Sales Savvy

A big question these days is what will the New Normal look like and for companies searching to answer this question, the other question to ask and answer is: do we have the right people, skills, structure, strategy in place to succeed in the New Normal?

Strategic planning will likely be far more fluid in future years than in the past. This means that strategy, structure and processes may need ongoing and frequent change (throughout the year) to facilitate faster decision making—and execution. We’d all like to think we’re fast thinkers and even faster at implementing until it comes to budget approvals, resource allocation, etc—and try doing any of that after the fiscal year starts and the budgets are set. It’s corporate molasses.

Given that companies are responding to a market that is still changing (along with their strategy and goals), so do the commensurate skills and job requirements. Coupled with job losses and cost controls, it’s hard to address the emerging needs but it’s necessary.  One of the key activities will be mapping the necessary competencies to existing skills and determining where and how you’ll fill in the cracks, gaps, and all-out breaks from reality.

Since I recently spoke with someone who told me they haven’t more than one fully-executed review in ten years, this can make the process daunting. Management will need to be finely tuned to the capabilities of their employees: existing, emerging, declining and potential. They’ll need a high degree of support to do the things that are needed to address the gaps. It sounds simple, but it’s not—without a cohesive plan and organizational commitment you won’t get very far.

As the New Normal finally surfaces, those who are ready for the new frontier will have had a bit of introspection about where they are going, how they will get there, and who can take them there.