By Ricardo Diaz De La Vega – CEO Dreams Animation

HERE 5 GOOD WAYS THAT YOU CAN GET AHEAD OF A POTENTIAL RECESSION

If you are a Coach, Consultant, Influencer or you have your own personal brand, the last thing you need is a pep talk. Instead, let’s focus on tactical, how-to guidance that you need now to defy the odds, continue to grow your business,  and ultimately emerge from this crisis with certainty and strength.

One of the definitions of crisis is “a stage in a sequence of events at which the trend of all future events, especially for better or for worse, is determined; turning point.” In a crisis every action and decision we take and make shapes our future. As leaders, and professionals, this means that what we do now in the midst of the two crises we are currently facing (COVID-19 and its subsequent economic impact) will determine our fate.

The first decision that all of us have to make is whether we are determined to come out the other side better than we were before, or if we are simply going to hide under the couch and wait for things to blow over. This is a choice, a commitment, to challenge assumptions we had about how we thought the world worked, a willingness to move beyond the thinking and strategy we had pre-pandemic, and, as Tony Robbins life coach says, free ourselves from the tyranny of ‘how.’

With an idea to help those who have made the decision to come out the other side of this moment better than before, I hosted the first in a series of conversations called “Thriving in Uncertainty.” We talked about innovation, marketing, economics, the future of work, and collaboration. Here are the five most important take-aways from that day.

1. You must take a decision.

Whether we will be captives of our circumstances asking, “Why is this happening to me?” or captains of our destinies, asking “Given that we are here, what do I want to create?” is a decision that each and every one of us has at every turn of the pass during this crisis. This choice doesn’t make the crisis itself disappear or ignore the tragedy of so many around the world dying or instantaneously make jobs appear for the tens of millions who are now unemployed.

What it does do is move us out of the position of victim and into the role of the protagonist. We are limited if we focus on what we can’t control, and empowered when we focus on what we want to create given a certain set of circumstances.

2. Defy the odds.

All bets are off. Meaning, everything we thought we knew about how our strategies were going to work, who our competition was, what our revenue streams were, what unmet needs are, what our specific roles are, has changed. Since all bets are off, a powerful question to drive action and strategy is, “Where can we add value, in what ways, that our customers, clients really need, right now?”

This likely means you need to pivot your business partially or entirely. It also means that you’ll want to get into a conversation with your clients, not in your head with your postulations, about what they need.

3. During times of uncertainty unveil the real YOU.

This moment is inviting each of us to renewed and empowered leadership. There is no cavalry coming to save us. We are the cavalry. So, take a moment, listen, and ask yourself who you need to be to ensure you and your organization come out better on the other side. One strategy suggested by Hollie Heikkinen, CEO and Founder of iWorker Innovations is to form a “think tank” around yourself to seek counsel and new ideas, balancing that input with the understanding that you know what is best.

4. Bring massive action during the interim while your competition is knocked out.

The crises we are facing will go through three distinct moments that provide the context and container for deciding and developing strategy. The first is “lock-down.” This is the moment most of the world is currently in, where movement, activity, business, social interactions are restricted to essential activities. The second is “the interim.” This will be a period of 6 – 18 months where businesses will begin to reopen, but operating models will need to be different because we are still attempting to slow the spread of the virus. For example, how will you redesign the layout of your website in a way that you can excel at creating engaging content for the right audience?
The third moment in time will be the new world that we will create during the first two periods. In other words who can develop and create best practices during “the interim,” and disseminate those best practices will be market leaders and will have ample opportunities to create value.

5. Bring new players into your game.

The challenges we are all facing now are embedded with great and heightened degrees of complexity. Like a strike from a lightning bolt, the spread of one disease has sparked almost instantaneous, massive change in everything from small business operations to global supply chain management to access to education to how we define work and working.

No one individual, organization, or industry has a silver bullet for solving for what is happening, and more importantly, ensuring we take what’s occurring to create something better, more inclusive, and more valuable once this moment has passed.

Reaching out to others and being a connector or bridge builder with resources, ideas, and opportunities from where we are to where we are all going will help us get through this easier and faster. Become resourceful to increase the value of your business. Let’s be honest the only way how people can find you is through your digital asset. If your website has a lack of identity of your real personality, doesn’t have a storybrand, and all that is not connected with a compelling design and the right call to action. Definitely it’s time to built and connect your first bridge now. Contact us, we’ll be eager to help you walk through this new challenge.