Working with clients through this crisis has led me to identify a constructive process to come out the other side. I have termed it Re-Platforming. Imagine there is a huge tornado that rips up your house from the very foundations. After the storm passes, you need to re-platform your property from the ground up. Your business is no different in an extreme crisis.
Re-Platforming requires business owners to adopt a 6-point strategy:
1. Establish Timelines
2. Map Scenarios
3. Project Forecasts
4. Map Actions
5. Adopt Mindset
6. Execution & Review Loop
1.Establish Timelines
In times of crisis, I recommend using a shorter timeline to re-platform your business. With further uncertainty to play out, long-range timelines are largely irrelevant.
I suggest three timelines:
· 90 days
· 12 months
· 2-3 years
Spend most of your time focusing on immediacy in the next 90 days, as well as the year ahead.
2. Map Scenarios
Based on these three timelines, use mind mapping to flesh out potential ‘outcomes’ under:
· Best Case Scenario (Everything works out brilliantly)
· Mid-point (Win some, lose some)
· Worst Case (Nothing works outs for you)
This will help you workshop what may happen to your business under these scenarios over three timelines.
It provides a spectrum of outcomes from good to bad.
3. Project Forecasts
Next, forecast the ‘financial’ implications of the three timelines over the three scenarios.
This provides the range of financial outcomes over time from good to bad.
4. Map Actions
Now mind map the ‘actions’ you would take under the three scenarios over the three timelines.
Take your time here and consider potential actions as if you were to execute them now. In fact, the 90 Day timeline analysis over the scenarios will be the actions that you take now.
This starts to provide perspective in the range of actions you may need to take.
It allows you to have a ‘dry run’ of drafting actions in advance of execution. It provides the mind with perspective as well as the opportunity to ‘accept’ the need to act.
5. Adopt Mindset
Completing the first four steps of re-platforming should provide you with perspective and acceptance that you ‘do not control anything’.
The mindset needed is to ask yourself ‘What can I action to influence the outcomes I seek?’
6. Execution & Review Loop
To execute your actions, you need to have a laser focus. Block out or eliminate external noise and distractions.
Focus on specific actions that propel you towards your goal.
Review the timelines and scenario mapping, noting the actions you noted.
Based on the real current scenario faced now, execute your actions.
Think ‘What do I need to specifically action today, and this week, that will propel me towards sought outcomes?’
After action, conduct a review loop each week, month and 90 days to review the scenarios.
Ask yourself ‘What new facts have emerged recently that I need to update my scenario planning and potential actions?’
Complete this feedback loop and then return to execution.
Using this six-step process provides a rolling framework to re-platform your business from crisis. With so much uncertainty surrounding us, we need practical tools to use in our decision making.
Keep striving ahead and re-platform.
I write blogs just like this one on productivity and human development fortnightly. If you'd like it delivered straight to your inbox head to https://darrenkbourke.com/the-fourth-moon-blog and let me know your email.
Email me at darren@darrenkbourke.com to schedule a meeting (at no cost or obligation) to discuss how I can help you re-platform from crisis this year.