“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one most adaptable to change.”
While the above quote is commonly attributed to Charles Darwin, there is some dispute about this. Regardless I think it is a great sentiment and throughout the centuries it has been repeated time and time again in some form or other by world leaders and creative thinkers.
I am a great admirer of businesses and communities that can see an opportunity and take measures to capitalise on it. Others keep doing what they’ve always done and wonder why it isn’t going well.
Quite simply, our world is continually changing and while young people value their local community, they are living in a global world and want to be a part of it. No wonder they are leaving in their droves. It is time to embrace change and be agile and adaptable in how we approach business. Those fearing technology-driven disruption risk suffocating innovation and entrepreneurship.
So how can we read the future and know what is worth pursuing? If I had a crystal ball I’d be selling exclusive readings right now, but I don’t. What we all have though, is heaps of information, and it has never been so easy to access this as through the internet.
Pay attention to regional, national and global trends
Read relevant industry magazines and also pay attention to what is happening outside your immediate industry, which can be a great source of inspiration. Did you know that the drive-through concept for McDonalds came from a bank installing an after-hours deposit box that business owners could drive up to? Think about what could be adapted into your industry. One good tip is to scan the side bars on social media that show what is trending to broaden your scope.
Conduct your own think tanks
Scheduling a regular open slather on wild and wonderful thoughts in your business or community could just produce some useful ideas worth pursuing. Invite some different kind of thinkers into your think tank to challenge you. Just having a culture of being prepared to experiment and try new things out is a great start. Not everything will work but don’t view them as failures, accept them as learning opportunities and move on.
Ignore the knockers
Of course you will find the knockers. I was one such knocker when my daughter Elise announced that she was changing her business, Fair Dinkum Dog Coats, from wholesale to online direct retail sales. I expressed my doubts about her cutting ties with her loyal wholesale customers Australia-wide but, once again, she proved me wrong! Within a year she had tripled her sales for a quarter of the workload. I would still ask anyone considering a big change or something new and high risk the same questions to ensure that they have thought it carefully through but am happy to be proven wrong.
(This article is an excerpt from Kerry’s book, Entrepreneurship: It’s Everybody’s Business!)
Kerry Anderson – www.kerryanderson.com.au – businesswoman, philanthropist and community advocate from Central Victoria who is passionate about rural and regional small business
