“It’s not going away, and we have to face that reality.” That’s what the CEO and founder of a high-tech manufacturing startup with 180 employees told his leadership team in early July to convince them they needed a strategic pivot to address COVID-19.
Previously, the startup’s executives took things one step at a time, putting out the various COVID-related fires that flared up: supply chain disruptions, canceled orders, employees having difficulties with work-from-home setups or needing flex-time to manage kids or elderly relatives.
Seeing more of the broad picture, the CEO realized the company was going in the wrong direction. One of the board members recommended my recently-published book on strategic pivoting to adapt to COVID and plan for the post-pandemic recovery.
