We’re in a state of not just change, but rapid change. One of the early exercises that I lead when executing service transformation interventions, is to walk employees through “preparing for change” sessions. One of my favourite exercises is to ask participants to describe today’s world and secondly, to have them describe the individual who will succeed in today’s world and the world, going forward.
It’s a very telling exercise, because it forces individuals to confront the realities of the rapidity of change and to determine their place, if they intend to survive and thrive, in the changing world space. The part that I relish, is the very contentious debate around some of the responses. Of course, the bottom line to this exercise is, “adapt or die.”
As a corporate value, perpetual relevance provokes the business to have a sense of urgency in its movement from vision, to strategy, to planning and finally, to execution with precision.
The central theme around this argument of disruption, adaptation, regeneration and reinvention, is the need for perpetual relevance. I believe strongly, that as individuals and businesses, unless there is a conscious and concerted effort to remain relevant, there is the likelihood that one’s life can lose meaning in the face of emerging Darwinistic imperatives and businesses can lose relevance, by not keeping pace with the evolving expectations of their customers.
As someone with a background in human resources, I believe that it’s time for businesses to stop glorifying teamworking, integrity, mutual respect and the like, as critical values. These are “core values” that should be integral to all businesses. They should be factory-installed values that come from the manufacturer and taken for granted as foundational elements of the business. If they are not foundational in nature, then that’s another story and the business will need to revisit the drawing board of corporate governance. Another thing. These worn-out values need to be removed as adornments on the wall of the lobby. Please and thanks. In their stead, we need to see values that are more meaningful. So, here’s a bright idea. Why don’t we make “Perpetual Relevance” a corporate value?
Just think about how democratized the cultural environment could become if “thinking outside of the box” became a standard operating practice.
As a corporate value, perpetual relevance provokes the business to have a sense of urgency in its movement from vision, to strategy, to planning and finally, to execution with precision. It’s also a value that does not require a “hard sell” to employees, as is typical with values adoption programs. A simple invitation to employees to reflect on how they can live personal lives that are grounded in perpetual relevance, becomes an internal starter conversation that can expand into how the business can adopt and promulgate the same value. A huge payoff will be that this value will carry equal relevance to the life of the employee, as it would to the life of the business. If the leaders of the business play their cards right, the emerging conversations can be a masterclass in congruence between the business agenda and “WIIFM” for employees. Not your typical corporate conversations, I assure you.
So, I believe that it’s time to unthink those values that we have anaesthetized ourselves into thinking are still adding value. Because they are not.
Any business that onboards perpetual relevance as a corporate value, is saying to itself, that it is prepared to challenge continually, every existing thought, belief and practice that is a part of its cultural and operational modus operandi. Just think about how democratized the cultural environment could become if “thinking outside of the box” became a standard operating practice. Likewise, on the people end, just think of how many individuals could now give themselves permission to explore their own potential, instead of colouring within the lines of boxes that have been defined and given to them by society.
When an individual or business evolves in lockstep with swirling environmental changes, that’s perpetual relevance. There’s no complaining about the rapidity of change, (an exercise in futility), or fussing about the complexity of emerging technology solutions, in response to the demands of life and work. On the individual end, there’s a quiet acceptance of the need to be in lifelong learning mode, whilst on the business end, there’s a genuine willingness to create a culture of curiosity and to reward those who participate wholeheartedly, in such a culture. In both cases, the adjustment process becomes so organic, that change is viewed as an ally and not an adversary.
It’s time to onboard those new values that keep individuals “in-touch” with life and businesses from becoming “out of touch” with their employees and customers. Don’t you agree?
In the world of business, the most significant payoff for perpetual relevance, is the ability to remain top of mind with successive generations of customers. As customers shift their what, when, where and how preferences for doing business, the businesses that nurture the capacity to morph into configurations that are compatible with these preferences, will be the ones owning the competitive advantage.
So, I believe that it’s time to unthink those values that we have anaesthetized ourselves into thinking are still adding value. Because they are not.
It’s time to onboard those new values that keep individuals “in-touch” with life and businesses from becoming “out of touch” with their employees and customers. Don’t you agree?