admin While the world has come to a complete standstill, it is important to understand that the world will eventually adapt to the new normal. The situation is nowhere near normalisation, so we will have to create a new normal around which all our lives will revolve. Our businesses have taken major blows, people have had to be laid off. But now, it is time to plan for the future, we have to have a plan in action for our businesses to thrive in this new phase of normal. It is an unprecedented situation and we don’t know what can happen at any point of time but there are things we can prepare for the next phase, so an effective plan to come out of this crisis will prove to be a major advantage. Here are just a few techniques which shall help our leaders plan out for a new normal:
- Prepare to be resilient
When we’re asked to single out today’s most important leadership skill, we answer “adaptive capacity”. Leaders need to find a way to embrace disruption, handle uncertainty and translate complexity to mobilize others and work through change. Great leadership is all about successfully moving from a place of comfort to embrace the unfamiliar.
- Develop three scenarios for the situation and keep them updated: best-case, worst-case and most likely
To have a plan ready for what may come is the way to go. We are in a crisis situation and we need to be well prepared for every possible scenario. By doing so, even the worst-case could possibly lead to a positive outcome. Keep in mind the prevailing situation and the plans you make should be related to reality and ground work and not a virtual reality.
- Get well versed with technology
The new normal certainly will power a lot of changes, the most significant of them being the relationship with technology. Given the norms of no physical contact and social distancing, technology is here to stay and change our businesses in a huge way. It is important for us to not run away from it and face the challenge. Make sure that you not only invest in the best of technologies for the betterment of your company but also that all your employees and you yourself are well versed with the functioning of this technology.
- Reassessing your current strategy
Change is not always bad, it can be an entire doorway of opportunities if looked at with the right eye. Look at the positive side, try to find measure to turn the situation around and actually benefit from the ongoing pandemic. You need to asses your current scenario, by looking at the customers- are they satisfied, what are their reviews, is your current plan catering to their needs, next, look at the market, your competitors, what are they doing? You can always learn and adapt and better whatever they’re doing and lastly check if your current business model gives you sufficient growth opportunities.
- Translating trends and industry effects in your strategy
Ensure that your current strategy revolves around the ongoing trends in the market. Traditional approaches are helpful but given the volatile situation, they might not prove to be effective. To take the trends into account, the first step will involve understanding the new normal and the challenges that it posses and at the same time what prospects can you discover now. The second step will involve to convert those prospects into emerging opportunities. The third will be to understand the hypothetical consequences and implications of the same and lastly will be to put those trends into final implementation.
- Don’t try to fix everything
There is nothing you can do about the time lost or the decisions you took which did not yield results, look towards the future and the brighter side of things. Prioritize and stay laser-focused. You’ve only got so much time and so many resources so avoid the shotgun-effect. An 80/20 analysis is valuable here. In other words, where can you focus 20% of the work you do to generate 80% of the benefit. There is no need to put tremendous time and energy into a goal that won’t yield beneficial results so make sure you’re focusing on what matters and ignoring the rest.
Life is all about moving on. While there will be certain regrets with choices we make, it is always better to learn from them and not make them again. But still, at the end of the day you need to look towards what the future holds even to get the minutest of success. This pandemic might force us doubt ourselves several times but we’ve got to have faith and we’ve got to look towards the future and the ‘new normal’ and plan for it.
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