What have you learned in 2020? I am a big-time advocate of continuous improvement. Part of improving all the time is learning all the time, whether it is learning from events in my life, or learning from watching others.
Pivot – use basketball example I learned from all American college player, pivot to the hoop.
I have heard the word pivot in the last year or so more than I would like to. I am not so sure I feel like everyone is using it to their full capacity.
When I was in high school our basketball coach brought in a former All American college basket player. We had a very informal 2-day basketball camp. One of the moves he taught us was a pivot move. Someone would pass the ball to the forward near the baseline. As soon as we received the pass, we would pivot and quickly launch toward the basket and make a slam dunk, well, he was the only one who slammed it, the rest of us made a layup.
I have heard a lot of people talking about pivoting in their business. I believe there is a difference from just doing a pivot and doing a pivot to win. Let me explain.
For the sake of this discussion, I will use some examples of restaurants that I have seen over the last year. When Covid hit it wreaked havoc on most businesses and service businesses seemed like they have taken the hardest hit. Restaurants, health clubs, tattoo parlors, just to name a few were mandated by governing authorities to not allow in person contact.
There were some restaurants that just closed, apparently, they did not have the will to fight. They might even have already been in dire straits financially before Covid, so it is possible they did not have the resources to try to fight and carry on.
I have seen some restaurants, let us say they were old school. They did not have a significant online presence and only relied on their ability to provide good service and good food to keep the supply of customers coming in the door every day. This worked well for the in the past and that is has gotten them where they were before Covid.
When Covid came and they were ordered to close, they then pivoted and revamped their website and advertised that they would be staying open and started delivery and pick up orders.
For a ton of people Covid changed a lot of people’s habits and routines, so I am sure that being able to order from their favorite restaurant was a welcome opportunity. The restaurants still needed to provide good food and service to stay in business. The ones that were successful were the ones who pivoted and went straight to the basket for a sure score by maintaining the fundamentals that kept them in business while still needing to change with the times and getting over the hurdles that were placed in their way.
I see some restaurants still closed. I am not sure what will become of them. The need for businesses to always stay alert and pivot and move forward constantly. Always be moving towards the basket and going for the score to get ahead. Remember, change is inevitable, be prepared and ready to move to stay ahead of the competition.
Business Fix 