Pub. 2 2019-2020 Issue 4

13 as useful as it was when an exponential change was moving more slowly. Agility can only slow down the speed with which you fall behind, like a race car driver closely following the leader without making a move to pass. Being agile doesn’t lend itself to innovation, particularly the sort of game-changing innovation that every organization strives for. As soon as COVID-19 was starting to hit the United States and before the lockdown, movie theaters in several states began to pivot by way of hosting drive-inmovies in their parking lots, while drive-in concerts hosted by artists such as country singer Keith Urban are the music counterpart to the drive-inmovie experience. What Is Agility Good For? Given the profound stage of exponential change we are currently in, agility’s reactive nature still provides value for organizations and individuals. The ability to be agile is a key strategy to have. There will always be unforeseen problems that demand rapid solutions and other challenges that require quick analysis and response. It’s important to keep agility in a proper context; it is the ideal strategy for unpredictable change and reacting quickly after a change occurs. Essentially, avoid using agility as the panacea to change and innovation that many organizations assume it is; it’s just another way to protect the status quo. What Is Anticipation? While agility remains vital in some ways, it needs to be balanced with a new key strategy — anticipation. If you want to become the disruptor and turn change into a game-changing opportunity, you must anticipate what’s to come. My Anticipatory Organization Model has proven itself over time and is geared to showing organizations and individuals how to anticipate the future and make bold moves by turning disruption and change into an opportunity and advantage, identifying and acting on a change before it occurs, identifying and pre-solving problems before they occur, and jumping ahead with the confidence that comes from certainty. One of the keys to the proven methodology is identifying both Hard Trends and Soft Trends. Hard Trends are based on future facts — things that will happen, or future events we can all bank on. By contrast, Soft Trends are based on assumptions and represent future possibilities — something that may or may not occur, but that is open to influence. Leveraging those two concepts allows organizations of all sorts to plan and carry out strategies with a newfound confidence level that fosters rapid growth and accelerated innovation. By discerning what Hard Trends and Soft Trends are, you have the opportunity to pursue innovation at every level, from everyday innovation increasing productivity to world- renowned forms of disruptive exponential innovation that upends an entire industry like never before. Where Does Agility Fit? Now understanding what it means to be anticipatory, it might seem like you should skip being agile altogether, which ROAD READY Learn how our solutions situate you for success. Stacy Deru | 801.321.8206 | sderu@cbiz.com | cbiz.com/slc MHM(MayerHoffmanMcCannP.C.) isan independentCPAfirm that providesaudit, reviewandattestservices,andworkscloselywithCBIZ, abusinessconsulting, taxandfinancialservicesprovider. The path to profitability comes with its share of obstacles, and your Salt Lake City team is here to help Utah auto dealers navigate the road ahead. STRATEGIES FOR PROFITABILITY is wrong. Agility continues to be an extremely important component in an organization. The key is to keep agility in a proper context. Far too often, I see an organization use agile, reactive innovation. You can successfully innovate this way, but you will not jump ahead with the lower risk of applying anticipatory Hard Trends to see predictable game-changers. Being anticipatory can actually serve to improve your organization’s agility. If a particular Hard Trend identifies a future certainty, you can prep with the ability to better respond or act before it occurs. By the same token, being aware of Soft Trends affords you the opportunity to influence them to your advantage: a far more proactive and effective form of agility. Consider agility and anticipation as synergistic strategies; when used together with strategic intent, they can accelerate innovation, growth and results. By adopting an anticipatory mindset and culture, change and disruption become your biggest competitive advantage. 3 Daniel Burrus is considered one of the World’s Leading Futurists on Global Trends and Disruptive Innovation. The New York Times has referred to him as one of the top three business gurus in the highest demand as a speaker.