The last few years have been tough for all of us. As we come out from hiding under our desks and dust ourselves off, we are breathing a sigh of relief. We survived. Now what?

As the economic recovery takes hold, we’d like to offer you some insight to help you move forward using four proven strategies: opportunity analysis, talent assessment, leadership development and executive recruitment. Implementing these four steps will help pave your way through the “new normal” to an even brighter future.

Take a fresh look at your opportunities. Look at what your company has to offer, identify potential strategic opportunities and ensure that you have the right executive team in place. Realize that developing a concrete long-range plan is no longer your best bet. Your new strategic plan will need to be more dynamic.

Assess your executive talent. Today’s challenges and opportunities may demand a new type of leader. Assessing the strengths and weaknesses of your leadership team will be critical for your ability to move forward. What types of leaders does your company have? Do you have people you can get ready, and how long will that take? Start at the top and move down through senior ranks. Assessing performance and reviewing talent allows leaders to evaluate themselves and their colleagues as they view key people through the eyes of others in the business.

Implement proven executive leadership development strategies. Your company most likely has many talented executives on board whose skills could be more fully developed and utilized. Three of the most important development strategies are executive coaching, which provides leaders with perspective and unlocks performance; job-related development assignments, which offer fertile ground for learning and building relationships critical to future success; and leadership team development, which enables existing leadership and project teams to work efficiently together and maintain momentum.

Fill the gaps in your executive leadership team. No matter how talented your current team is, or how good your company is at developing leaders, you may still need additional skill sets to achieve your strategic goals. Adding the right executive in the right position, with a new perspective, should enhance your company’s ability to take advantage of the opportunities presented. When your company does choose to “go to search,” involve your board of directors and executives in determining the skills, background and attributes necessary to succeed.

Leadership drives success. No matter where your company is in the economic recovery, step back and analyze your opportunities and the strengths and readiness of your executive team. If you’ve been sitting on the sidelines, it’s time to jump back into the game. The “new normal” won’t be normal for long.

Gregg Carlson is president of the Carlson Search Group; Russell Jensen is president of Jensen Consulting.