"Growth doesn't avoid chaos. It emerges from it." - Futurist Jim Carroll

You don’t rebuild for the future by protecting the past - particularly during a downturn.

So let's recap. In the first ten posts of this series, I've covered how belief, vision, action, and momentum create forward motion, even amid chaos. And yesterday, I pulled back the curtain on why many organizations fail to make that motion: fear, inertia, denial, and outdated thinking. You know, organizational sclerosis stuff!

Now we turn a corner.

Because once you’ve cleared the internal barriers…once you’ve named what’s been slowing you down… the next step is this: growth. And growth doesn’t come from optimizing what used to work. It comes from disrupting it. As they say, if you keep doing what you've always done, you'll get what you've always got! This will become exacerbated even more in the wild year that is 2025.

Fact is, In a downturn, many companies fall into a dangerous trap: they tweak the old playbook, hoping that what worked before will work again. So they shave budgets instead of rewriting business models. They cut costs without realigning purpose. They focus on “efficiency” instead of rethinking how they create value. They keep trying to sell the old product or service when the market suddenly needs a new one.

That’s not a strategy. That’s maintenance. And it fails every time

The companies that grow during volatility? They do the opposite. They redesign, not refine. They reinvent, not recover. They know that you won’t win in the next economy by trying to redo the last economy better. Here’s how high-performing, future-ready companies build through disruption—not despite it:

- they create new value, not just cut costs

- they launch new offerings that solve urgent problems in emerging markets or underserved segments.

- they reallocate skills and teams aggressively to solve problems, fast

- they implement a strategy of focusing on core customers to defend key revenue

Talent, capital, and attention all shift. They move decisively away from underperforming bets and double down on future-ready opportunities. They break their assumptions.  They don’t ask how to make something slightly better. They ask what it would look like if they had to build it from scratch for today. They eliminate internal friction.  Bureaucracy, bloated processes, and clunky systems are removed. They rebuild for speed and simplicity. They accelerate decisions with small, empowered teams that test, launch, and adapt.

They don’t wait for perfect clarity—they create clarity through motion.

They shape what comes next.

They grow.

#Growth #Disruption #Innovation #Action #Reinvention #Strategy #Chaos #Opportunity #Momentum #Leadership

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2025/04/decoding-tomorrow-your-daily-future-inspiration-growth-doesnt-avoid-chaos-it-emerges-from-it/

“In the face of uncertainty, most managers cut. But leaders build.” - Futurist Jim Carroll

Anyone can cut costs. Slash and burn. Downsize staff. Close divisions. And in an economic downturn, that becomes the norm.

But there are only a few who can do the opposite - focus on growth.

After nine days of exploring how to lead with resilience, innovation, and momentum, one truth now takes center stage: Growth isn’t a result. It’s a decision.

And in moments of deep uncertainty, the best leaders choose it - on purpose.

Back in 2009, I spoke at a lot of corporate events amid the global economic downturns and witnessed firsthand how different organizations were dealing with it. I vividly remember the message the CEO of one global organization delivered at their leadership summit, sharing their recession roadmap with perfect clarity: “Our strategic priorities: survive, innovate, grow. We’ve done survival. Now we’re focused on building.”

That’s the growth mindset that is needed today. While others pull back, delay projects, freeze spending, and wait for signs of recovery, real leaders are moving forward. Fast. With intent. Because they understand that growth doesn’t happen after the storm passes. It begins now.

Around that time, in an interview with FoodProcessing.com, I shared the story of a global restaurant chain CEO who spoke just after the 2008 financial crisis; I was to follow him on stage for my message on the importance of innovation and looking forward. He opened with one minute on the dismal economic conditions and then spent the next nineteen minutes outlining eight clear growth opportunities.

He didn’t dwell on uncertainty. He obsessed over what came next.

This is how bold leadership sounds.

And in 2025, it’s exactly what’s needed. You might not see it, but this is what is happening in some organizations right now. And maybe it's the precise mindset that you need at this very moment. Right now, some leaders are:
investing with precision — not across-the-board cuts, but selective spending that seeds future wins.

The question isn't: “Will the economy recover?” It's: “Will you be ready when it does?” Or "Will someone else have already captured the ground you hesitated to take?”

So ask yourself: Are you leading from fear? Or building toward growth?
Because in the face of uncertainty, managers cut.

But leaders?

They build.

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Futurist Jim Carroll knows that history shows us that 10% of organizations become breakthrough performers in times of economic volatility.

**#Growth** **#Leadership** **#Uncertainty** **#Building** **#Innovation** **#Mindset** **#Resilience** **#Opportunity** **#Future** **#Strategy**

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2025/04/decoding-tomorrow-your-daily-future-inspiration-in-the-face-of-uncertainty-managers-cut-but-leaders-build/