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Age of Change – Episode 1: Those Who Don’t Want to Change

Significant changes in business strategy

Business strategy is especially important when things in the business world are not flowing in the “normal channels”. I think we can make it clear that we are living in exactly this era now. Everyone is aware of this, everyone is talking about a change of strategy, but in most cases, some surfaces are polished, some parts are replaced, but you don’t see anything extra, neither news of the change of strategy nor traces of it. Many people forget that the “drastic shift” that most businesses would otherwise need means something different to everyone. So, if we ask business decision-makers in general whether they have made significant changes at the strategic level in the last, say, a year, we would certainly get a lot of “yes” answers. If we ask professionals in the business development profession about the same, then a concise “no” would be the reaction.

Those who do not want to change

A drastic change of strategy, even in its name, concerns leaders with certain attitudes and mindsets, because giving up well-proven recipes and starting from scratch can only be dangerous. So why bring another new risk factor into a company’s life when it’s already enough. They fundamentally don’t like or want to switch; they work according to their daily routine, but they really do it flawlessly. They are the ones who are doing everything these days to prove that nothing extra is happening in the world at large; you just have to focus on people, employees, and partners in the same way, and everything is resolved. That’s a nice theory, and really focusing on people is clearly an important task even in times of crisis. However, where there is no change, serious problems will occur in the medium term. On the one hand, from the employee perspective, the strongest and best-skilled professionals leave the company, as the world has turned around twice, and if management doesn’t notice it or acknowledge it – or even go ahead with change – then they are disappointed in the company, the management, and then look for a new solution. Partners are also looking for collaborations where there is change and movement, if they are transformed, and if they are not really able to do so. That is, significant progress is essential. Opposing this now is by no means a good thing, and there will be no undertaking to prove what a good decision it was to stick to the ideas of the past. Even if many are hoping for that inwardly now, it still won’t pan out. But, of course, the right excuses for failure are ready, as who would not accept after a drastic crisis that the results are not coming? In the first year, then in the second, and then never again. Even in the first year will not be accepted by the owners and investors, because there will be plenty of successful counterexamples. This is not the “game” that was played after 2008, when entire markets were shocked and blocked. Today, another generation is in control, its successful leaders do not listen to these excuses, and they are no longer afraid of confrontation if it leads to success.

The real reason

Who are the ones who don’t want to change? It is very easy to trace the attitude back to a person’s personality. There are the types who sometimes don’t even admit it to themselves, but are afraid of change, afraid to leave the usual paths, and don’t admit it because it would count as a weakness. Therefore, they prefer to say that they are the cautious people who pay a lot of attention to the security of the business, who think everything over well. Of course, this is not the case, and if not so far, they must be truly self-critical now, as they are “toying” with the future of companies and employees. Now there is no way to avoid responsibility, now there is no way to avoid conflicts, and there is no way for a person to “overpower” with empathy. Because although many times they think they are good people – and this is indeed the case – but there is a saying that “a smart enemy is better than a silly friend”. This will be especially true in business in the years to come.