Versatility: The Door to Opportunity
In the book “Art of War” Sun Tzu tells us that wise generals are versatile. The general who can easily adapt will know how to employ his forces. The general, who does not, will not be able to take care of opportunities.
This is exactly the same for any business, from the owner/operator small business to a multi-national company. Knowing what your customer wants and the actions of competitors are very important but not adapting to a business world in flux can spell doom for a company.
Several problems come up when organizations need to change. There is not enough time to analyze the business landscape. The organization is resistant to change. Or possibly there is a lack of experience as to what needs to change to capture opportunity.
One way to start the process is to complete a business checklist or self assessment analysis. The purpose of this checklist is to help you think about the needs of your business, so that you may begin to work on those needs. Determining where your business is today and where you want to take it, are the beginnings of consistently improving and building a versatile and nimble organization.
Whether large or small; in business, nonprofit, education, or health care; in one locality or with sites worldwide, if you have the mindset that “If it ain’t broke, there is no need to fix it.” you will never look beyond today to the opportunities of tomorrow.
