Life is Locomotion
By Benj L.C. Encarnacion
If you’re not moving, you’re not living. (The FLASH from Nora Allen, (New 52) Vol. 1#1.
When parallel universes collide, you get parallel play. It’s hard enough to distinguish between the Superheroes in DC and Marvel, but, hey, that’s how they put things in order.
So, what have you been moving lately? Some people say that it’s not what you move that changes, it’s the context in which you move that does. To plot movement you have to second guess the “what ifs” prior to, during, and near the end game.
Life doesn’t give us purpose, we give life purpose (Barry Allen, Blackest Night Vol1#8).
Second-guessing this global pandemic requires keeping focused on what triggers the change. Last January, Engineer Cisco (screen name), had his radar up that something was moving in Wuhan. He started plotting doubling rates. Barely three weeks before lockdown in February, he did some interesting pivots. He mandated 80 percent of his 500 workforces back to their provinces; put up a skeletal force reporting Mondays and Fridays. The virus is airborne, and being an engineer, he made the ACs work with flow-thru air (in one side and out the other). His most apropos move was buying seeds to give to his returnee Personnel. This was paired with instructions to plant their way through the crisis as the end was not in clear sight.
When you don’t have the key to the lock, sometimes you kick in the door (H.Wells).
When fast solutions are pressed, you tap those that have been there and done that. Transitioning moves found McKinsey, Thames Business School with the Young Presidents’ Organization (a group of some 30k CEOs from 130 countries) facilitating an online meet on how to override. As one of the facilitators, we completed the report in 4 days that was presented to the IATF by Easter Monday. Most of the proposed measures were implemented.
We can never learn to fly without crashing a few times (H. Wells).
In today’s start-up enterprises, crashing is prevalent. Even pressing, in a flux, Porter’s 5 forces don’t stack up.
A different framework presents itself. The HBR article by Rory McDonald and Kathleen Eisenhartd observed this phenomenon as Parallel Play. It’s like how preschoolers would play. They play near each other but not together. Startups need to be aware of their competitors ‘play’ but should remain focused on their own ‘play’ until they see what works for them.
From the get-go, be an air bender. Jumping off from the ride-sharing models of Grab, Wunder Carpool filled the gap in safe carpooling and decongesting traffic. Now part of the supply chain for anything online.
When you stop trying to force the solution, it'll happen on its own. (B. Allen).
We do Marketing Research - social listening to hunt the trends. The Chief Marketing Officer is challenged to grow brand and customer experience. When the course is redefined, the Customer decides.
For startups and those restarting, feel the wind, plot the moments of truth. Complete the puzzle of ‘creating shared value’ with your Customer. You make decisions not to differentiate, but to make a difference. Keep Moving > (The Flash from Nora Allen, (New 52) Vol 1 # 1).
Bienvenido [Benj] L.C. Encarnacion Chairs ATIFTAP’s Global Business Conferences, facilitates learning in Marketing and Marketing Communications at select learning institutions for Business and Industry. He has worked with Global Companies handling Marketing Research / Intelligence spanning Asia, Oceania and Africa. The views expressed are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of ATIFTAP and its associates.