The future looms beyond this crisis, and there is value in crafting your vision for tomorrow today. The strategic plans you laid out six years or even six months ago will need to be reviewed and revised. Trends, such as telecommuting, telemedicine, and more and broader digital media consumption, are here to stay and will demand your attention. Here are some tips to begin focusing on your future:
- Spend time envisioning your future. Commit 10-20% of your time each week for the next few months to exploring and imaging where you want your organization to be when this crisis passes. Weigh your thoughts for the near future with your longer-term vision.
- Sketch out a path from your long-term vision back to where you are. Reverse-engineer benchmarks and milestones for points along the way.
- Prepare to learn and pivot; be flexible. Initially, you will be focusing on assumptions. Over time, you need to gather more data and experience to prove or disprove these. Adjust your vision and your strategy accordingly; and keep an open mind.
- Rally your team around your vision. Share your vision with others in the organization. Explain the reasoning behind changes in the organizational direction. Help your teams see how this vision will help promote stability, innovation, and organizational success, especially compared to the current chaotic situation.
