BRAND RESILIENCE: Prepare for the Recovery Now

by Anne M. Berg

Look up. And move beyond the panic.

When things get difficult, perspective tends to narrow out of fear. Just when it needs to broaden out of confidence. As your competitors retreat, you can advance.

Allowing your world view to collapse is a form of recklessness. While thoughtful risk-taking drives innovation.

FIRST, stabilize the organization. Look inward and reach for clarity. This requires your fixed attention. Prepare for the worst-case scenario and create a contingency plan. Ideas:

• Refocus on the core: values, purpose, and competencies.
• Engage in relevant conversations with both internal and external audiences.
• Eliminate inefficiency but preserve strategic initiatives that build competitive advantage.

NEXT, accelerate the brand. Look forward and reach for audacity. This requires your creative ideation. Shift your view and realize that anything is possible. Ideas:

• Up-level branded experiences with customer centricity as your guide.
• Leverage customer creativity and invite consumer-generated ideas and content.
• Define an awe-inspiring audacious goal to align and drive the organization forward.

Start today. Look up. Fly high.