Note: The following article was written for Forbes by Alisa Cohn, a coach who helps entrepreneurs, leaders, corporations and various companies in matters such as leadership, strategy, decision making, etc.
As an executive coach who has been working with young entrepreneurs for a long time, I am encouraging my clients not to focus only on limited plans in a spatial space. The problem with planning at the moment is that there is a lot of uncertainty. Here are some tools that will help you in your business and lead you to an evolutionary future, which can be unpredictable.
Accept reality
This can be the most difficult step for you and the team. The world has changed rapidly and it is difficult for people to adapt quickly. I spoke to a client a few days ago and he told me "we haven't seen any change, only a few customers stopped paying for 30 days". It is tempting to believe that the world has not changed. But the problem in this situation is the fact that the team may feel complacent. So you are more at risk for the unexpected. One way to take a closer look at what's going on is to scan the environment. Get as much information from external sources as possible.
Always ask, "What if?"
When you adjust to the macro environment, start asking "what if?" related to business. Brainstorming with team members is important. Encourage them to ask questions, even if they are absurd. Discussing with them will help you have some possible results.
Uncertainty analysis
Once you list a set of scenarios that your business may face, even the worst cases, create a budget by considering these scenarios. It is important to know in detail what can happen to your business and how to get out of the situation. As leaders, the clearer the details, the easier it is to survive in a difficult situation.
Think about how to get up
In every crisis, there are opportunities. Explore as many opportunities as possible. It?s not good to think about things that can go wrong when you can deal with positive outcomes and opportunities.