Life throws curveballs. It’s inevitable. But what if those curveballs weren’t just challenges, but opportunities in disguise? Instead of feeling defeated, what if you could transform challenges into opportunities for growth, innovation, and even success?
Nine leaders shared their stories of how they turned significant team challenges into opportunities for advancement. Discover how these professionals and their teams adapted to adversity and emerged stronger and more successful.
Turning a substantial change order into a relationship builder
At our software development agency, we specialize in delivering custom mobile applications tailored to meet our clients’ unique needs. Recently, we faced a significant challenge when a major client requested a substantial change order on an ongoing large mobile app project.
To tackle this, we first conducted a rapid assessment to understand the full scope of the requested changes. We then held a series of meetings with the client to clarify their priorities and align our understanding. This open communication ensured we were all on the same page and set realistic expectations.
Next, we restructured our project timeline and resources. By reallocating team members and adjusting our schedules, we managed to integrate the new requirements without compromising the project’s overall quality. We also revisited the budget, transparently discussing with the client any additional costs involved and finding a mutually agreeable solution.
This experience not only showcased our team’s adaptability, it strengthened our relationship with the client. By demonstrating our ability to be flexible and responsive, we turned a potentially disruptive situation into an opportunity for growth. It reinforced our commitment to client satisfaction and highlighted the importance of agility in our operations.
Ari Lew, CEO, Asymm
Using slipping timelines and low morale to introduce a culture of learning
As a team leader, I’ve navigated my fair share of challenges, but one particular hurdle stands out as a testament to the power of effective coaching and consulting in driving growth and innovation within our team.
A while back, we encountered a situation where our project timelines were constantly slipping, and morale among team members was dwindling. It was a pivotal moment that demanded a shift in perspective. Instead of viewing it solely as a setback, we saw an opportunity to reassess our processes and uncover hidden potential.
Bringing in external coaches and consultants was our first step toward transformation. They provided fresh insights and perspectives, enabling us to identify underlying issues and areas for improvement that we were too close to see ourselves.
Through collaborative workshops and one-on-one sessions, our team began to embrace a culture of continuous learning and improvement. We focused on enhancing communication channels, streamlining workflows, and fostering a more collaborative environment where ideas flowed freely.
One of the most significant shifts occurred in how we approached challenges. Rather than seeing them as roadblocks, we began to view them as opportunities for innovation. Each setback became a chance to brainstorm creative solutions and push the boundaries of what we thought was possible.
The results were nothing short of transformative. Not only did we regain control over our project timelines, but we also saw a surge in productivity and morale among team members. Moreover, our newfound agility and adaptability allowed us to tackle future challenges with confidence and resilience.
Looking back, that initial challenge catalyzed growth and innovation within our team. Through effective coaching and consulting, we overcame the obstacle at hand and emerged stronger and more resilient than ever before. It’s a testament to the power of embracing challenges and harnessing them as opportunities for growth and innovation.
Christopher Salem, business acceleration strategist, Sustainable Success Coaching & Consulting
Repurposing excess inventory into a partnership solution
Years ago, a manufacturer I worked for experienced a major inventory problem with an international vendor. We committed to purchasing a substantial quantity of pink-colored raw materials in anticipation of using them in a special co-branded product line, but sales didn’t pan out as hoped. We were then stuck with a huge glut of raw material for which we had no other use. The vendor demanded we take receipt of the materials and pay up.
Instead of taking a big loss on inventory, ruining the relationship with our vendor, or forcing the now off-brand pink materials into circulation and damaging our retail partnerships, we repurposed the pink materials into a Valentine’s Day-themed promotional product line. The vendor was happy that we worked out a receiving plan to take and pay for the inventory, and our retailers were willing to put the product on the shelves because it was then seasonally on-brand. You need your partners, so always look for ways to solve problems where everyone can win.
Nick Gausling, managing director, Romy Group LLC
Adapting to algorithm changes to create a data-driven strategy
A few months ago, we were faced with a dreaded problem when YouTube changed its algorithm, making it more difficult for the videos we were making for our clients to reach the intended viewing audience. This was concerning at first, since our video marketing strategies were delivering great results for our clients.
We leveraged the change as a growth opportunity. We studied the new algorithm, analyzed user behavior trends, and the evolving content preferences of the new platform, and evolved our approach to create a data-driven content strategy built around shorter-format, engaging, and more mobile-optimized video content; we also incorporated interactive polls and quizzes to add to the viewing experience.
The results were good: Not only did we return to the CTR we had before the algorithm change, but engagement on our clients’ video content rose by 17% within the quarter.
Andrew Cussens, owner and director, FilmFolk
Selling a higher-priced service through storytelling
In the face of daily challenges requiring problem-solving and adaptability, my team encountered a significant challenge that we transformed into an opportunity for growth and innovation.
