2020 will soon be behind us. Have you started planning for 2021 or are you still adjusting from all that happened in 2020? As difficult as it may be, now is not the time to sit back and continue to react to the impact COVID left on all of us.
Now is the time to get out of the reactive mode and move into the proactive mindset. When 2021 arrives, we must:
1. Be in a different mindset
2. Have a different mentality
3. Have a revised cost structure
4. Have a new business strategy
5. Have a new sales & marketing strategy
6. Have effective and efficient systems and technology
7. Re-positioned personnel effectively and appropriately
8. Communicated our plan and strategy to our employees
9. Be able to measure every area of our organization in real-time
We must be ready to move when 2021 arrives. Everything needs to be full steam ahead. The way things used to be is just that, “used to be”. Our mindset must be optimistic, fresh, and open to
more change as it will come.
Our mentality must be flexible, nimble, and set on a target. Our cost structure needs to be in line with our current revenue stream and new forecasted sales levels. Our business strategy must ensure it has considered all areas of our company and the new market we are now selling and operating within.
We must have a sales and marketing strategy that is real, solid, and realistic. We need to ensure we have the right people in the right positions that can move the company forward and carryout the tasks of 2021.
Everyone in our organization must be communicated to so all know exactly what the company’s mission is as well as their individual mission and goals. Lastly, our technology, systems, and reporting must be updated, efficient and tracking all required areas necessary to have a pulse and view into every area of our organization.
Each of these areas takes time to evaluate, analyze, adjust, and redirect. If you have not begun to address these areas, you are behind the eight ball. All these areas are critical to us succeeding and competing in 2021.
Everything is different moving forward. Our outlook is different, our perspective is different, the market is different, our budgets are different, our fears and concerns are different, and our needs and objectives are different. Everything has been morphed into a new picture. We have new boundaries and in most cases these boundaries are closer and tighter than they were before.
There are a lot of moving parts that must be addressed as we prepare for 2021. We do not have the luxury to simply let things stay as usual. “As usual” no longer exists. We must create a new usual, a new normal. Our new normal is going to require time before it truly becomes normal.
Our companies have gone through a lot. Let us not forget, the same has happened and holds true for our employees. Employees are also retooling for 2021. They have gone through most of 2020 worrying about their job, their income, their benefits, retirement, and their future. They too have a different outlook and a different perspective. They have a new perspective on life, their job, their future, and yes, a different perspective on the company they work for.
It is an interesting situation we are in. Companies must make decisions to survive and sustain themselves moving forward. Employees are doing the exact same thing. There are a lot of similarities between the employee and the employer. Let’s look at a few:
Many employers lost a lot of revenue during COVID. Many employees took pay cuts during COVID.
Employers had to realign costs and budgets because of COVID. Employees had to realign costs and budgets because of COVID.
Many employers had to reduce headcount during COVID. Many employees lost their job during COVID.
Many employers are busier today because they have less staff and cannot afford to replace. Many employees are busier today because they are being asked to do more.
Many employers had to take out loans to help sustain themselves and survive during COVID. Many employees had to borrow money and use their savings to survive during COVID.
Employers had to restructure and were forced to keep only their best employees. Employees are forced to find the best employer for them moving forward.
Employers run the risk of going out of business and losing everything. Employees are worried about losing their job and not being able to find another one.
As you can see, there are a lot of similarities between the employer and the employee. Needless to say, things aren’t as usual or normal. Those days are behind us.
Things have changed for all of us. Employers have been turned upside down. Employees have lost jobs, taken paycuts and had their personal lives shaken. Now is not the time to sit back. Now is the time to move forward. Going back to normal is not an option. Returning where we left off is not in the cards.
The positive thing is we are still in business, we do still have a job, and in many cases, things look positive. Things are simply different.
We must play the cards we are dealt. A good poker player does not win because he is always dealt the best cards. A good poker player wins because he knows how to play the cards he is dealt. The same holds true in business. A successful business knows how to make the most of what they have. We do not have unlimited cash or unlimited resources. We must make the most of what we have at hand.
Now is the time to re-evaluate, get creative, and perhaps even a little risky. Good poker players often win because they know when to bluff and when to take a chance. Sometimes they win and sometimes they lose. It is a calculated risk. We may need to be ready to take a few calculated risks. It's a new market and a new day.
Get proactive, get creative, and do not be afraid to still take a few risks. You do not need to overextend yourself, but you still need to be a businessman.
Mark Twain once said, “Why not go out on a limb? That's where the fruit is!”
2021 will require sound business decisions, well thought out plans, creativity, great execution, flexibility, adaptability, and maybe most of all, hard work and discipline.
Are you ready for 2021? What are you doing differently that will have a positive impact on your company and yourself?
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