Pub. 1 2019-20 Issue 3

Pub. Year 1 2019-2020 Issue 3 25 WVADA A s COVID-19 uncertainty spreads around the world at an exponential pace, the global community is find - ing out that reacting quickly to the societal and economic disruptions that the virus creates, no matter how agile a reac - tor you are, is not good enough and quite frankly, is simply not working. With disruptive changes moving so fast, every - thing seems to be uncertain, and that uncertain- ty can cause us all to “wait and see,” which is the exact opposite of what we should be doing now! The only way individuals, entrepreneurs, business and government leaders can get ahead of the spread of the virus, and get control of its speed and devastating impact, is to stop focus - ing on reacting quickly, or “pivoting,” as some have called it, and start becoming anticipatory by separating the Hard Trends that will happen from the Soft Trends that might happen and can be changed. You cannot change a Hard Trend, but you can see it coming, and by knowing what will happen be - fore it happens, you can create strategies to take advantage of that trend, giving you certainty and the confidence to make bold moves as you move ahead. Another major advantage of Hard Trends is that they allow you to identify the problems that are ahead and solve them before they occur. Pandemic Uncertainty Problem The coronavirus pandemic has leveled the playing field. The exponential uncertainty it brings with it has forced increasing numbers of people to live day-by-day as they try to protect what they have in an effort to combat what might happen as this highly unusual year unfolds. However, it is important to note that the expo - nential spread of COVID-19 as it doubles every three days is a Soft Trend, meaning that the ex - ponential spread can be changed! Anticipatory government and business leaders saw the pre- dictable exponential spread of the virus and the potential human and economic impact. They re - alized it was a Soft Trend that could be changed and took action to slow and eventually stop the spread by closing nonessential businesses and implementing strong social distancing measures in order to flatten the curve, save countless lives, and save millions, billions, and even tril- lions of dollars. As we lock down, work remotely and do our best to remain healthy and safe, realize that everyone is hurting and with that, there are enormous new ways to make a bigger difference as you simulta - neously grow your business. the Face