If you think competitors are waiting for things to settle down, you are asking for your lunch to be eaten. This is the hottest time for brash upstarts to take over your customers, during chaos and uncertainty. That’s why I’m sharing the contents of my Disruption Playbook with you, to help protect your place in the market. The truth is, you can increase your position during times of uncertainty, too.
When I was at the World Bank, I served under multiple presidents. Whenever there was a transition of power, most strategic initiatives would pause, waiting to see what the new leader would favor and disfavor. Not my initiatives! We used that interim period as an opportunity to go faster and farther where we knew we could get results. While everyone else was on pause, we had the pedal to the metal, which accounted for some of our big wins. But to get it right, we had to have situational awareness.
Disruption Playbook: Situational Awareness
Leadership Insight: You can’t lead what you don’t see.
In a fast-moving world, static snapshots aren’t enough. Leaders need a live feed. That means zooming out to track political, economic, and social forces, and zooming in to understand how they collide with your mission.
During the pandemic, Peloton experienced explosive growth as consumers turned to at-home fitness, but the company misread the surge as a permanent shift. It over-invested in manufacturing and inventory, only to face plummeting demand as gyms reopened, resulting in layoffs, leadership changes, and a crashing stock price. In contrast, Zoom recognized early that its pandemic-fueled growth would taper. The company strategically pivoted by expanding into enterprise solutions and developing a comprehensive communications platform. While Peloton scaled unsustainably, Zoom adapted with foresight. The difference lay in situational awareness. Zoom read the post-crisis landscape accurately; Peloton did not.
What to do now:
- Commission a weekly briefing that summarizes emerging regulations, legislation, and cultural trends.
- Convene a roundtable of people outside your bubble, truth-tellers who challenge your thinking and help you see around corners.
In times of upheaval, leaders who see clearly act wisely. To do this continuously, they invest in situational awareness.
Click here to read the full text of my Disruption Playbook.
