Adapt with success by staying true to your ‘why’

There’s a shop on my local high street that caught my eye the other day. Unable to carry out their usual business, they’ve started selling PPE to the public instead. This is completely different to what they usually do, and it got me thinking about whether this was a good thing or not.

On the one had, I appreciate the difficult decisions they’ve had to make to keep their business viable during the restrictions placed on their industry due to coronavirus, and applaud their attempts to adapt and survive. That’s why I’m not going to name them, as I don’t want to publicly criticise people who are no doubt dealing with a difficult situation in whatever way they can.

On the other hand, I can’t help but think they’re causing problems for themselves in the long term by diluting their core business and weakening their brand. Of course, this might not be a problem, as I could well be the only person who has walked past their shop and is even thinking (or overthinking, as the case may be) about this.

My feeling is that this temporary business change, this inconsistency, could be a problem, but only if it is poorly managed and communicated.

If the public understand the change, the reasons for it, and how it fits within the business model, then it can work. A failure to communicate this change well might result in a perception that they have changed business completely, or shut down, and so customers will go elsewhere - even once the current situation returns to normal.

It’s difficult to do, but clear, consistent messaging will help.

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I’ve just had a conversation with someone (who I’m not sure if I can name yet) who talked about the challenges of being true to yourself and your mission, even when your projects have evolved over time.

He works for a charity whose current campaigns are now quite different from their original projects. In part, this is because they were successful and the original problem is mostly resolved. They have been able to make this change (or ‘pivot’ to use the current jargon), without losing support or credibility. This is because their current focus is still linked to the fundamental, overall mission, or passion that has always driven them.

My interpretation of his advice was that being consistent in the fundamental reason for your work (the why) will carry you through any changes you have to make to survive, stay profitable, remain relevant, or keep making a positive impact.

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To illustrate this, here’s a handful of hypothetical examples…

• A chef might close their restaurant and offer online cookery classes - maintaining their passion for creating fantastic meals that excite people.

• A recruitment agency might switch to become a careers coaching agency - continuing to help people find jobs they’ll love.

• An environmental charity that has achieved important legislative change in one country, might then launch campaigns to change the law in other countries - staying true to their mission of protecting the environment.

• A company making combustion engines might switch to developing renewable energy equipment - continuing to develop cutting edge technology and upholding precision engineering standards.

• A professional sportsperson might switch to becoming a successful businessperson - still inspiring children from their community to be the best they can be.

Essentially, if the why remains fixed, the who, what, when, where and how can be adapted to suit your current circumstances.

Not only will you be able to preserve your credibility, supporters or clients, and brand image, but you can keep doing the thing you love - even if you change how you do it.

To my mind, this seems a good recipe for success.