The Covid-19 crisis has given us all a rude awakening over the last few weeks in how important it is to stay relevant in a rapidly changing world. Never before has the word “relevance” held so much meaning, especially in businesses where a high value was not placed on innovation, agility and adaptability.
One of the many questions many businesses have pondered over the past few days and weeks is “How do I remain relevant, still make a living and in the process protect my family and business?”
Many are left wondering will they still have a job or career to go back to if things ever get back to normal. Now is not a time to wonder. It is a time to take bold action, even if in small, halting steps. The landscape we once knew has changed and is being shaped and hewn into something new before our very eyes, very much in the way a volcano irrevocably changes the landscape around it.
The past is gone. Whether we are ready or not, we are compelled to pioneer into the new landscape, forging and blazing a trail where we go. And for those of us who hate change, it is a trying time.
One thing is clear – the traditional rules of the game in many spheres no longer hold court in the way they once did. Some rules, regulations, laws and policies have frayed at the edges or come undone as the rulebooks did not foresee such a crisis erupting.
The worldwide lockdown however, is forcing businesses to think, reflect, rectify, innovate and implement as they quickly build new strategic bridges forward to get to their envisioned destination.
Many leaders in their respective cities, communities, countries, regions, continents and economic blocks find themselves busy mapping a new strategy, a new vision forward that will give the people they lead, hope. Strategic roadmaps and blueprints have either been thrown out of the window or adjusted to factor in, this seemingly violent, abrupt, and undesired change.
Nobody likes abrupt change, especially when it disrupts our daily routines and habits – yet when change comes, the ones who are able to withstand the pressure of change have the potential to see diamonds emerge. It is a time to become more alive, more connected and compassionate than we ever have been before; and to, despite the lockdown, find new ways of communicating so we can flourish even more strongly than before.
It is the time of the collaborators, the problem solvers, the thinkers, the strategists and the pioneers who are willing to venture into new territory where no one else is willing to tread.
To stay relevant means to be willing to navigate hard territory without attracting unnecessary conflict, to find new ways of communicating and collaborating, doing business and uplifting others along the way.
Staying relevant in a changing business world means observing the landscape and creating services and products that people need. Now is the time to think about how you can make some good, well-thought out changes to your business model so you can remain relevant in a post-Covid-19 world.
What are investors looking for in entrepreneurs during this time? Those who remain relevant, can adjust, pivot, and create solutions that will make our world better than before.
Sarah Dusek
Enygma Ventures General Partner & Co-Founder
