“The only constant is change” – Heraclitus
Our world is forever evolving and changing. While it makes for an exciting roller coaster ride, it can strike fear into the hearts and minds of business owners who want their business to stand the test of time.
A future-fit business is one that evolves with innovation and takes into account People, Profit & Planet when making decisions. Will your business still be around in 2050?
Here are 4 things to focus on to make sure that your business is fit for the future:
1. Cultivate a collaborative culture
Besides having a company culture that builds internal teams that work well together, building relationships with the community that supports the business is important. Fostering those connections with customers, suppliers and the greater network of people that form your business ecosystem will only strengthen your business to stand the test of time. Whether you are a team of one or many, the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts.
2. Build intuitive systems
A system is a group of entities that work together. For example, the human body is a system. It is made up of many organs that, together, form the whole. A system does not work in individual parts, it works as a whole. Your organisation is exactly that, a whole made of many moving parts.
Forbes.com advises that future-fit organisations measure progress based on the value that is generated for stakeholders. This is done through innovative solutions while taking into consideration strategic alignment and market relevance. So when you are building the system that will govern the organisation, build such that stakeholder value, strategic alignment and market relevance are top of mind from the word go.
3. Discover Opportunities
Keep an ear close to the ground and maintain good relationships with all stakeholders, both internally and externally. This will give you the knowledge needed to notice trends and be able to make strategic decisions ahead of the curve. Being open to opportunities is one of the biggest ways to make your business future-fit because it leads to innovation, the lifeblood of businesses with longevity.
4. Creating Alternate Futures
Ludwig Melik, author of The Future-Fit Manifesto says that “being future-fit is not a sprint, but rather a mix of 100-meter dashes and ultra-marathons that need to be carefully planned and executed over time.” Build-in time to be able to apply yourself strategically to your business. Have the self-awareness to be able to know when it is time to hire more hands and minds to drive the businesses operationally. This will allow you to free up time for yourself, the business owner, to plan for the future. There is always more than one way to show up in the world, be sure that your business is ready for a multitude of ways to do so.
Being future-fit is a mindset that can be fostered from the word go. Be sure to outline your long-term goals and keep agility top of mind.
Are you a female business owner? Are you looking to find your like-minded future-thinking female tribe? Then look no further! XENA is here to help you build your female empire (or as we like to call it, fempire). Join us today via the link here.
