2020 is a closed chapter, where we all got many new and different experiences that we should use constructively, so 2021 will be a significantly better year than 2020.
When the country closed down in March, we suddenly were left with empty order books. With all of our activities based on physical presence, that meant our order books was suddenly completely empty.
We had two choices: either we should look at the time and hope for the best or look inward and assess whether the way we helped companies and organizations made sense in an online environment.
We chose the latter and have continuously throughout 2020 re-evaluated our services and adjusted our company so that today it can live fully in an online world, although of course we hope that physical activities will be opened up in the foreseeable future.
Our activities are planned and implemented based on the experiences we have from missions in the defense because they ALWAYS work, even in uncertain times. Many of the methodologies have been used for hundreds of years and still work here in 2021.
In short, there are 3 steps that you can use in your company/organization:
Step 1:
Make sure you ALWAYS have an overview of where you are as a company (minimum weekly):
- What is the status of your customers, and has their needs changed?
- Do you deliver the value that the customer wants, and is it also perceived as such by the customer?
- How do the employees feel (well-being and competence)
- How is the financial situation
- What is the status of production and projects?
- Where are you, about your goal (front/back)
- What can challenge you in achieving your TARGETS (Risks)
Our starting point is ALWAYS. The target should NOT change unless it is totally impossible to reach them. But most goals can be achieved, and it’s just a matter of which path one chooses.
Step 2:
Determine the actions needed to achieve your goals and plan with short time horizons. In Denmark, restrictions have often been changed at very short notice, so we work with detailed plans for 4 weeks at a time. – We have broken down the goals for the year into quarterly goals and monthly goals. But the activities to get there are only defined 4 weeks before based on the situation we are currently in. If we look at the current situation, we do not expect a reopening in the near future (however, we have a plan B in case of further reopening).
Step 3:
Make/have an ongoing follow-up in the company every week, where you can use this “agenda” to your advantage:
- Everyone gives a status on their well-being.
- Status of planned activities and if they are behind or falling behind, what can I do to help them “back on track.”
- Agree on actions and who should perform and help get them implemented.
If you do not have employees, find a good friend/mentor who can help “keep you in your ears.” Having someone other than yourself to keep you up to date often means that the motivation to achieve it is bigger.
These steps are performed in a cycle, because the circumstances can and will always change (sometimes quickly and very visibly as the pandemic we see right now with restrictions. Other times they come stealthily without you can feel it. Most often We see, that the drastic changes typically occur in the short term and stealthily in the longer term.
Use the 3 steps, including the experiences you have from 2020, and use them constructively to get a somewhat better 2021.
Some will probably say that the points mentioned above are essential knowledge, but it is the areas we often experience that fails in everyday life.
If there is complete control over it in your company/organization, then it should be easy to answer the following:
- What are the most important 3 things my company needs to achieve this week / this month / this quarter?
- What are the 3 biggest risks to achieve it?
