You either have to Grow Big or Go Home.
In the world of business, many people are often guilty of not challenging the status quo, more especially in the African context, we easily settle and become satisfied with procedure and culture. As long as I am getting paid, I will do as I am told and only as indicated by my job description. To be precise many of us have made our industries, organizations and offices/ careers our comfort zones, places that we lay back and relax. It is in that posture that many of us are found dozing off by disruption! I am sure you have heard of the term ‘sleeping giant’ which describes an entity that is full of potential yet it is often dormant.
“For the longest time, businesses in Africa have been a sleeping giant, full of potential yet dormant.“
Businesses in Africa have an opportunity to benefit from Africa’s young population, which is innovative, ready to learn and ready to work, thus providing a rich Human Capital. If there was any time critical for businesses to rise and be the force they really are, such a time is now.
The sleeping giant syndrome is not something that you are immune to. Look at the experience your organization has in the industry, which is a reflection of your industry knowledge, look at the quality of your staff, their skills and strengths, but all this you have never fully leveraged.
With all that has been happening globally in the past year there is reason for us to awaken. The turbulence has made our industries and the business world become increasingly more Volatile, the future more Uncertain and things more Complex and Ambiguous.
So how can your organization respond to the VUCA world it finds itself operating in? The first step is to awaken; your organization has to VUKA! This is more than just a catchy phrase, your organization has to provide Valuable products/services in Unconventional ways through Knowledgeable and competent staff in an Agile manner.
So key questions to ask yourself in this season are:
- Are we a valuable organization/ team that brings real value to our stakeholders?
- Do we have unconventional ways of delivering that value?
- Do our teams have the adequate knowledge and skills that will set us apart in these times? And lastly,
- How agile are our teams to internal and external changes?
If these questions are answered correctly and truthfully, even when you are in a crisis your attitude will that be of not wanting to put a “good crisis to waste”. So are you ready to either Grow Big in your relevance and business impact or you are ready to Go home because you can’t handle the pressure of the crisis?
There is a lot of potential in you as a person, potential in your teams and potential in your organization. Not utilizing that potential is an internal crisis in itself.
In the moment of a crisis, reactions set the leaders apart from the followers. How you react as a leader or better yet as an organization sets you apart from your competitors – And how you should react in any crisis is to VUKA!
Do you think your teams have been struggling to handle turbulent disruptions in the past months or years? We want to help you “VUKA” through customized Hackathons/Bootcamps designed for teams and organization like yours. Register below.
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