Preinvention Is The New Currency
Does anyone remember the “buzz-word” in business before COVID 19?
Come on, everyone was talking about it!
All the news cycles mentioned it, businesses touted it in commercials.
Still thinking?
Sustainability. (Remember that???)
Not that sustainability is no longer important.
But few organizations are saying anything about sustainability now; and this should tell you just how much and how fast everything has changed in four months.
Everyone – individuals, families, businesses, schools, governments, NGO’s – has had to pivot and find new opportunities.
Fast.
And keep pivoting.
So who is succeeding now?
I just had a long talk with the VP of Sales and other senior leaders of one of my best clients (you would recognize their name but I keep client information private) in preparation for my presentation to their managers in a couple of weeks.
They shared that of their hundreds of managers, the ones who are struggling now are the ones who had previously done very well, and that they were struggling precisely because they are continuing to do what worked for them just a few months ago.
On the other hand, the managers who are thriving now are the ones who weren’t necessarily as successful before, but are trying different approaches than they ever have, changing again and again based on customer needs now.
The bottom line is this:
Possibility thinking, and your ability to pivot quickly and act decisively are the new currency.
This ability will be your greatest asset and value determinant going forward.
This ability will be what you as an employer must look for, and what you as an employee or applicant must offer.
Like any currency the more you have of it, the more successful you can be… and without it you will perish.
For literally my entire speaking career I have been teaching (read: exhorting, imploring, almost begging!) businesses and individuals all of the above: How to become possibility thinkers; how to not only change (pivot), but to change your mindset toward change… to develop a culture of not managing change, but creating change… leading change.
So where does this lead? Where does the cumulative success of those managers willing to discover, pivot and act, lead?
Reinvention.
Stated simply, every business and every individual needs to reinvent, strategically and intentionally.
In fact, I came up with a new word to denote this skill:
PreInvent.
PreInvent: “To transform intentionally and preemptively based on hard trends and reliable predictions of future conditions.”
PreInvention is the new currency.
I will share a lot about this in coming posts.
I have one caution for you.
Once you learn how to discover, pivot quickly and act decisively, and it works, the temptation will be to enjoy your success and become complacent.
Preinvention is not a one-time thing!
It is a modus operandi, a state of being… Preinvention needs to become your personal constitution, and your company culture.
For now, recognize that your success will based on you and your teams having the agility and skill to preinvent: to discover opportunities where others miss them, to pivot quickly, to act decisively, and to be ready to do it again and again.
This is exactly what I share in my “What NOW” keynotes, workshops and training.
Please contact me to learn how I can serve you.
Live truly, truly live,
Mike
PS. Consistency is the key to success. To be sure that you stay on track please contact me about my “Gold Mine Zooms,” a monthly call with me where we keep you on track to achieving your desired goal, address what’s holding you back, and encourage you as move forward. mike@mikerayburn.com.
