Do you remember that Hewlett Packard ad campaign, “What If?” It showed people — walking their dog on a beach, sitting on a train, in an elevator — asking “What If?” Then they’d have an “ah-ha!” moment, and run off to share their big idea.
The message was that they were always thinking about new ways to solve problems, and asking “What If?” to inspire creative thinking.
But if you asked your team “What If?” today, you might get an avalanche of concerns:
- What if we have another lockdown?
- What if the government ends up in gridlock?
- What if the vaccine doesn’t work?
- What if we can’t meet in person for another year?
Yes, asking “What If” can inspire — but as we’ve seen this year, uncertainty creates real anxiety, too. If we learned anything from 2020, it’s that every plan we put in place may have to change!
How do we apply what we’ve learned this year about uncertainty? How do we execute in 2021 knowing we’re going to have constantly adjust plans as we deal with risks and confront new realities?
We double down and lead with “What If?”
As you build on what you were able to achieve in 2020 (despite Covid!), and work to make back lost revenue and capitalize on areas of momentum, you can use “What If” to your advantage. Being intentional about establishing a “What If?” rhythm is like building muscles that make you stronger.
In working with clients who are launching a new initiative, going after a new market, considering new partnerships or trying to get a stalled program back on track – I’ve found creating a regular “What If?” rhythm can help you and your team optimize risk and deal with uncertainty head on.
How does it work? You still lay out goals and objectives, but you’re less attached to the details of how goals get accomplished. You get really good at sensing what you see around you – and naming the risks – and looking for the opportunities and challenges risks represent. And you prepare to take action.
Here are three steps to lead a “What If” rhythm and de-risk more confidently:
- Intentionally and openly talk about risks.
Invite your team to step back and think WITH you:
a) What are the critical dependencies and assumptions we’ve made about next year? About the next three years?
b) What could change? Is it a negative impact or an opportunity? Or both?
Then quantify the impacts and ranges so you can prioritize them. (Make sure you are tapping a diversity of perspectives for this. Include some partners, customers, members/beneficiaries, board members, funders — and maybe a teenager for some next-gen insights!) - Identify what you can do now to be ready.
a) Identify specific actions you could do today that could make you and your team more nimble to deal with the risks — negative or positive.
b) Get easy actions done quickly. Take small specific steps to tackle bigger ones. Whether it’s your digital transformation or building reserves to make the right acquisition when the opportunity presents itself — don’t put off important actions because they’re big. - Establish a cadence for “sensing.”
a) Look for data that makes you uncomfortable. Be intentional about looking for early indicators of changes in the landscape.Whether through informal conversations, formal surveys, pulse reports from the front line, listening tours with customers, partners and funders — keep your eyes and ears open.
b) Talk about it. Get your team together and hold regular “sensing reviews” to compare notes about what everyone is seeing and the possible implications. This could complement your quarterly reviews, so everybody comes ready to talk about risks with their own “What If?” observations.
Warning: This will require you to become more transparent about risk than you may have ever been before as a leader.
As leaders, we sometimes feel we need to have all the answers (or pretend we do), so we are credible and others will follow. We’re concerned we might look weak if we talk about risk or change our minds. When others bring up risks to our plan, it somehow feels personal.
Here’s the good news: We just had a global pandemic that completely surprised and humbled every expert and some of the most successful CEO’s in the world! 2020 taught all of us: Whether it creates negative or positive outcomes, risk isn’t personal. It’s how you and your team anticipate, align and take ACTION to optimize risk that counts.
As we close the books on 2020, many are taking a big sigh of relief that this “year of disruption” is over.
But could it be you’ll look back and see 2020 was a turning point? Was this the year you got really GOOD at living with risk, and decided to make leading with a rhythm of “What If?” your own competitive advantage?
What If?😀
If you are interested ways to de-risk your strategy or initiative, check out the
Changemakers De-Risk System for Impact . Hope it prompts your thinking.
Susan Schramm, Founder and Principal Go to Market Impact LLC +1(847)778-0123 susan.schramm@gotomarketimpact.com www.gotomarketimpact.com
