2020 is certainly putting out some challenges.
COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, has already impacted 60% of Australian businesses. That’s up from the 15% which were affected just one month ago… not to mention a summer of bushfires, drought and floods.
It won’t be all negative, though. Think of this as an enforced opportunity to be thoughtful and creative about how you do business now – and how you could do it in the future.
Every organisation will be feeling the effects of coronavirus, whether it’s changed service delivery, reduced staff or just missing toilet paper.
At this time, there are two sets of tasks that will maintain your organisation’s vision and keep you working beyond COVID-19.
On the one hand, you need to:
√ Constantly assess your risk appetite and your risk management plan
√ Define and protect your chain of command
√ Keep operations running
√ Update vital governance documentation
√ Be flexible without being afraid that you’re wrong in your decision making
√ Support and nurture all staff, sick or well, at home and in the office.
At the bare minimum, this is what will keep your organisation running right now.
But the second thing you need to do is even more important.
Think about the longer term prospects of your organisation and ask yourself:
How can this period in history help you to build a stronger, better organisation?
And what are you doing NOW to achieve that?
The coronavirus has certainly put a spanner in the works, but this might just be a precursor of how the world could change in the future. There’s the fallout of the virus, a potential recession and climate change, all of which could change the world significantly.
So are you and your organisation ready to think and dream and design a path into a different-looking future?
What windows of opportunity are out there, right now, for your business – and what can you do to take advantage of them?
What innovations and adaptations can you put in place now that will let you keep operating for the long haul?
What are your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats? Now is the time to go beyond the obvious.
Don’t miss the chance to use this time for imagining your future organisation.
Tap into the skills, knowledge and experience of your staff. Surveys, dreaming sessions, facilitated online discussions… so many options, and so many ideas!
Periods of challenge drive the greatest creativity and exploration. And heaven knows, we’ll all need new ways of working.
Don’t lose this window of opportunity.
Force yourself to create space and time to reflect – it may be the best investment you make in decades.
If you can see the usefulness of a strategy champion, a fire-fighting counsellor or a dreaming facilitator for your organisation, get in touch.
Click this link to book a virtual coffee to discover how I could help you plan through and past COVID-19.