Have you heard of the bridge over river Choluteca in Honduras, in Central America? I hadn't till I read about it.The Choluteca Bridge, a suspension bridge located in Honduras, was rebuilt (originally constructed in 1930) in 1996. Knowing the bridge...
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Have you heard of the bridge over river Choluteca in Honduras, in Central America? I hadn't till I read about it.The Choluteca Bridge, a suspension bridge located in Honduras, was rebuilt (originally constructed in 1930) in 1996. Knowing the bridge was, in all probability, to face extreme weather conditions, the government of the day commissioned some of the best minds in the architectural world to build a bridge that could withstand high winds and hurricanes.And sure enough, in 1998, it survived the massive destruction wrought by Hurricane Mitch, a category 5 storm that devastated the Caribbean. While the adjacent roads, buildings and almost every other bridge in the vicinity swept away, the new bridge, built with a strong foundation, lasted but became irrelevant overnight for Hurricane Mitch changed the course of the river itself and it no longer flowed under the bridge.
The nub of the point in this story is change. Hurricane Mitch changed the course of the river and so the real purpose of the Choluteca Bridge changed. Many businesses are like this bridge – built on strong foundations with a sustainable competitive advantage. But such strong foundations have left many businesses unable to navigate their change of course when the market changed its preferences. Remember Nokia! It was once an industry leader and had a great reputation. From the best-selling mobile phone brand in the world in 1998 to losing it all by 2013 talks about a mindset of being anchored in the past. The foundation was deepened and that made things inflexible.
The current pandemic has suddenly challenged all our strategic plans and business models. There is a need to review and adapt them to the current conditions. If your business doesn't embrace technology and read the right courses and qualifications, the river (your clients and prospects) will move, while your business (the bridge) remains stuck in the past. That could simply mean the end of your business. So, knowing where your river flows, can you easily move the bridge or is it stuck and useless?
