TCMBA #23 - Don’t Get Charged by a Gray Rhino!
Don’t Get Charged by a Gray Rhino!
There are some big scary obstacles lurking out there.
They’re pawing at the ground, puffing and snorting, waiting to charge.
It’s what’s called a Gray Rhino, and it could be coming for your business!
Here are just two examples (coffee-specific ones later, keep scrolling!):
Global pandemics - Experts knew this was coming… and yet how did we (we being businesses, governments, even families) plan for this? WE DIDN’T!
Economic downturns - Again, the writing was on the wall. And what did we do? NOTHING.
The beauty of this? You can totally get out of the way.
Rhinos are big and easy to see, after all.
But you can only save yourself if you acknowledge the threat. You have to admit that the Rhino exists and it’s coming for you. Don’t worry, you’re not being singled out… they’re coming for all of us.
In her book, The Gray Rhino: How to Recognize and Act on the Obvious Dangers we Ignore, Michele Wucker outlines the stages businesses go through when being stared down by a Gray Rhino, and she provide tools and strategies to work through them.
She also said in an interview with The China Project,
“The gray rhino is something that only some people neglect. Those who don’t have a huge advantage.”
Is that a good enough call to action?
Not everyone is ignoring Gray Rhinos. So if you are? You better start paying attention!
Scroll through this carousel to see what I think are some of coffee’s Gray Rhinos and to learn more about Wucker’s framework…
One of the ways Wucker recommends working through a plan is to find a Positive Maverick (someone who is influential, daring, innovative, and direct).
If that’s not an option for you, make sure you’re setting aside time to read the news, learn about trends that impact your product, your supply chain, your consumers/customers.
The more you know and understand potential threats, the more willing you’ll be to take action.
So, today, can you list five Gray Rhinos that are a potential threat to your business?
If you want to talk about them, please get in touch!
And if you want to hear a short TED Talk from Michele Wucker, check it out here.