Despite budget constraints, I firmly believe content marketing empowers small brands to compete with larger firms through the power of storytelling. One notable example was the introduction of our Fractional CMO service. Rather than investing more in traditional marketing or resorting to discounted services during a slow economy, we took a different path. We offered a higher-priced service that seemed more challenging to sell.
However, this strategic decision enabled us to significantly reduce costs and save time by focusing on selling only one or two of these premium offerings. By understanding our numbers and making informed decisions, we successfully navigated economic challenges and stabilized our financial status. This newfound stability allowed us to dedicate more time to strategic planning. Moreover, our innovative mindset empowered us to explore new opportunities and expand our business, even acquiring a brand outside our current industry.
Joyce Tsang, content marketer and founder, Joyce Tsang Content Marketing
Turning flagging sales into a marketing strategy
During COVID-19, there was a surge in demand for ammo, more than we had anticipated. Since people were stuck at home during the lockdown, some resorted to shooting for recreation, which created a higher demand for ammo. While other businesses were struggling to remain afloat, our website traffic continued to increase, and so did our sales.
We were hitting targets until, after the coronavirus pandemic, the lockdown and restrictions were lifted, and suddenly, our sales dipped. Although the final sales figures weren’t within our control, it was a challenge for our department. I had a sit-down with our CEO. We discussed areas I believed our marketing efforts would directly influence sales.
After a month, our traffic began to increase, and in three months, our conversions continued to increase, though slowly. Our shift in focus from a short-term increase in sales to better customer engagement helped us get past the post-COVID challenge.
Sam Jacobs, head of Marketing, Ammo.com
Meeting a competitive job market with a holistic talent acquisition strategy
In the technological startup world, attracting and retaining top-tier talent is always a huge challenge. At the Ling app, we found ourselves struggling with the same issue. The competitive tech job market in Thailand made it difficult for us to source qualified candidates for our critical roles. Instead of viewing this as a roadblock, I saw it as an opportunity for innovation.
We shifted our focus from traditional recruiting methods to a more holistic talent acquisition strategy.
We implemented an Employee Referral Program, encouraging our existing employees to recommend skilled individuals from their networks. As a result, our acquisition rate for high-quality talent increased by 40%, and our employee retention also showed considerable improvement.
Furthermore, we enhanced our overall team spirit, as employees felt more involved in the company’s growth. This experience was a clear testament to how challenges, when seen from the right perspective, can fuel innovation and success.
Jarir Mallah, Human Resources manager, Ling
Legal challenges become an opportunity to learn due diligence
I’ve worked in internet and technology startups since I was 18. I’ve built, crashed, sold, raised money, and lost money over the years.
In our second software startup, we five cofounders had worked together for several years. One day, two cofounders and I walked into the office and were told in a meeting that the company we had created was essentially worthless. The other partners had transferred all assets, customer contracts, employee contracts, and IP contracts to a completely different entity over several months, very diligently.
We were faced with either reducing our participation in the company to an absolute minimum or losing everything. That day, we walked out of the office on the 20th floor of a luxurious building and never set foot there again.
Several years and several lawsuits later, with the company never going anywhere and not recovering anything significant from it, there were a few lessons we apply when working together today.
The most important lesson is that no matter how big the passion and the trust, everyone has a responsibility to diligently check paperwork and legal aspects of a company. Doing so is not showing distrust for your partners and cofounders, but rather a form of care. By checking others and yourself, you help your cofounders and partners stay safe, and by doing the same, they keep you safe.
Tim Delhaes, CEO, Grindery
Integrating Software for Marketing Efficiency
We set out to solve a common pain point in the marketing industry and ended up solving two.
Annum, our integrated marketing planning software, was designed to replace disconnected spreadsheet operations with a unified view of the omnichannel experience. Early on, the teams we were selling to were thrilled to say goodbye to their siloed spreadsheets.
Soon we began talking to marketers that either had or were in the process of adopting project management tools. While they loved Annum’s holistic view, their team members were resistant to the double data entry needed. And so, we started losing customers and sales. We realized that integrating with project management tools needed to become another core use case.
We briefly considered building the integrations ourselves. However, our target customers use a broad range of tools, and building connectors and workflows one at a time would have been a never-ending proposition.
We looked into setting up a connector on an integration platform so our customers could set up bidirectional syncs themselves. An advisor pointed out that this would merely move the friction point while taking away our ability to ensure a successful outcome.
We finally landed on a partnership with Workato, and its workflow builder is designed for non-technical implementers. We can now say a confident “yes” when asked about integrations.
This new capability reinforces our unique value as the best solution for integrated marketing planning and further differentiates us from the other tools marketers use. The cherry on top? Offering integrations as a managed service has become a new revenue stream, fueling continued growth and innovation.
Patty Radford Henderson, CEO and founder, Annum
No comments