Advice

REMAINING RELEVANT

Live wire

Adapt or die The trick to staying in business for the long term is to constantly adapt to the new challenges is to constantly adapt to the new chal and opportunities that come along, says Jean Gamester nities that come along, says Jean Gam

M NICEIC is 60 years old. The world has changed so much since 1956, hasn’t it? That was the year that IBM invented the hard disk drive, and 60 years on we are just beginning to imagine what we can do with the internet of things and 3D printing. We he We know that the world of electronics will be very diff erent in nt in 60 years, even if we don’t know how it will change. For r our businesses to survive and thrive beyond the here and now, we are going to have to adapt and evolve.

When I think about evolving and adapting, I think about another anniversary. It is 100 years since

Sir Ernest Shackleton watched his ship, the Endurance, e, get crushed by ice in the Antarctic. With no ship, his dreams of traversing the South Pole were destroyed, and the and the chances of survival for all on board seemed very slim indeed. Yet indeed. Yet having adapted to every challenge to journey across miles of ice miles of ice and ocean in the most treacherous of environments, they were all heywereall saved. So what can we learn from the Shackleton spirit?

Passion and purpose

Shackleton was absolutely clear at the beginning what his purpose was: he wanted to stand up to almost impossible odds and do something extraordinary. He tried to be the first to reach the poles but had been beaten, so now he wanted to be the first to transverse the South Pole. When his ship was destroyed he switched all his passion and purpose to saving his men. In the end, he still did something no one had ever done before – he brought an entire crew back alive from this most treacherous environment. He was true to his purpose, even as he adapted to his circumstances.

Why are you in business? What is it that you are really passionate about? Is it your customers, is it running a profitable operation, is it using renewable materials? Whatever it is, make sure it is at the heart of everything you do. That way you have a reliable strength at the centre as you adapt to the future.

Be willing to compromise

When Shackleton’s crew abandoned ship, they had to abandon most of their belongings. Frank Hurley, the ship’s photographer, fought back; he didn’t want to lose the fantastic photographs he had taken of their journey, even though those photographs were set in heavy glass. Shackleton reconsidered and worked with Hurley to pick the best of the best as an enduring record. Perhaps many of us would never have heard n of this amazing o journey if we had j never seen the n photographs, if p Shackleton had S not adapted to no Hurley’s view. Hu Listen to the List next generation next An article appeared An art in the last edition of in the la Connections, saying that two-Connection thirds of contractors would like thirds of contrac their off spring to follow them into their offspring to fo the trade. That says to me that it is the trade. That says vital to create a working environment that vitaltocreateaworking makes it inspiring and rewarding for the next generation to take things forward. Are you giving them the opportunity to shape the business so that it works for them and for your future? Are we open to what they understand about technology and how younger generations think? Make the tough decisions Every time Shackleton was faced with a challenge, he was thinking about how to adapt and take action to make change happen. As an example, he realised that once the crew was on the ice, morale would be vital, so he made sure he shared a tent with the most negative member of the crew to manage the impact of that person on the morale of the others.

What tough decisions are you prepared to make to adapt your business to challenges so you are fit to not just survive but also thrive? What investments will you need to make, what things will you need to learn, what things will you have to stop accepting so that the business is fit for the future?

Charles Darwin theorised that only the fittest survive. I believe that if we are true to our purpose, are listening to what the next generation has to say and are up for making tough decisions, then we will not only endure but our businesses will be able to do amazing things. Roll on the next 60 years!