What Is Winning Right Now? A Better you.
When the world is in a VUCA state, and the crisis is underway and not likely to let up soon, you need a way out. Or, more precisely, a way through.
You need a business strategy. A strategy to win.
Winning might seem like an inappropriate word to use right now in the current situation—when we’re trying to survive the reality of navigating a pandemic and a recessionary economy. We have the uncertainties of school reopenings. The return of cold weather. Economic uncertainty for many, driven in part but not exclusively by the virus. Most local, county, and state governments are just now beginning to come to grips with realistic revenue estimates and budget realities for the year or two ahead. And few have begun to contemplate the consequences of the incredible amount of borrowing and debt piling up in the U.S. and around the world.
Take care of number one.
Time to turn back to “winning.” Virtually all of the above concerns, aside from the personal and family precautions you can take with the virus, are outside of your control and influence. But some very important choices are within your control right now. “What is winning?” begins with who. And the first “who” priority is you and your family.
Your health, safety and personal well-being matter most. Physical wellness affects mental, psychological, and social health.
So, first invest in a better you.
Manage your energy and then your time.
With the fundamentals in place, what’s the best use of your energy—your mental, physical and emotional energy, right now, to build, develop, and grow a better you and to build develop and grow a better small business, nonprofit, or independent operation?
By the way, my experience over more than five decades is that managing your energy is more constructive, more creative, and much more productive than trying to manage your time. All of us have different energy levels and different factors that impact our energy and energy cycles.
I’m more energetic, creative, and productive early in the afternoon than I am at night. Daily exercise in relatively small doses gives me energy. A long bike ride or hike or tennis match...and I want a nap! A little food or drink several times a day perks me up. A big or long meal slows me down. A challenging or motivating or passionate project fills me with energy. So I don’t work by or on the clock unless I have to. Finally, I learned that my optimum energy bursts are one to two hours, after which I need a break—a short walk, a quiet bite, an escape of some kind...
Now’s a great time to get in touch with yourself—to get to know yourself even better and to make changes, improvements, and fine-tuning that will make you even more effective at whatever you choose to do. What might you want to try to do differently next Monday? Commit to be the best you can be—to help lead the change(s) you want to see in your business, nonprofit, or freelance operation.
A.G.’s perspective: Be the change
In May 2013, when the P&G board asked me to come back and lead the company again, I knew I would have to make some changes—starting with myself. As Gandhi said, “For things to change, first I must change.”
The specific ask of the board was to do three things:
Get the business back on a stable track.
Realize the full potential of the productivity program just put in place.
Lead the succession process with the board to find my successor.
I focused like a laser on the job I was hired to do and I tried to NOT do anything else. I stopped work I believed was of little or no value. I delegated day-to-day business operations to the business unit leadership and capable, experienced product category and country managers. I cut back on travel from two-thirds to one-third of my time. I used all available technologies including teleconference and video conferences. I enrolled more managers to represent the company at a myriad of political, social and community events expected of a Fortune 50 company, operating in 80 countries.
I did not delegate important relationships with key customers, investors, partners and other stakeholders.
It took me two-plus years, but I sold off eight of 18 core business units and 100 of 165 brands. As a result, P&G delivered accelerated sales growth, improved profitability, and significantly better cash productivity. Consumers, employees, and shareowners all benefited from the strategic refocusing of the business.
About the author
A.G. Lafley is the former CEO of Procter and Gamble, who worked for decades in and with large public companies. Over the last 15 years, he has turned more of his attention, energy, and time to small businesses and nonprofit organizations. He currently serves on the boards of Omeza, Snapchat, Tulco, Hamilton College, and as the founding CEO of the Sarasota Bay Park Conservancy. A.G. is the author of two best-selling books, The Game Changer about innovation and Playing to Win about strategy, as well as numerous articles on leadership, management, and business strategy for Harvard Business Review.