We often hear businesses talking of their proud heritage and, for many businesses, it is this heritage that has been the basis on which they have become respected. Heritage is a lot about celebrating what has happened through the organisation’s history and this is something that I would always encourage.
But NOT when is used as a barrier to serious transformation and change.
One of the words that will appear later in this series is inertia … the tendency for things to stay as they are unless some external force is applied.
Corporate inertia is a major blocker for transformation. It often takes so much effort to drive major transformation that it just becomes too hard. When the organisation’s heritage is used as a blocker – intentionally or not – major opportunities are often missed.
Celebrate your organisation’s heritage. Just, don’t use it as an excuse not to transform.
It was Jim Morrison, lead singer of The Doors who said, in 1967, “the time to hesitate is through”. And he was right, even though that advice is over 50 years old.
Transformation is hard … that is certainly true. But by hesitating, you are only delaying the inevitable. It’s a bit like tearing a Band Aid off – once you have decided to take that step, getting on and doing it is the best approach.
I am not suggesting that you should just go off and start transforming your business. I agree that it takes planning. It requires strategic thinking. It requires foresight and determination.
But why are businesses waiting to even start those processes. What activities have you performed in the past 6 weeks that have contributed to the transformation that your business requires to operate in a post-COVID market?
Don’t hesitate. Don’t wait for your competitors to take the lead. Get on with it – remember, the time to hesitate is through.