I have another perspective on this.

Many businesses have retrenched and wound back their market engagement activities.  Many other businesses are stuck and are feeling disillusioned on where to go and what to do next.  There are many where this state of suspension is like being a rabbit caught in the headlights and a fear has set in.  What do I do now…..?   Where next….? 

Whilst your market may be suffering setbacks and growth has slowed; you may have even gone backwards, but why be like everyone else in that situation?  Now is the best time to regroup and come out with all guns blazing.  Here are a few thoughts to get going with:

1. With your competitors not marketing themselves and looking introspectively, this opens up more space for you to gain greater visibility and demonstrate market leadership, strength and belief; optimism is a force multiplier!

2. There is more support available than ever before from advisors, coaches and mentors and even therapists. There is money to be invested and loans to borrowed.  Everyone wants to help, so take advantage.

3. Success breeds success and your clients want to know that you are successful, so be successful. Gear up every platform in your business for success; staff, customer service, fulfilment, technology, systems, leadership, sales, marketing, finance.

4. Hang around and talk with people who have succeeded (ideally in a very ethical and socially responsible way too)! There are numerous stories of people and businesses that are thriving; be one of them and join the club.

5. Now is a great time to plan and adapt as we emerge into a new world after the devastation of Covid. I speak a lot about Survive, Revive and Thrive.  If you have survived and can see a glimmer of opportunity, then revive your business.  Recharge your teams, Revamp your messaging, Rework your offering, Redefine your values and Re-emerge on the front foot with more focus, determination and a renewed energy.

6. Don’t look at your competitors enviously and think they are any better or being more successful than you. Just go and be more than them and ask yourself, what is really stopping you and holding you back from the success you deserve?

7. The world has experienced worse than this. Keep perspective on how bad things really are, compared to some events over the last 100 years and rise above the chatter of today’s “naysayers”.

8. We will get through “this”; it is a blip, so don’t escalate your fears and doubts beyond reality. What is Plan B for you?  Hopefully, you haven’t got one, so you’ll just have to go for it as you have no choice.

9. Listen to your own news and not the views and opinions of others. Nobody told the bumble bee it couldn’t fly!

10. You deserve to achieve the sum of your thinking. If I were you, I’d get focussed, have faith, hold the belief, work hard and be nice…….Success will come and if it doesn’t, well, hire me as a coach!