Start-up
“We’re not going back to normal. If you’re a leader in an organization, it is time to rewrite your vision deck — that presentation so many organizations have that summarizes who you are, whom you serve, why you serve them, and what you do and how you do it.”
- Crouch, Keilhacker, and Blanchard
I remember originally reading the article Leading Beyond the Blizzard: Why Every Organization Is Now a Startup in late March by Crouch, Keilhacker, and Blanchard. It left me feeling both uneasy and hopeful. Rereading it surprised me by how prophetic it was being so early in the cycle.
In late March, many were still contemplating whether or not they were just going to continue, business-as-usual. This article served as a wake-up call for many of us. For me, it served as a convincing articulation of my worst fears.
But it also offered an incredibly hopeful call-to-arms for leaders of faith:
“We write especially for leaders of businesses and nonprofit organizations who are fellow Christians because Christians of all people are equipped to face the current reality with both clear-eyed realism and unparalleled hope.”
It reminded me of the opening salvo by coach Herb Brooks of the U.S. men’s hockey team before they faced the Russians in 1980:
“Great moments are born from great opportunity. And that is what you have here tonight, boys. That is what you have earned here, tonight.”
I remember talking about the difference between a blizzard, a long winter, and an ice age with many of our clients. Those distinctions were often unwanted, but always a sobering reality. The best of them pivoted quickly. They stayed away from the distinction of doing “better" or “worse” and just focused on things continuing but in a different way. They adopted “business-not-as-usual” and just powered through.
We know a lot more now. All of us have been affected in one way or another. The present and future are more challenging than most of us expected. Crouch, Keilhacker, and Blanchard forecasted the weather amazingly well.
But more importantly, they also nailed how Christian leaders should be operating with great hope in the opportunity this season provides. It has never been more important to have the key building blocks of a great business in place.
Team - having the right group of leaders running your company, organization or NFP
Values/Purpose - knowing who you are at the deepest level
Vision - what the inspired future looks like for your company
Strategic Plan - what has to happen in order to that inspired future
Meeting governance - the right meeting structure to provide accountability and keep you on track
We’ve helped many companies establish all five of those things in a two-day planning event we call a “Strategic Enterprise Retreat”. I’m anticipating doing many more of them for the companies that have survived this last season but are needing to reset their business as a start-up.
To summarize what the writers of the above-referenced article said:
- We are experiencing an ice age.
- We are not going back to normal.
- Every business is now a start-up.
- We should be operating with clear-eyed realism and unparalleled hope.
If you would like to talk to us about helping you relaunch your start-up, let us know. We will have a limited number of spots in the last half of the year to help companies reposition for success in 2021.
Consider
Have you embraced the reality of the ice age we are in?
Have you significantly pivoted or rethought your business model?
Are you well-positioned for the new normal we will be living in from this point forward?
What are the essential things you must do next?