“Thriving In Turbulence” Rabison Shumba rabison@rabisonshumba.com +27-7888 66634

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Thriving in Turbulence: Key Principles

If you wake up in the morning and aren’t confused, you are in big trouble!

It’s still a crazy, dynamic and ever changing world out there!!!

Reality of Organizational Change Pace of change continues to accelerate Change is major source of business risk Leaders are having to do more with less. Markets keep shrinking, competition is increasing. Consumer appetites are evolving. Employees are getting restless, disengaged, demotivated. The world has become a village – challenges elsewhere fast becoming challenges here. In short workplaces have become very irrational places to be.

Manage your Mind Will my business make it? Should I be in this business What if I fail totally This environment wont work

Snap out of Denial

Master Your sphere of influence or responsibility Out of my control Within my sphere of influence Do something about it Within my control Exert your influence Don’t fight the weather. Fight within it.

It is not about the storm: It is about attitude in the storm “What has failed to kill your business is only making it stronger”

Learn Something New Daily “What you know is increasingly less relevant than your ability to learn new things”

Stay Closer to your people “The best ideas / strategies require people for their generation and implementation”

Indicators Your Team is Struggling… Heightened politics, gamesmanship, noise, distortion, and distraction Unfair follower demands, weak leadership responses Increased rigidity and escalating commitment to failing courses of action An increasingly wary workforce prone to learned helplessness

The Unspoken Conversation “We will just have to do more with less.” Are you crazy? We can hardly meet our objectives now! “We will need to become a leaner organization.” “Lean! We are past lean!” “I am here to tell you how to expand capacity.” Go ahead, let’s see what you’ve got.

Where Do Your People Stand? “On Board” Eager, proactive, engaged, supportive, committed “On the Fence” Anxious and wary but hanging in there, persuadable “Against It!” Cynical, defensive, resistant, uncooperative or angry “Don’t Get It??” Lost in action, dazed and confused, satisfied for the wrong reasons

Turbulence = Opportunity Many will only see chaotic blocks below “Turbulence is opportunity spelt backwards. What do you see”

Don’t neglect the basics It is always about the customer – you lose them, you choke immediately. Give them solutions that work – remember their appetites, preferences, spending muscle is every changing – change with them. Build loyalty – they will carry you in tough times. Keep your core but diversification is not a swear word. Shortcuts can give momentary relief but bad reputation that follows can sink you. Innovate – find ways of doing the same thing better and cheaper.

In Summary Manage your mind Know your influence and responsibility Build positivity - attitude Be a continuous learner Don’t kill the goose that lays the egg - employees See opportunity in turbulence Go back to basics of business