Transitioning Out of 2020

If there’s been one constant of 2020, it’s been – "is the internet working?"

As I sit here in my living room, after 8+ months of limited contact with people, I look ahead to next year. Some organizations have figured out how to survive, but for others such as service/product-based businesses, growth is a critical element to continued success. Staying at flat growth into 2021 is not a viable long-term strategy. With current business down, the need to grow your customer footprint will be essential as we move into the next year. Here are three critical steps to transition out of 2020.

Step 1: Get some Momentum

Let’s consider the popular metaphor of moving a rock uphill. You may have heard of the Greek mythological story of Sisyphus, the king of Corinth. Punished by Hades, he was doomed to a lifetime of pushing a large boulder up a hill – over and over again.

How do we begin to get the boulder rolling uphill – and keep it going?

Invest in change to gain momentum.

As we learned in high school physics, once an object is in motion it wants to continue to move. That change can be a new vision for the organization or something personal like training. You could:

• Share your vision of the future with your team. Aligning your team around that shared vision can be the catalyst to get that boulder moving.
• Invest in training. This small change will bring new growth opportunities for your employees and organization.

Step 2 – Invest in Quality Communication

Real communication empowers us to connect with our customers and engage our colleagues. Understanding how we communicate has huge impacts on our ability to deliver.

Zoom, while practically ubiquitous these days, is not the answer. While Zoom, WebEx, and Teams have been instrumental to surviving this year, they are merely tools. They are not a substitute for effective communication.

Communication is essential to create products and services, especially in Agile environments. Companies like Insights.com provide powerful perspective on how your organization communicates and how to enhance it.

Step 3 – Align the Business Vision with IT

A successful year hinges on collaboration between business and IT. What does success look like for the business? How can IT help accomplish those goals? How does IT need to change to achieve that alignment?

It’s time to break out of the rut of 2020 and greet 2021!