Pivot, then take a Leap of Faith

“To succeed, jump as quickly at opportunities as you do at conclusions” – Benjamin Franklin

There’s never been a time in history when the pace of change has been so rapid.  The Agile methodology for software development is now being adopted by businesses, as they seek to understand and benefit from their fast-changing environment and rapidly-evolving customer needs.

Very simply – you need a plan to move forward.  However, if you’re ‘locked into’ that plan, you’ll quite possibly end up stifling the sort of growth you hoped for.  You need to keep an open mind on the journey to achievement, to see that the landscape has changed.  This will allow you to pivot and alter the steps you take in a new approach to achieve your goals.

Wellington in New Zealand, where I live, was originally planned by the NZ Company back in mother-England.  They had a defined plan which they stuck to – meaning some of our original streets are extremely steep and take no account of 21st century vehicle sizes.

“All towns were laid out on a rectilinear or grid plan.  This had a number of advantages:

  • it imposed instant order over the landscape
  • it was easy to subdivide – a rectangular plot could be cut exactly in two by drawing a line down the middle
  • it enabled air to flow freely along streets.  This was seen as important for dispersing miasmas of air-borne diseases.

However the grid took little account of the lay of the land, which on hilly sites created steep streets and sudden street endings.  It could also make the construction of streets expensive, especially when hills had to be cut to keep the street in line.”

If only the NZ Company had birds-eye view of Wellington’s topography, parking would have been so much easier!

What can you do today, to jump quickly at the opportunities presented to you, to anticipate the future ahead of you, to grow your sales and grow your business?