There’s an old Hawaiian proverb: “Never Turn Your Back On The Ocean.” It reflects a deep respect for the ocean’s beauty and its immense, unpredictable power. One moment, calm and inviting; the next, a powerful wave can reshape everything. This wisdom is a potent metaphor for today’s business landscape, where the currents of change can be hypnotic, lulling us into a false sense of security before an unexpected disruptive wave hits.

From Proactive to “Pre-Active” – A New Leadership Imperative

In business, being “proactive”, anticipating predictable changes and preparing for them, has long been considered good practice. But as author Daniel Burris suggests in “Flash Foresight,” today’s environment demands more. We need to be “pre-active”: not just reacting to foreseeable shifts, but actively predicting and acting on less obvious, potentially disruptive changes, or even creating those disruptions ourselves. Proactivity is now table stakes; pre-activity is the new differentiator.

The “New Normal” is Constant Transformation

For years, the business world experienced somewhat predictable economic cycles. Setbacks occurred, but recovery and a “return to normal” growth were generally expected. However, the fundamental drivers of our global economy, globalization, rapid technological advancement, the commoditization of many products and services, and ever-escalating customer expectations for more, better, faster (and often free), have created a “new normal” where constant change and disruption are the baselines, not temporary deviations.

Clinging to the hope of a “return to an old normal” is like turning your back on the ocean. Traditional levers like incremental cost-cutting and process improvements, while still having their place, are often insufficient to navigate these profound shifts. They might help companies “weather a storm” in the short term, but they don’t prepare them for the fundamentally altered seascape.

The Productivity Equation in a Disruptive Era

When leaders anticipate limited growth in output (revenue), the traditional response is to reduce inputs (costs). This can maintain productivity and profits for a while. But there’s a limit to how much input costs can be squeezed before hitting the essential “keep the lights on” baseline.

A more “pre-active” approach, especially for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses (SMBs), means looking critically at both sides of the productivity equation and understanding the forces reshaping your market:

1. Globalization: Even if you operate locally, your SMB competes globally. Customers have worldwide access to alternatives. You must differentiate beyond just geography, leveraging unique value, agility, or specialized knowledge.
2. Rapid Commoditization: Technology (cloud computing, mobile platforms, accessible AI tools) lowers barriers to entry across industries. Unique features can be mimicked quickly. Sustainable advantage comes less from static features and more from continuous innovation, exceptional service, or unique business models.
3. Evolving Customer Expectations: Customers now expect seamless digital experiences, high levels of personalization, and often, significant value at little to no direct cost for foundational offerings (as explored in Chris Anderson’s “Free“). This pressures businesses to find new ways to monetize value and build loyalty.

The Fractional CIO’s Role: Guiding “Pre-Active” IT Strategy

As a fractional CIO, my role is to help SMB leaders move beyond a merely proactive stance with their technology and become “pre-active.” This means:

• Keeping an eye on the “swells and ripples”; emerging technologies, shifting market dynamics, new competitive threats.
• Helping you understand how these forces could impact your business.
• Developing agile and resilient IT strategies that allow you to not just react to change, but to anticipate it, adapt quickly, and even drive disruption in your own niche.
• Leveraging technology to enhance your unique value proposition, not just to cut costs.

What’s Next

The companies and industries that remain in a purely reactive or even just proactive mindset may survive for a while. But those that embrace a “pre-active” approach, constantly scanning the horizon, challenging assumptions, and daring to innovate, will be the ones left standing, shaping the future rather than being swept away by it. The new reality demands that we keep our eyes squarely on the ocean.

Is your SMB equipped with a “pre-active” mindset and a technology strategy that can navigate and capitalize on constant change? If you’re ready to move beyond just weathering storms and start driving disruption, let’s connect with Succeed Sooner Consulting.