The narrative influencers—media, academia, politicians, and other institutions—have been quick to embrace a new descriptor for the effect of the worldwide pandemic: “The New Normal.” It’s a softer framework for the hyper-change that has been thrust upon us. To be sure, since last spring, we have been forced to change at a pace that will tire even the most ardent agents of change. However, in a business context, there is nothing “new” or “normal” about this change.

The idea of a “new normal” carries the connotation that there was an “old normal.” Nothing has been “normal” in the complexity of business change for at least several decades. Cycles are shortening, robots are intelligent, machines are learning, digital currency thrives, workforces are displaced, cars are autonomous, information is everywhere, and digital collaboration is abundant. Successful businesses have been designing agile systems to proactively harness change and predict outcomes precisely because shaping the future is an enigmatic effort.

The pandemic is reflective of past crises in that it demands the best of people, systems, and leadership. We have all witnessed the people who run toward a calamity rather than away from it. First responders and Good Samaritans run into dangerous situations with little regard for their personal safety. In reflection, they will say they are “well trained” or “wired that way.” What if you could “wire” and “train” your organization to respond to change and crisis with speed and agility reflective of the heroes charging into danger?