A long time ago, in a galaxy
far far away… the movie franchise that has captured the love of men and boys
combined, will once again come to the big screen. Excitement and enthusiasm
will surely continue to increase from now until the premier in December this
year. Apparently, in the language of Hollywood, this is what is known as a
‘reboot’, and Star Wars is certainly not the first to be remade in this way.
Movies that achieved success the first time round are always likely candidates
to be reinvented, revived and revamped.
Personally, I couldn’t care
less about the lightsaber-wielding Jedi and the return of an ageing (yet still
rather pulchritudinous) Harrison Ford, nevertheless there is certainly a
message to be derived from the ‘Return of the Jedi’, ‘the force’, ‘the one ring
to rule them all?’ ‘The goblet of fire?’ etc.
By ‘rebooting’ a franchise,
there is an injection of excitement and renewed enthusiasm that wouldn’t have
been felt otherwise. Perhaps this, then, could be a message to take forward in
business – a reboot or reinvention of what you offer, your processes and
people.
There comes a time every once
in a while, when you may feel that your vision and direction of the company has
become wayward, or perhaps employees don’t feel as valued as they once did. In
such circumstances, it is important to come back to the reasons why you began
the journey of starting your own business in the first place, and what your
core beliefs and values established from the outset. This is, in a sense, a
reboot. If there are elements of your company that do not fit the model you
initially had in mind, this referral back to your former self may allow both
you and your business to understand how best to move forward again. This does
not always mean, however, that changes or adaptations that are made along the
way are always negative, nor does it mean your business should maintain rigid
systems that cannot be adapted to meet fresh challenges. What the ‘rebooting’
process allows is the opportunity to reflect on these changes, and assess
whether they have benefitted or hindered progress.
This look back at your
default settings will aid you in refocusing your business in the holistic
sense, allowing clarity of thought and a renewed passion for the road ahead.
Sometimes it is best to look
back at where you came from, in order to progress forwards.
