By Michael Norring, President and CEO of GCSIT

The past year has been full of unknowns. From an increase in cyberattacks to COVID-19, businesses have been forced to adapt or close. Finding a balance between flexibility and stability can be a tight rope to walk, but the good news is that everyone has had to walk it. We've all been in uncharted territory, but what comes next will set the success stories apart from the failures.

To maintain productivity in today's complex business ecosystem, a business continuity plan is no longer enough. Resilient organizations will be able to adapt and utilize new work models and growth plans. Agility and resiliency require investments in technologies like digital infrastructures, security, and workplace connectivity-but more than anything, they require a new mindset. Here are 4 ways to build a sustainable, agile business from the top down:

1.      Evaluate your business goals. The past, present, and future are all closely related-whether thinking personally or professionally. As a business leader, it's important to look at past investments, like tech and collaborative tools. How well did they work? How well do they work together? Did many of your past investments fall short in terms of promise and ROI? When looking at future investments, see how they work toward your current business goals. If not, is it your investment that's falling short or are your goals not capable of evolving as needed?

2.      Look for synergies. From open offices to open door policies, siloes are on the way out in the business world. When it comes to using technology, this same philosophy should be shared. Can one tech investment positively impact the business in more than one area? Can improved processes to ensure adaptation of the technology improve outcomes and further maximize investments already made? The key component to accomplishing this is communication and innovative thinking. Encouraging leaders to share best practices and new tech that they're excited about can change the game in ways you never would've thought possible.

3.      Set an expectation but be realistic. Clearly identify what will make workflows more productive in their current state, but don't stop there. While this past year has taught us that priorities and life can change from one day to the next, coming up with solutions is what has always made a business successful. Solve the problem of the day and then challenge your employees to think how new technology and work processes could be utilized across the business in the future. By preparing your infrastructure and organization to be forward-thinking, meeting growing customer demands will be easier to meet.

4.      Make a holistic commitment. Becoming an agile workplace begins with holistic commitment by the executive team and must be reinforced to permeate the entire organization. Instilling an agile mindset throughout your organization will drive innovation, help you identify more opportunities for growth, and streamline your business to better support your customers and protect your bottom line. It's important to show employees how strategic thinking can be applied to everyday tactical decisions-not just the big decisions made in boardrooms.

The current pace of tech innovation across industries, can change and revolutionize businesses across a variety of sectors. The ability to adapt quicker than the competition and realize the true value of a new technology sets a business apart. Agility should be the focus across an organization to ensure the business thrives. When implemented broadly and treated with system thinking in mind-business leaders and employees alike can start to make micro-decisions with macro-consequences.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael Norring is the CEO of GCSIT. As the CEO, Michael plays an integral role in building the GCSIT brand and reimagining the future of IT partners to help bring smarter, more innovative, affordable technology solutions to consumers faster. His areas of expertise at GCSIT include building Agile Infrastructure, the Cloud, DevOps, Enterprise Applications, Development and more. Michael is a senior business executive and entrepreneur with a proven track record as a leader, innovator, strategic thinker, change agent, and market visionary. With more than 20 years of experience in the industry, he has extensive experience creating technology partners focused on the Cloud, DevOps, SaaS, Applications, Consulting and the Managed Services market. He has a background in defining company and product/services' vision and strategy, customer engagement and alignment, operational controls, product management and development, new product definition and market launch, realignment of existing product, company turnaround, sales, and business development.