Where I spent the holidays, and in many places around the country, the week of Christmas was unseasonably warm. There was no precipitation, and we did our post-holiday shopping without the need to bundle up. It was hard to imagine winter’s full blast returning.
But return it did, just in time for travel home. While we had been watching the weather reports, conditions deteriorated rapidly, and the forecasts continued to be downgraded. We went from pleasant to Winter Storm Warnings overnight, driving through snow and ice with little advance notice.
I thought about this change in the context of planning. Plans must prepare an organization for what is to come, even if it is hard to conceive of the environment changing so drastically. You must be part prophet and part logistics manager to craft a plan that capitalizes on opportunities while also hedging against downturns. And you must remain agile, monitoring the latest information and adjusting your actions accordingly.
Forty degrees one day; interstates closed due to blizzard conditions the next. The weather is a good metaphor for how fast the business climate changes, too.
