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Along came Covid-19 and the world changed . The aforementioned technologies were no longer ‘ nice-to-haves ’, they became the bare minimum essentials for keeping many businesses in operation . Nathan Baranowski , Chief Wondermaker at Digital Wonderlab , reflects on the year that changed everything .
The world is complex . Despite the uncertainty and unease we have felt this past year , we have all learned to adapt and change , adopting technology and picking up new skills along the way , mostly because we had to .
We have been on an accelerated change curve since last March and tech has played a significant role in making things easier and possible . The cloud , anywhere access , connectivity and video conferencing have found their way to the centre of our worlds , and it looks set to remain as we embrace digital as part of an on-going blended approach to a better physical and virtual way of life . We should use what we have learned and experienced in 2020 to build and maintain momentum as we move through 2021 .
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BEING PURPOSEFUL Whether you see this past year as a great pause or incredible accelerator - Purpose driven organisations are fuelling the future . People want to buy from them , and people want to work for them . It is heartening to see so many businesses answering the call to arms to support communities and those in need . The challenge in 2021 is sustaining that support and understanding why we do what we do . Defining your business purpose beyond profit and placing your purpose in the world at the heart of your business in 2021 , no matter whether it is local , global or personal will , I promise , have a profound positive impact on your business .
BE AGILE No change needs to be perfect , and the past year has shown us that we can all innovate and change at pace too . By thinking agile we can give ourselves the creative freedom to find new solutions to our business challenges , make mistakes and learn from them , test ideas and deliver fast through iterative processes . If we are going to change and thrive in 2021 , we need to do more of it . Bring teams together ( virtually and physically when times allow ) solve problems with autonomy and help each other rather than be told . Digital has given us all the ability to have a voice to achieve this .
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HARNESS THE POWER OF COMMUNITY # weareallinthistogether really has been seen over the last year , the power of community shone through like a beaming light to ensure the spirit and positivity remained from the outset . The ability of social media to connect those in need , enable real time communication as a way to support - to even highlight and mobilise change with such important milestones like Black Lives Matter - this will only become stronger in 2021 . Digital brings us the ability to connect in this way and is a powerful enabler to stability and growth as we pull together and learn from each other .
USE DATA TO GUIDE YOU Data is the new oil . However big data doesn ’ t always mean big intelligence . Data needs to help us drive our understanding , guide our attention and inform our decisions - but not necessarily make them for us . Its gives us the “ what ” but not the “ why ”! Using your data to understand your business , your customer needs and which customers are engaging with you – be that direct or indirect - as well as driving your business growth through effective marketing analytics will be key in 2021 as more and more customers connect online .
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THINK DIGITAL FIRST We are on a digital roller coaster and should not get complacent . We ’ re in for the long game . We need to recognise some are further ahead than others and we don ’ t have all the skills to do it all right now . We need to recognise where we need to learn and give time by pacing change to ensure we embed and sustain the future and enjoy the ride .
Digital should be and needs to be centre of your organisational operating model . The basics of IT need to be firmly behind and attention moving to adopting and maturing fast . The digital acceleration seen over 2020 has leapt us forward 2 years and the pace is likely to continue to increase . With longer term ambitions arriving sooner we need to be turning our attention to the next big technological advancements from leveraging AI and machine learning , maximising cloud and data intelligence and security to consuming and delivering services through “ platforms as a service ” ( PaaS ) and apps . Now is the time for us all to leap forward and develop our own digital future . If 2020 has shown us one thing it is that anything is possible . The only limit to our ability to realise our dreams is our own thinking of what is possible .
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@ digiwonderlab |
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digitalwonderlab |
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For more info : www . digitalwonderlab . com |
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THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2021 31 |