The COVID Exit – Planning Your Path

As we prepare to close the door on the business year called 2020 (slam that door shut) and look to a fresh start in 2021, many of us are wondering how that transition will look. Do we remain guided by daily case numbers, look to government for advice and watch how our competitors react? Or do we stand up and lead our brand, our business and our teams with purpose, like we might in any other ‘crisis’. For me, it’s the latter. I’m not advocating you ignore government regulation or put your people at risk. What I mean is: start really considering what is the ‘right’ way to think about the upcoming year (and beyond)? So you clearly understand what that ‘right’ track is for your business, and can provide intentional leadership towards the ‘COVID exit’.

The pandemic has provided us perhaps the greatest transition challenge since the Y2K millennium bug two decades ago. The challenge now is to move our businesses from a near-coma state, through social distancing mandates to mapping a road to growth, optimism and economic recovery. Although safeguarding lives and business is today’s agenda for many, thriving is the long game. At some point, the tide will turn. Employees are COVID-fatigued. And whether your company transition is heading back to the office, closing offices in favour of a fully flexible work from home arrangement, or something in between, here are some factors to consider.

Back to basics – the need for safety

It’s fair to say that globally we’ve taken an unprecedented hit. People remain bruised, cautious, anxious. Leaders must therefore first consider the totality of their employees’ needs as humans. Physical and environmental safety remains essential, but there are new factors at play. People will have a new need for authentic human connections. Purpose, truth, stability, growth and sense making. The post pandemic leader should to be on high alert for ongoing mental health issues, find genuine ways to re-establish healthy and productive relationships, and ensure people are feeling ‘safe’ in every sense of the word. These factors are not boardroom decisions but well-constructed, considered and inclusive discussions involving, at some point, every single ‘stakeholder’.

Be optimistic, realistic and present

As well as being mindful of the complexities COVID has brought to the surface, leaders need to act with intention and adaptability, empathy and vulnerability. There’s no room for the traditional muscle-flexing superhero leader here. Leaders must show the way with resilience – persistence, predictability and positivity. And with optimism – future focus, gratitude and enthusiasm. These things happen naturally for the best leaders when they are present, demonstrating strong situational awareness for the mood, the ‘spoken’ and the ‘unspoken’. And responding with agility, care and compassion.

 Optimize productivity for the return to work

As we scrambled out of the office many months ago, few of us understood that the next 6+ months would have us completely revaluating the way we work. It opened our eyes to new ways of working, flexible work practices, new technology and simpler policies and processes that would allow our business to thrive. For many, it was at the same time tough and a blessing in disguise. It’s important now to take stock of the benefits of these new ways – many of them are much friendlier and productive than in the past – that align strongly with the digital and remote world many of us have resisted till now. But people can be creatures of habit and quickly revert to old ways. A good leader will already be at least thinking about or has started to identify the opportunities moving forward. They will be planning to facilitate dialogue with their direct reports and their indirect reports, their customers, their shared services teams, even vendors, and understand not only the new expectations but how to engage and motivate. And they will be well on the way to locking in the adaptability that has been a distinct feature of almost every business on the planet.

The opportunities to be significantly better than the past have never been so ripe. How companies and leaders approach the COVID exit – starting with their employees and their human needs – will be their ‘moment of truth’. Make no mistake, it will contribute to the level of engagement and loyalty employees will have to the company in the future. And to the ability of the company to thrive coming out of the crisis. This was a crisis we never anticipated nor wanted. But if there was ever a chance to ‘change the world one step at a time’, it’s now.

About the Author

Ainsley Jeffery is founder and CEO of Facilitatr. She’s a team strategist and people geek, sought-after facilitator, coach and change manager, health advocate and closet creative.

www.facilitatr.com.au

[email protected]

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