Start behaving as a leader
Doing business is about to change. Bigtime. Forever.
If you had done your homework, you had a contingency and crisis communication plan at hand in recent weeks. Don’t worry. Studies indicate that only a minority have one. With a crisis like Covid-19, up until now, you needed a manager. One who would ensure that everyone carried out the – prepared and rehearsed – procedures to perfection and followed the guidelines. Or, he would work out and impose procedures on the fly. That’s what managers do, they tell you the how on the short term. In their predisposition for consistency, typical behavior for managers in disruptive times, is to swiftly reinstall status quo. Given the economical uppercut of Covid-19, aiming to reestablish our familiar modus operandi will prove to be the organizational equivalent of Sisyphus’ labor. Covid-19 will change our economy forever. We won’t be able to go back to how it was before. Every company will have to reinvent itself. Enter the phase of a leader. The one who envisions the why on the long term, thinks in opportunities, thrives from new ideas, raises expectations and inspires teams to go beyond. If you want to stand out, or mere survive, start behaving as a leader.
Nothing will ever be the same, and that’s perfectly fine
Covid-19 will change everything. For everyone. Forever. Beside the forthright economical decrease, market dynamics will shift. Consumers will focus on local, mass consumption will be redefined, interactions in the workplace are about to modify. Pre-Covid-19, we had become very much the complacent frog that was getting boiled. The one good deed this horrifying virus did, is that it shook us up so we noticed the water was getting hotter and hotter.
If you throw a frog in boiling water, it immediately pops out. If you put it in a pot of cold water that you then bring to a boil, the frog will let himself boil to death.
So, it’s time to get out. You’re going to have to adapt your way of doing business. If you are still under the illusion that this wasn’t the case, well, good luck. ‘My managers will fix this’. Well, managers are thé natural enemy of change. They’re all about administrating, conforming, directing and controlling. For them it’s about avoiding risks. A manager is not trained to look beyond the bottom-line. And that’s precisely where the opportunities sprout
A manager is the natural enemy of change, not trained to look beyond the bottom-line. And that’s precisely where the opportunities sprout.
Change = mindset = opportunity
Covid-19 is pushing us. But as cynical as it may sound, since some businesses are hanging in there by a thread, you can’t be audacious without a threat. So, now is the time to step up as a leader. How you handle these demanding times, defines if you’re leadership material or not.
Stop playing defense or preserving, start developing.
Stop concentrating on structures, focus on your people. Now more than ever.
Contemplate on the opportunities that wíll arise, on how new work dynamics can optimize your processes, on what might be the new trends in your sector.
Come up with a new vision for your company.
Align your (new) core activities to a new Identity.
There was a time when business change was managed in projects. We already explained how this approach has become obsolete. Nowadays change is an ongoing organic circumstantial process, and therefore a mindset. For both management & employees. And Covid-19 might prove to be the massive disruptor to finally establish this concept on a broad scale. Leaders are change agents, catalysts for a new normal. The role model your staff needs.
When Johan Cruijff became FC Barcelona's coach in the late 1980s, it was still the custom for 21 players to camp in the penalty area at a corner. Cruijff's team was small in stature and therefore at a disadvantage. He wanted a way to use a negative corner as an opportunity. Cruijff simply turned things around. He kept 3 attackers in front to make the opposing team doubt. He chose provocation, rather than being intimidated himself. Today, this tactic is still the norm.
Leaders enable new ideas, engage & inspire
With working dynamics shifting to teleworking, virtual sessions, stand up meetings etc., every manager is experiencing a loss of control. Well, embrace it, and approach it the other way around. Empower your employees, give them flexibility. When a company wants to reinvent itself, heaps of various decisions are to be taken. Do not only engage the C-suite in this process. Create a platform for your staff to ventilate ideas or pinpoint differentiators. Red tape will be devoured by every idiosyncrasy getting a product or service swifter and better to clients. Create goodwill amongst employees, by amplifying their feedback. Make them feel you heard them and show your appreciation. They will repay you in passion and pro-activity.
Define framework for new corporate vision
Engage not only C-suite to fill in blanks
Empower employees
Replace red tape by flexibility
Leverage on new corporate identity
Before you can leverage on organizational emotions however, you will need to offer your team a visionary framework that guides them to future growth. Setting a clear vision, mission and corporate values inspires your staff to go the extra mile and achieve excellence. So, start thinking and acting as a leader.