Navigating Change: Insights on Business Growth and Evolution from the OuterBox Leadership Team 

The only constant is change 

Constant change is true for businesses of any size. Changes experienced by a company stemming from growth, process modifications, or adjustments within the team naturally cause some anxiety and shifts in your day-to-day. As our organization navigates merging two companies, we recently reflected on strategies to alleviate pain points common to company change and are applying what works to help streamline the process.  

The OuterBox Leadership Team hosted a fireside chat last week, sharing practical strategies and insights based on their leadership experience. In this blog, we recap the discussion and provide actionable takeaways that you can apply to drive growth and evolution within your own business. 

All industries change, but understanding your customers shouldn’t 

Our leaders have been in digital marketing for over 20 years and can attest to its evolution. What was brand new then has now become an essential tool for businesses across all industries to gain visibility in the marketplace. Jeff Allen, OuterBox CEO, shared that the one constant is the existential dread of being obsolete in five years thanks to innovative technologies. Businesses in all industries may feel that same dread thanks to automation or AI.

However, those inevitable technology disruptors haven’t broken digital marketing and utilizing them has only enhanced it. The reason? “What has kept the industry moving forward is that at its core is the audience,” says Allen. This industry is people-centric and focuses on the audience and what motivates them to communicate your goods, services, and solutions.  

“How we communicate has changed a lot, keeping business top of mind hasn’t”, notes Anita Valdez, OuterBox’s Chief Client Officer. It’s important not to lose that understanding of your business and its core customers as you apply innovations.  

Allen notes that the innovation you’re using today will be the worst they’ll ever be, as technology improves or disappears. Regardless, the investment and experimentation you undertake will help you either improve or learn. There’s more fragmentation in strategy and more combinations to test today, however, Valdez reminds us that what’s always been constant in digital marketing aside from people is content. “If you invest there you can continue to grow”, says Valdez.

Communicating change to your Teams 

“Companies have come to us to fix their business”, says David Underwood, OuterBox President, “but typically the ones getting it right focus on the people, they have good customer service, they have strong cultures, they are receptive to change, and they are constantly evolving”.

Underwood also shared that it was the power of culture that aided in our organization’s merger and the similarities made the transition easier. Underwood suggests instilling change into your culture from the get-go, making change not only expected but more easily handled by new hires and veterans alike, creating a more positive outlook and approach to changes.  

Being receptive to change helps professionals and companies stay ahead, and the companies that succeed in this are very clear on their goals. Allen says, “Being aligned as a leadership team and then cascading those goals down through the organization and to your partners and vendors, makes everyone so much more productive, excited, and aligned”.

The consensus during this fireside chat was to spend time on alignment and goals and never make assumptions that the larger group understands—always over-communicate. “You can never undervalue taking time to define things and to ask clarifying questions”, says Allen. There are all these different words you can use, so taking time to rephrase and ask questions helps ensure understanding. 

“It usually takes people seven times to hear something before it sticks,” reminds Valdez. Keeping everyone apprised maintains alignment, brings flexibility, and sustains relationships. People want to have a voice and by creating a safe space with frequent communication, all parties get the opportunity to share information, ideas, and concerns. Having honest conversations in person and being receptive to feedback builds relationships between leadership and teams.  

Organizational approaches to change 

Companies often introduce small changes like new platforms or processes, but an organized rollout is vital regardless of a change’s size as any change can have a large effect. Any changes should include planning and clear ownership.  

Granting team members the opportunity for accountability and ownership is an advantage to that safe space and open culture, making everyone feel a part of something bigger. Another way is ensuring everyone understands “the why” behind a change, so teams can understand it and get behind it. That “why” should also include a way to measure the success of that change so everyone has clear targets and can learn from the process and improve. 

Keeping the day-to-day moving forward

For Allen, staying on track is never forgetting about the client and doing the things that serve them first. This goes for any business and industry to help prioritize, delegate, and decide what needs to be done while the larger goal takes shape. Allen has been working on a framework for prioritization called The ICE Framework, which stands for impact, confidence, and ease.  

• What do we think the impact is going to be? 

• What is our confidence in accomplishing this goal? 

• How easy or difficult is this going to be? 

No matter the change, operations must keep moving and can’t lose sight of the daily needs of teams and customers.

Driving an organization that continues to grow means letting go of the reigns. Seeing the growth of the individuals you’ve brought in has been exciting for Underwood. “I was incredibly proud sitting back and observing, and sometimes set the vision in place and get out of the way.” In turn, our Team feels empowered. 

What to expect from OuterBox 

Applying their experience and recent lessons in navigating change, our Leadership Team shared what both our Team Members and Customers should expect from our recent merger. Going through a big change means going into a new territory, so we know working together through effective communication and prioritization will help map out direction. 

If you are a current OuterBox or TopSpot Customer and have questions about our organizational changes or on help with changes on your side, reach out to your Account Team to learn more. Not a current Customer? Contact us to learn more about our how our evolving Team can help your organization.