ENCORE! 2.5 INSIGHTS

Unexpected events or shocks disrupt our habitual routines, jolt us out of our comfort zones, and lead us to ask big questions about what matters and what is worth doing. It’s no wonder, then, that during the current pandemic, many people are rethinking their careers. But is this really the right time? Even for those of us lucky enough not be sick, caring for others who are sick, or scrambling to make ends meet, the pandemic has increased uncertainty and caught us unprepared — psychologically, financially, and infra-structurally. The situation feels threatening. And, as psychologists have shown, threatening situations prompt us to behave conservatively — the opposite of what is required when we’re considering a career change. It’s hard to dive wholeheartedly into reinventing your career if you’re feeling risk-averse or are worried about your prospects. So how do we balance the pressing need to ensure basic survival — of our families and firms — with what may well be a growing

Trustworthy team players who "are relational thinkers who construct ideas by joining concepts from different disciplines" will be invaluable in leadership positions of the future.  the near future… post-Covid-19.  Relational thinkers and those who can see how to assemble a strategy from disparate concepts will help organizations during and after this crisis passes.  The key for your organization is to be on the lookout for those who might fit well in your organization.   There’s an old saying… “crisis brings out the best in those who can overcome the crisis.”  Across American business in the next few months, we can expect to see new leadership emerge, those who may not have been noticed for their leadership traits and overlooked. Few knew this better than General of the Army George C. Marshall, who served as chief of staff of the U.S. Army during World War II. Marshall had served since graduating from the Virginia Military Institute at the turn of the 20th century

You are a key executive secure in your position, so you might not feel the stress and fears of the employees who report to you.  Ask yourself this critical question: Do you care about remote team morale? After you honestly answer that question, then you need to communication with your employees, and ask them these critical questions.  The open and honest dialog between a manager and employees can help support your team through this crisis. During these uncertain times, many of us as leaders might feel beholden have answers – not questions – for our team. Questions to ask remote employees are likely not top-of-mind. We’re expected to have answers to things like, “ When will we be able to go back into the office? ” or “ Will certain team members will have their jobs still in a few weeks? ” or “ What’s the outlook of the business six months from now? “ It’s natural and understandable. Answers, not questions, seem to be our focus right now as leaders.  Yet in order to do

How the Coronavirus Crisis Is Redefining Jobs by Ravin Jesuthasan,   Tracey Malcolm and Susan Cantrell — Harvard Business Review The outbreak of Covid-19 has forced organizations into perhaps the most significant social experiment of the future of work in action, with work from home and social distancing policies radically changing the way we work and interact. But the impact on work is far more profound than just changing where people work; it is also fundamentally altering what work is performed and how we perform it. Many workers are doing tasks they never could have imaged a few weeks ago — sometimes in ways they wouldn’t have thought of. Employees in apparel companies like Brooks Brothers and New Balance are now producing surgical masks and gowns, while Tesla, Ford, and General Motors have retooled their factories to produce ventilators from car parts after idling their automotive plants due to plummeting consumer demand. With jobs at the heart of how work get

___________________________________________________ Ask a group of executive strategists why execution is such a challenge today, and they will attribute it to three things: [1] Insufficient visibility and control, [2] a ‘firefighting’ mentality that focuses on putting out fires and [3] too many projects causing employee fatigue and diminished productivity. Among large companies with oodles of MBAs and financial wizards, the top challenge they face is building an effective business strategy that can be implemented.  Most CEOs say they have little confidence in their ability to solve the problems facing their businesses, or see the business strategy effectively implemented. These challenges are exacerbated by overly complex initiatives.  This is a problem caused by bringing old strategic initiatives forward, repackaged and blended into the new strategy. This prompts executives and execution managers to make decisions influenced by prior failed or incomplete initiatives, o

Heeding history’s lessons learned during past catastrophes can strengthen the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Essay by Kearney Consulting Group) When you’re in the middle of a crisis, it’s easy to overestimate the short-term impact while overlooking the potential long-term outcome. This is certainly true now in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic—a once-in-a-lifetime event but one that is actually quite similar to four other events that have occurred over the past century. Each crisis—the 1918 flu pandemic, the Great Depression, World War II, and the Great Recession—was marked by a period of economic contraction, an uptick in mortality (especially during pandemics and wartime), and swift destruction of value. We already see all three of these occurring in our current crisis. The past offers four lessons for how to put our best foot forward: Take big, bold, fast action. Balance any efforts to reduce costs with ingenuity and innovation. Prepare to serve tomorrow’s