Change is scary at the best of times, but present events are taking that to a whole different level.
Change: the act of becoming different, or the result of something becoming Different
Change is here and I doubt anyone could have imagined the scale of change we now find ourselves in. I know the present health worries and business restrictions will be a direct focus for every business, but before you know it the tide will turn, and the change situation will move on to a recovery of business footing. We thought it would be useful to share our views and tips around the focus areas that will help business recover this unprecedented situation.
- Set out a plan you can implement, post the Virus being controlled – If you focus time now on a post plan, you will already start to think in a different way about the present crisis. Not saying this is an easy thing to do, but if you start to plan for the next phase and the Worlds engine starting again, you will feel much more in control. Get the plan down on paper and allow your people to be part of the planning and recovery input…. the use of a Participative
Leadership style is especially useful in this phase, this style invites and encourage the team members to play an important role in decision-making process, though the ultimate decision-making power rests with the leader, it will gain peoples support and future adoption.
- With disruption, comes opportunity to start again, this could be working practices, old and outdated process, time invested in the wrong things, general waste in your business. So make a list of the things you won’t be doing once you start the engines to recovery…… Speak to your teams, ask them to list the things they feel will free up peoples time from meaningless activities, this will help them to focus on the things that will have the biggest impact to aid the recovery….. Focus the team’s energy in the right places doing the right things, not just doing things they use to do before the changes.
- What could you do differently from a business perspective, once this situation is under control, can you target new areas for business growth or new customers, can you help your present customers in different ways. A simple SWOT on your situation could well throw up some obvious Threats – Opportunities – Weaknesses and Strengths you can build upon, once this is all over. …. Discuss your SWOT with your team members and agree how you deal with each area.
- Focus on the essential business costs and shelve the nice to have, to a later date. Start to revise the budget to be aligned to disrupted business, take steps to cut away cost that is not needed and look to invest in areas that will accelerate your recovery. Keep a view that is focused on the horizon not looking at down at your feet, so deal with short term cost control, but look ahead on how the world could look and what will be your place in that new world. Discuss tactics with suppliers and what can be done to support the situation, also discuss strategic areas with Customers on how they will be riding this storm or plans they have post
- Increased communication with your teams and customers, keep them informed and even over informed, increase these interactions so there are no gaps for silence and rumour to build. Also, communication is two ways, so customers to update you on their plans and how you can help them deliver it… What will make you stand out from the crowd in the new World, what are your calls to action points, why should potential customers come to you. So, revisit web pages or social media to promote your business in its new form, or simply say we are still here and open for business.
- Focus on People and their working patterns, this disturbance could be a great time to continue things like remote working and job sharing. You may have to reduce the size of the workforce and even lose people to competitors, so look at your singular points risk and which of your staff are a critical cog in the organisation and secure them for the future. Treat people well in difficult times and they will repay you ten times over in the new World organisation…… be in it together.
Change: the act of becoming different, or the result of something becoming Different …Never truer than the events of recent weeks have proven, but it will be the Leaders and Business that focus on the Now and the Future business models, that will be best placed once these sad events are played out.
We hope you find this article a helpful short aid to things to focus upon in times of change. Anyone wanting further advice please contact us at [email protected] or just simply Direct Message me for a conversation.
