The truth is that since 2009, crises have become part of the norm.
First the economic crisis, then the crisis of values, then the health crisis, now the energy crisis, and God knows what else to expect. From impoverishment to doubt, to slowdown, and then to weakness, or if you like, to impoverishment again.
All these crises, as expected, involve uncharted paths, unprecedented situations, endurance tests, violent readjustments, and unprecedented crash tests for everyone, for businesses and for households.
And all of this is made worse by the speed at which everything is happening. Of course, in the case of the pandemic, we have had an abrupt pause or at least a slowdown in the pace of things as we knew them before it.
And as if life knew the pace that would follow, after the pandemic, and gave us a break to take a breather.
The changes we are experiencing are great and inversely proportional are the times required for them to occur. Sudden, but not unpredictable, are the changes in supply and demand, in consumer habits, in distribution channels, in systems, in technology, in communication, in people’s mentality and psychology and the list is endless.
And at the same time, we see a society that is running to keep up with developments and adapt accordingly. And it must adapt because it has no other choice.
And a political system that is called upon to solve puzzles, and which in its majority is inferior to the circumstances since it indulges in petty party confrontations only. The essence is absent from “almost” everyone and this “almost” is our only hope for the future. But most people probably care to save the party and not the homeland in the end.
The political system is there to improve human life, to define the rules of coexistence that organized societies need, and all of this without mortgaging their future. How difficult that sounds in itself, these days.
On the one hand, resistance to fiscal derailment and on the other, full support for the living standards of citizens at all costs.
Neither should society be brought to its knees, nor should the country’s finances be derailed, with all that this entails.
Obviously the best solution is somewhere in the middle, as is almost always the case.
The term “improvement of the standard of living”, in terms of the point of reference and comparison, has two uses, two readings.
There is “improvement” when the point of reference and comparison is the immediate past. There is also “improvement” when the point of reference and comparison is the situation we would be living in if there was absolutely no political intervention.
If we want to be fair, we must judge the improvement using both methods.
In this explosive environment, the magic word is “adaptation,” and it seems that it will follow us forever. And because in reality each adaptation follows the previous one, we use the term “readjustment.”
The speed at which everything around us changes, and the inability of businesses and organizations to adapt to new data, is both the greatest danger and perhaps the most serious business risk factor today.
The knowledge, ability, possibility and will to quickly adapt to environmental conditions are now necessary conditions for the sustainability not only of businesses but also of households.
Once the ability to quickly adapt was an advantage, today it is a necessity, and a mandatory condition not even for development but for survival.
So adjustments to everything since yesterday.
- In information and management systems,
- in the organizational structure,
- in the way of administration,
- in the culture and mentality of employees,
- in trade policies and practices,
- in relationships with partners,
- in the overall strategy
The required changes are needed every time something changes in our environment.
Administrative decisions must be quick, cool, brave, but also documented at the same time.
Decisions based solely on our sense of the job and our instincts will be inadequate, I would dare say dangerous, and will only result in the right results by chance.
These are strange times and they do not forgive mistakes. It takes knowledge, skill and will to do things right.
The devil is now truly in the details and these are what will make the difference.
