What Will Stick?

Oh, the crazy times we are experiencing. Airline flights with ample spacing between passengers. National political conventions without audiences. Tennis tournaments without line judges. Basketball games “in the bubble”. Concerts in drive-in theaters. And, yes, schools, colleges, universities, and employers learning and working mostly from remote environments.

Honestly, who would have thought of this craziness just six months ago?

There is certainly no shortage of innovation in every business sector. However, it seems to me that the most important issue is what innovations will stick after the pandemic. As businesses adapt to ongoing disruption, some of these amazing adaptations will remain as part of permanent business strategy. Sure, some will fall off as simply a moment-in-time response to a need. But, the pandemic has accelerated everything, and I believe it will leave behind its wake a series of lasting innovations across industry sectors.

As they say, the early bird gets the worm. The smartest organizations will use the next few months to identify the innovations that will stick, hone them into perfection, and deliver them as part of their ongoing strategy.

I’ll be curious to see what will stick.