{"id":362140,"date":"2025-03-28T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-28T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chiefexecutive.net\/?p=362140"},"modified":"2025-03-27T14:23:38","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T18:23:38","slug":"the-opportunity-in-volatility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chiefexecutive.net\/the-opportunity-in-volatility\/","title":{"rendered":"The Opportunity In Volatility"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Will Trump derail the economy? Maybe. Will Trump create a golden era of American manufacturing? Maybe. Will we end up in recession? Maybe. Will your business thrive, despite the headwinds? Again, maybe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If that all sounds rather Buddhist, apologies.\u00a0But \u201cmaybe\u201d may be the truest thing we can say about the current wild moment. There is, without question, a lot of volatility and uncertainty right now brought on by MAGA Washington and it is making a lot of people nervous\u2014especially CEOs<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0board members<\/a>\u00a0according to our polling\u2014no matter how they voted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a good moment to remember what you all know\u00a0(and what you\u2019ve all experienced, likely multiple times): In every era of radical change, some companies end up stronger, more agile and better positioned than before. You don\u2019t need to beat the overall economy to win. You only need to beat your rivals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leadership is the difference.\u00a0To that end, here are some ideas for thriving in uncertainty, cribbed over the years from the CEO community as well as some of the best minds in business (Ram Charan, Jim Collins, Patrick Lencioni, Fred Reicheld, Marshall Goldsmith, Verne Harnish, Adam Echter, and many more). You know all this already, but it can\u2019t hurt to be reminded:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abundance mindset.<\/strong>\u00a0As bestselling author Stephen M.R. Covey pointed out for an upcoming interview, this world contains plenty of everything we need to thrive, and that will be even more true as AI grants us extra helpings of our prized commodity: time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Control what you can control.<\/strong>\u00a0Obsessed with the news? Ask yourself: is it helping you lead or is it just exciting\/habitual. Monitor your media consumption and that of your senior team and focus on the trade data that impacts you directly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Refocus on the customer.<\/strong>\u00a0When things are topsy-turvy, it is grounding to remind people that the point of all this effort is the customer. Without them, there\u2019s no business. Don\u2019t let operational thrum drown that out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Build energy and urgency.<\/strong>\u00a0Pull together a war room. Signal an acceleration in rhythm. Put time on the calendar, dedicate a physical space, pull together HR, finance, purchasing, sales, operations, whoever else for a high-cadence group. Push them to look for opportunity\u2014not just patching holes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pricing flexibility=profits.<\/strong>\u00a0This is essential. Inflation is likely to rise, tariffs\u2014even the threat of tariffs\u2014will present opportunity for profitability, if you can add surcharges and get smart about adjusting with agility. Make sure you can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get out of your office.<\/strong>\u00a0Hunker in the bunker is not a winning strategy. Don\u2019t delegate listening and connecting. Get on the phone, get on a plane. Show up for customers, suppliers, trade groups, lawmakers, regulators, industry conferences. Learn a ton, grow the network, bank goodwill, and get smarter while your rivals stay home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Create esprit de corps.<\/strong>\u00a0Some people, some teams just get better as the pace accelerates and the challenges mount. You know who they are. Give them the ball and let them run. Their energy is contagious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cull.<\/strong>\u00a0Inertia thrives in good times. This is the moment to revisit projects, people, ideas that you likely lacked the energy or discipline to examine closely in blue-sky weather. Then make some choices. Narrow your focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t sacrifice the future.<\/strong>\u00a0The places not to cut? Automation, R&D, AI pilots, digital transformation, training, etc. You want to grow stronger while others grow weaker.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revisit comp.<\/strong>\u00a0It\u2019s been tough to have tough conversations here for a while. Realign around what\u2014and who\u2014builds actual value in your company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Map the opportunities.<\/strong>\u00a0Companies you really like, salespeople your salespeople hate competing against, customers you wish you had\u2014they may all become available. Ask your front-line folks for thoughts. Reach out to rivals. You never know who\u2019s ready to deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And finally, Communicate, communicate, communicate.\u00a0No matter your political affiliation or your team\u2019s, no matter where you think all this is going, it is irrefutable that there is a lot of change happening all at once. My favorite quote on the job of CEOs in moments like this comes from Greg Brenneman, who turned around Continental Airlines: \u201cAbsorb fear, exude hope.\u201d And be ready for opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To that point:\u00a0While your rivals are hunkering and bunkering, join us for three extraordinary new programs tailor-made to help you gain ground in the months ahead:<\/p>\n\n\n\n