Business as usual, maybe not?
The COVID-19 pandemic has caught us all by surprise.
It has slipped through a clouded veil of capitalism and consumerism, engulfing societies and suffocating our social and economic environments.
No one is immune, and as we all scramble to find solutions, it does beg the question, once all of this subsides, will it be business as usual?
With so many disruptions across many of societies key industries, it would be naive to think, that it is business as usual. COVID-19 will change business as we know it. As the flow-on effect starts to emerge in the coming months and years, we will look back on this event as a significant turning point for our socioeconomic landscape. So, how can we future proof our businesses, careers and ourselves to come out stronger and fitter at the other end?
Mindset
Albert Einstein once said “in the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity” and embedded in opportunity is ones ability to resurrect or transform an idea which catapults them into a new direction or innovation. Developing an entrepreneurial mindset and leading with design-thinking will inspire your team to pivot and embrace change. Acknowledging that the world will be different and posing the idea of change as a new opportunity will strengthen loyalty and trust. Listening, observing and leading with empathy will draw people into a realm of possibilities where they too believe anything is possible.
Start with intention and remember why you started. Look for new innovative ways to engage with your team, customers and other stakeholders that reinforce your values, mission and vision of a better future. Believing in something bigger than yourself and staying true to the organisations’ purpose is what Jim Collins attributed great leaders do in Good to Great. Great leaders embody a contrasting mix of personal humility and ambition. However, their ambition is first and foremost for the company and not themselves.
Technology
It is no secret that the internet of things (IoT) disrupted many industries way before we ever thought a virus could. Our Friday night ritual of Uber Eats and Netflix were the furthermost things from our mind just five years ago. Nor did we contemplate booking that cute little beach villa on AirBnB while ordering the latest must-have from Amazon to post to our weekend Instagram story. As we come to terms with the new way of doing business we must ask ourselves, are we harnessing the power of technology? A 2019 Forbes article titled “The sharing economy is still growing” predicted that the sharing economy will grow to 335 billion by 2025, which suggests the IoT is here to stay. Therefore, if you don’t find a way to integrate technology into your business, it’s most likely you won’t have one soon.
Human Connection
How is it that at a time where the world is digitally connected more than ever before, we live in a society so detached?
The past couple of weeks has highlighted the importance of the human connection. As we all buckle down into lockdown, a routine morning coffee with your teammates now seems more like a distant memory than real life. Morning tea time has been replaced by a Zoom call and a home-brewed Nespresso in your jammies, who would have thought? As we try to navigate through this new norm, we have all come to realise that the gratitude mug that sits on our desk has now taken on a whole new meaning.
Could COVID-19 be the reboot the world needed?
As we look to technology to streamline systems and processes, we have to consider the impact it will have on the human psyche and our never-ending search for acceptance, loving and belonging as a basic fundamental human need.
If we are now going to spend more time in a digital environment, how can we find new ways to fill this gap?
Humans are intrinsically tribal and love to share experiences. We all love to talk about what’s happening in our little micro world. Share your funny side and ask teammates which superhero they identify too and how they would use their superpower. You could run with this idea as an online team-building exercise and take it to many other levels.
Show your human side by sharing a funny story on how your three year old decided to have a meltdown in the middle of your teleconference is an instant connection booster. How could anyone forget the infamous BBC interview with Professor Robert Kelly where his kids sneak into the room and interrupt him?. It all reminds us that we are all in this together.
Personal sharing in a virtual environment is one of the simplest ways to build the human connection on line. As leaders, we must search for ways to harness the human connection and become advocates for our team to enhance connectedness and guide them towards fulfilment and personal self-growth.
Where to next?
As we embark in uncharted waters, we must look to our mentors for guidance and leadership. We need to stop and listen, reflect and consider all the possibilities that lay ahead. Learn how to adopt an entrepreneurial mindset to pivot and reinvent our mission and vision for a better future. For those who are courageous enough to test their tenacity and resilience in these challenging times, the rewards will be tenfold.
As business and community leaders, we must step up and lead the change to foster innovations in our plight for an economic and socially sustainable future.
Mindset, technology, and fostering the human connection could be the conduit to innovation and new enterprise of the future. And maybe, COVID-19 is the linchpin we all needed.
So will it be business as usual? If you are looking for the silver lining, then most likely not.
