Shifting gears to navigate digital adoption during the coronavirus pandemic presents unique challenges for businesses. The lack of resources has rendered rapid digital adoption ineffective, and the shortage of experience in leadership and technology is complicating growth efforts.
Watch the broadcast:
In our original podcast series, Stuff You Should Know About Our Changed New World, Jonathan Lawson, Director of Strategic Partnerships in the Faculty of Business and Law at Manchester Metropolitan University, chats with host Colin Day, Managing Director EMEA at Oktopost about the state of small businesses. Lawson uses transformational stories of businesses he mentors to uncover how entrepreneurs can pivot their mindset to do things differently and impact productivity across their organizations.
You can catch a conversation by searching for B2B Marketing Now, wherever you listen to podcasts and subscribing to our channel to stay up-to-date on the most recent episodes.
Listen to the podcast:
Key takeaways from Jonathan Lawson
Offer re-training
With the coronavirus outbreak requiring businesses to navigate quick digital adoption, there is a gap in the experience required to purchase and run marketing technology. It’s not always clear what decision-makers should be looking for in new tools.
Even in the most well-run company, it can be challenging to keep programmers, marketing operations, sales, operations, and management up to date in the skills required to maintain essential systems.
To survive the storm, Lawson suggests investing in retraining or workshops for employees on the technology used and how it impacts the organization.
Retraining is so important and not only for new people. There isn’t currently a great system for people later in life to stay up to date with skills inside of a corporation but those missing bits of knowledge can be the difference between success and failure.
Think differently
No matter what sector teams operate from, they do it from their homes. Every human has had to innovate in some way.
Think differently. Many have had to experience rapid digital adoption, propelling the wheels of innovation. Business leaders are being forced to rethink current business models, and as Lawson explains, this is a good thing. The way you slice a tomato makes a difference in how far it goes.
It’s time to get savvy and be transformational.
The firms that survive will look and think differently at the end of this temporary period. Moreover, if businesses can succeed in this, productivity will increase across the organization.
Adhere to the lighthouse strategy.
Reflecting on the changed new world, it’s almost as if each business operates like a boat in stormy water. As the waves get stronger, it becomes harder and harder to navigate the boat.
But with the Captain’s eyes on the lighthouse, despite the foggy middle ground, if the crew does what they can in front of the boat to keep it moving forward, eventually, they will reach safety.
Businesses can apply the same mindset.
Do what needs to be done today: increase digital adoption and change business models. While the middle ground for navigating the temporary normal may be a bit uncertain, keep all eyes on the lighthouse.
