Learnings from CES 2021: Living with (Un)Certainty Part I

Ended soon

I am attending the first Virtual CES! Naturally, after all these decades I miss the live event. That said, there is a tremendous amount of good information and data here, with provocative sessions to devour. I am taking in that firehose right now.

While some of the sessions have been very good, or at least informative, I’ve been struck by the “certainty” of many of the presenters regarding what they have “learned” or “taken away” from the pandemic and its ongoing effects. I find this to be odd, since so many of these same people were equally “certain” of things before COVID impacted all of our lives, not to mention the many other events and industry shifts these past several years.

Indeed, we should all consider the dramatic changes in consumer and business behavior that we have experienced and observed during this time. It is likely that some or all of these new patterns will remain in place once the pandemic ebbs. However, I also caution that we really do not know what the new “mix” will be.

Rather than proceed from “certainty” and research projections (which are often off base), I suggest instead that adopting to the reality of living with “uncertainty” is a superior plan. Those with flexibility of mind and execution in their business (and life) have fared best so far in the pandemic. Rather than wringing hands over loss and limits, many took actions as soon as they saw the needs and adjusted their tactics on the fly. Those that did this sooner seem to have done the best.

I submit that in practice, this stratagem almost always prevails. Flexibility of mind and action is always the winning way. It is difficult to change patterns and to face change. It is hard to admit that what you are doing is not working, and it can be scary to try new things. However, change always comes, nonetheless.

I suggest embracing change. I suggest flexibility in mind, plan and execution. If you need some help thinking about this or getting things done inside or outside these transitions, let us know. We have a lot of experience with these shifts as we have seen the world change before us. That’s because we have had something to do with at least some of that change.

At bluesalve partners, we have an active product development process we can share with clients to accelerate and improve their batting average. Better outcomes are good for everyone, the firms, the industry, and their customers. Let’s all get better together.

Bluesalve partners is committed to accelerating change, growth and success for our clients.