Everyone always talks about security – but what about the things in life that we simply cannot safeguard against?

This translates into the business scene as the ‘future-proofing’ tactic. At its core, the future-proofing strategy revolves around taking active steps to protect your brand and business against market fluctuations, ebbs and flows, and impending disruptors. 

While this is a good concept to consider for all aspects of life, I don’t see resilience as something we can prepare and save for a rainy day – true resilience is all about flexibility, creativity, and the ability to pivot. Not being afraid to change! 

In light of the recent global events, I’ve been thinking about the myth of future-proofing. A quote from Airbnb came to mind, which stated, “It took us 12 years to build, and we lost almost everything in six weeks”. In reality, there will always be catastrophic events that you simply cannot plan or ‘future-proof’ for. 

That said, how are we able to build security and lasting successes?

Thriving in the State of Impermanence

My go-to strategy for dealing with the concept of future-proofing is all about making the best in whatever situation you find yourself in.

Whether we like it or not, change is a constant. Knowing that nothing is permanent, I think it’s better to plan for change by not attaching yourself to any one outcome. It’s important to dream, but don’t falter if that aspiration doesn’t come true. Nothing ever comes in the timetable we think it should. Planning for the best but being ready for it all is the only way to stay diligent and vigilant.

By creating your foundations of success upon a baseline that embraces change, your business will be better suited to ride out any storms than those that are standing on false foundations. The mindset of resilience is what is actually important, and it becomes a major competitive advantage when used correctly.

Surety precedes failure. Companies that go all-in only one direction without leaving a potential for change won’t be able to survive. The current circumstances surrounding COVID highlighted this harsh reality – but that doesn’t mean that the crashing of unprepared businesses wouldn’t have happened in the future.

This pandemic has taught us all the hard lessons of impermanence. If life has other ideas in store, there is really nothing we can do about it – except curate how we respond to the situation.

Never Stand Down

Believing in yourself and your business should always remain your outlook, whether it’s the best or the worst of times. Standing strong in the face of adversity is the best thing to do during tough situations. However, so many people lose the ability to think straight when things don’t go the way that they expected. For me, nothing has ever gone the way I expected — but that didn’t mean it didn’t go well. 

Getting emotional or burying your head in the sand like an ostrich will not provide you with the strength you need at that moment. Taking your foot off the gas and letting the momentum subside will only assure a loss. You need to be at your peak on the bad days, not just the easy-breezy ones.

Being prepared is all about preparing yourself. Slow and steady wins the race... eventually — and maybe not even on your timeline. You need to be ready to withstand what’s coming – otherwise, your business won’t survive.