Be a Reinvention Company
Do you desire to keep your cutting edge? Think of when you're in the zone, what are you doing? Whatever type of business you're involved with, this is for you! Why do we enjoy the Olympics? Is it to see the greatest get even greater? Are you noticing the excitement from new spring growth? My heart with this email is to create awareness and the importance of why a Reinvention Company. After you read this, I have some questions for you to answer.
“Everyday, you reinvent yourself. You’re always in motion. But you decide every day: forward or backward.” ~ James Altucher
Know Your Anchors
The heart of business reinvention is purposeful, constant innovation. Webster defines Reinvention: To make as if for the first time something that is already invented. To remake or redo completely. To bring to use again. Reinvention is anchored in knowing and understanding your business core values and vision. Anchoring your choices and new growth decisions in them will allow speed, with agility, to explore new frontiers, innovations and improvements.
“Change is not a threat, it’s an opportunity. Survival is not the goal, transformative success is.” ~ Seth Godin
Reinventing is necessary because your current achievements are no guarantee for long term success. Long lasting reinvention has a strong structure yet allowing pivots, creativity, and constant improvements! For example, a custom home can be built in countless ways, and yet, has a strong, secure structure. Reinvention is a continual response to feedback anticipating market pivots.
Avoid Panic Pivoting
Your core values, systems and vision will help with stability and prevent panic pivoting. Remember, vision is WHAT you are building. One area of growth for effective reinvention may even be systems. Being reactionary or fear based is never healthy. A business can be agile and pivot without jumping into a pool with no water.
Preparing in Advance
Preparation, process and protocols are always a great way to help avoid panic pivots. In other words, metaphorically, keep the train running on the tracks daily and simultaneously build upgraded train cars to connect. Change and reinvention may or may not come naturally for your team. That’s ok… awareness of this is important. A key to growing this area with your team is inspiring the why and connecting with the bigger vision.
Strategic Awareness
It’s important to be aware and listen to general business trends, employee and customer’s feedback, frustrations, and to search for more effective and efficient solutions. In a recent survey, 45% of CEOs realize their company will not be viable if they continue on the same trajectory for ten years. In a simple snapshot, this is validation for being a reinvention company.
Action Steps to Begin Reinvention
Find a starting point. Ask who you are? Where are you?
Define core values. What do they mean to you and the team?
Create context or space for Reinvention to begin.
Chart/Journal Reinvention. Have a collaborative place to list ideas.
Be Intentional to Grow a Thriving Culture
To carry the heartbeat of being a reinvention company is a continual investment into your leaders, teams, culture, and systems. Even with a limited budget, begin investing in reinvention, recalibrating, and reimagining. Culture carries vision. Ask yourself, what type of culture do you need to carry the future vision?
Invite your team into a collaborative process to empower them to even reinvent synergistically. A reinvention company is proactive and interactive with those on the team, and those that support the company outside the team.
If your desire is to build a company from the daily to the decade, from the immediate to leaving a legacy, it would be wise to explore reinvention. Research shows the average business has 6 to 8 reinventions in the life of that business.
Shiny Lures
Remember, not every idea is a good one to implement. Now with that said, keep a journal with ideas to explore. Ask, is an idea tested? Is it in alignment with our core values, vision and mission? A reinvention company is not a pessimistic company. It is a company that is intentionally built on core values, principles, a clear vision and mission.
Ideas to Implementation
One of my former building clients figured out a way to go from tin flower pots to blow mold plastic flower pots and created one of, if not, the largest plastic flower pot companies in the United States. There are always major culture shifts and then lots of little shifts or opportunities in between. Recognizing them and standing out in them.
A reinvention company looks at change and challenges as growth opportunities with a positive perspective. In other words, they are not burying their heads in the sand complaining about things all day. They see how they, themselves, become the niche.
Reflect Back - Look Ahead
Look at any industry… look back 20 years, and ask, what changed? What’s different about tools, technology, culture, communication, systems, even salaries? Now look ahead ten years, and ask how we can reinvent the sail to catch more wind to increase efficiency and effectiveness. To stand out as a reinvention company, ask how you can be a voice and not an echo.
You’re extraordinary! Creativity and solutions abound for every step of your journey! It’s an honor to be a part of yours! You got what it takes!
In Gratitude,
Ed Garner