What do you do when the world turns upside down?

Several years ago, reckoning with increased competition and evolving consumer needs, NCG and its board of directors introduced member co-ops to the concept of a V.U.C.A landscape. V.U.C.A. stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity — an environment that changes too quickly for most systems, best practices or incremental planning to address. We developed the Moving to Higher Ground work plans to help us respond more quickly to the changing marketplace. That experience helped us respond to the many unknowns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Our work to develop robust adaptive strategies and our experience running small experiments was particularly useful in 2020.

While running complex businesses, co-op leaders had to:

• Protect shoppers from a virus that we knew little about.
• Protect staff and respond to their anxiety about contracting the virus.
• Manage unpredictable consumer demand and supply shortages.
• Plan and budget for a variety of economic outcomes.
• Support their communities through the grief and anger caused by police brutality, racism and violence against BIPOC communities.
• Respond to conflict brought on by sharp cultural divisions and a heated election.

NCG and member co-ops responded quickly to these challenges. We set up multiple rapid response teams to develop and test solutions. We shared outcomes, revised plans, tested again and revised again.

Co-ops responded admirably, leaning on the cooperative principles — especially relevant this year were the principles of education, training and information; cooperation among cooperatives; and concern for community. Most of all we leaned on our reason for being: service to one another.

Co-ops are at their best when serving their communities, shoppers and staff. Service inspired the decisiveness required to test the uncertain waters of e-commerce. Service prompted multiple innovations to keep shoppers and staff safe. Service encouraged adaptability and agility in retail operations and product selection. Service allowed co-ops to respond humbly to the concerns and pain of shoppers and communities, and to work harder to address racial inequities in our co-ops and neighborhoods.

Our world remains volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous, and there is still much we don’t know — but there are reasons to be optimistic. With emerging vaccines, an end to the pandemic is now more than just wishful thinking. Customers have rekindled their interest in cooking and preparing food at home, providing an avenue to serve in which we excel. We have sharpened the tools that helped us through this crisis, including decisiveness, innovation, adaptability, agility, humility and a willingness to do hard work. We can build on these skills and grow stronger. We can hold close what the crisis reminded us about leadership: that real leadership isn’t knowing what is to come, but moving forward with confidence despite not knowing, guided by principles and values. If we proceed with intention and maintain our tolerance for experimentation and spirit of service, there is nothing we can’t handle.

Dave Olson also contributed to this article.