Change is inevitable.
There is no denying that every business and non-profit goes through many phases of transformation. Whether these are minor, adaptive changes or deep, systemic shifts, organizations are constantly moving forward to improve their sales, retain employees, and innovate new possibilities. According to the Harvard Business Review, “more than one-third of large organizations have some type of transformation program underway at any given time.” 1 With all of these organizations looking to shift up, there are several tell-tale signs that change is needed. But what are these signs and how do you know when it’s time to adapt to the next level? Well, there are several canaries in the coal mine.
Seeing Your Growth Flat-lined?
A clear sign of when change needs to be made within an organization is when growth has leveled; when sales or other funding has metered off, goals remain unachieved, and there is a definite lack of innovation. When this occurs, it takes some major shifts to bring new life to a team and business. The first step, however, can be finding clarity on your mission, vision, and values, determining what parts of your organization remain true, and what needs to be altered.
Losing Your Competitive Edge?
Markets are ever shifting, with new expectations and needs constantly growing and transforming. The key is staying nimble in a climate of change, and adapting your offerings to match the state of the market today. However, if your organization remains stagnant rather than growing to meet new opportunities, this can lead to being outcompeted or finding yourself obsolete. To mitigate against this, it’s important to recognize the signs early on, observe the changes in your market, listen to customer feedback, and welcome team insight to discover what changes need to be made. This could be a brand refresh, an updated website, innovations in your offerings, or a new marketing strategy.
Low On Time and Energy?
The day-to-day management of an organization takes a lot of energy, time, and commitment from leaders and employees. Sometimes, this takes its toll, leading to burnout and reduced bandwidth. When this occurs, look at the processes within your organization, analyzing inefficiencies and how to release some of the pressure you put on yourself and your team.
Is Team Morale Dwindling?
Realizing positive growth takes a village. When you have the right, motivated people on a project, manifesting goals becomes more achievable. However, when you have an unmotivated team, misaligned from your mission, finishing a project becomes an uphill battle. Low motivation and poor employee retention can wreak havoc on an organization overall. But how can you fix this? Finding the root cause can lead you down many paths, some of which might be improved company culture, leadership, and prioritization of employee wellbeing.
Co-Create What’s Next
Change can be overwhelming, however when you navigate it with confidence, even the largest of challenges can be overcome. Learning how to make the most out of these opportunities can lead to new insights, innovation, and a toolkit for how to handle complexities in the future. When it comes to organizations, change is necessary, if not crucial. How one reacts to unexpected shifts, choosing to evolve with optimism and eagerness can make all of the difference in how your company will navigate uncertain waters.
It all starts with a Shift Session.
The Shift Session is an offering that helps businesses accelerate purposeful growth while clarifying and activating their vision. Throughout this process, we help to explore and co-create a strategy that strengthens and innovates an organization, brand, and team. We do this by following a three step process:
1. We compile a discovery survey and data to create a presentation to guide the discussion.
2. Our collaborative working meeting uncovers business challenges, identifies opportunities and defines actionable goals.
3. We deliver a high-level recommendations report that includes a next-step proposal.
To learn more about this ShiftUp offering, visit: www.shiftupagency.com/connect