This Week’s Focus: The UK vote to leave the EU is, by any standards, a truly historical event. The future for this great country looks less clear than for many years and I don’t think anyone can be sure what will happen in the next few days, never mind the next few years. As the UK leaves the EU the probability of Scotland leaving the UK grows, and, given the split of the vote, I can even envisage calls in the not-too-distant future for London to gain a different relationship with Europe to the rest of the country.
Earlier in the campaign I wrote in this newsletter that business leaders shouldn’t be focused on Brexit or Bremain, but on delivering ‘Brexcellence’. I believe that even more strongly this morning. As I’ve written in my recent book, First & Fast, the only secure route to success in an uncertain, turbulent world, is to be the clear leader of your chosen markets.
Amazon, a company that itself has created uncertainty and disruption for many other corporations across the world, has consistently focused on just three core objectives over the past 10-15 years. Providing greater choice, faster delivery and lower prices have been the basis for all Amazon’s innovation. Jeff Bezos, the company’s CEO has repeatedly said that in a fast-changing world the only sensible way forward is to focus on the drivers of customer satisfaction that won’t change.
The Vote Leave campaign’s mantra was “to take back control”. Last night’s vote reinforces the need for you to take control of your company’s strategy, identify how you can best win in your markets, and relentlessly drive innovation in those chosen areas so that your business can grow and thrive.
Off The Record: Take Down The Union Jack by Billy Bragg
Take down the Union Jack, it clashes with the sunset
And pile all those history books, but don’t throw them away
They just might have some clues about what it really means
To be an Anglo-hyphen-Saxon in England.co.uk
© Stuart Cross 2016. All rights reserved.