text: That is exciting news in a year that has been so uncertain, and perhaps even a bit terrifying. The title to this blog is credited to Renita Kalhorn, an advisor to Navy Seals. Interestingly only 25% are able to complete Hell Week after 6 months of training. Kalhorn says “If you ask Navy Seal instructors how can anyone make it through that unimaginable demanding regime, their answer is simple. They make it because they decide to make it. They don’t wonder, they don’t hope, they decide they are going to make it. A great lesson for business leaders.”
  As I have interacted with CEOs across every industry, my respect has grown by their creativity and desire to “make it”. But it doesn’t happen by clinging to the past. Too much has changed to go back. Just to name a few:
  New technology as a daily form of doing business
  Less travel for business
  Redefining risk and reprioritizing customers
  Changing the value proposition
  Learning the power of diversity
  How will you envision your future? Now is the best time to create your future by thinking about strategy:
  What doesn’t change (typically your purpose and core capabilities)
  What does change (the value you create and how your deliver it, and possibly even who you deliver it to)
  How you will achieve it in light of “changing rules of the game”
  The new competitive landscapes
  Do you have a plan?
  While it seems to many to be impossible to plan now because of the unknowns, the truth is that those who will survive and even thrive are already adapting to the opportunities they see and making changes to capitalize on them. Some of my clients have been acquired, some have acquired others, many have adapted new go-to-market processes and have changed how they provide value to the customer. Most of you have the advantage of being more nimble and agile than industry giants, which enables you to adopt innovations and set new and higher standards for your company and your culture.
  This pandemic is lasting longer than we hoped and the tightest squeeze is felt by those that are undercapitalized and/or haven’t adjusted. Many businesses are expected to close doors permanently (think restaurants and some transportation related businesses). Being defined as an “essential” business has nothing to do with it. Your leadership has everything to do with it. Now is the time to discover if you have the confidence, strategic clarity, company-wide commitment and growth-minded culture to not only survive but thrive. Check out our GrowthDNA services here.
  Let me know if you think your business would benefit from a conversation about how to create its future! Contact me at mreynolds@breakthroughmaster.com.