Future State COO
helping small business achieve their desired future state

thoughts on

closing the gap

Future State is dedicated to providing emboldening insight on optimizing small businesses for sustainable growth. Our focus is on organizational alignment between targets and functions - closing the gap between present reality and vision, between current and future state.

“The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence – it is to act with yesterday’s logic.”
— Peter Drucker

Managing Change Through Leadership, Culture, & Structure

Clearly we are all in a constant state of change as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to keep us quarantined and wondering about the future. The companies who are effectively managing the sudden change to remote operations and pivoting strategies among the uncertainty, are those who already maintained a high capacity for change.

Although, currently we are all living in unprecedented times and dealing with more extreme changes, change is normal and constant, especially in business. Which is why it is important to understand that becoming better at implementing change is an essential organizational capability that enables all strategic objectives and operational initiatives in “normal times” as well as during crises.

A high capacity for change means greater short-term success on critical projects and transformative initiatives, but more importantly it provides long-term capabilities needed to operationalize the strategies necessary to remain competitive and grow. In fact, it can be an organization’s greatest competitive advantage when they are optimized for change, especially when everyone else is trying to adapt and evolve too.

Effective change management starts with leadership, including inspiring through purpose, being inclusive, walking the talk, and going all in. Of all of the necessary leadership traits, trust is the most important factor - leaders trusting followers and followers trusting leaders. Trustworthiness, as a two way street, allows for open communication, leads to empowerment, and establishes a climate for growth.

Trust and effective change management are also part of a company's DNA...it’s culture. Businesses who do not emphasize and facilitate innovation, continuous improvement, and ongoing learning and development as part of their culture cannot establish a high capacity for change. In addition to cultivating a growth mindset, organizations must establish accountability through structure.

When structure is properly designed, companies provide the clarity needed for accountability and are better able to hire the right people who are compatible with cultural values. Furthermore, clearly defining success enables autonomy, which is required if you want employees to constantly adapt, innovate, and change.

When businesses maintain leadership that is inclusive and engaged, establish a growth mindset culture focused on innovation, provide clarity through structure to enable accountability, communication, and continuous improvement - they are likely to develop a high capacity for change and therefore ready for any future change...even the next global pandemic.

Chad G - FSC