Plan NOW for the NEW Future: Working after the Pandemic

When a crisis disrupts the usual order of things, leaders can’t settle for just dealing with what’s in front of them on a given day. They need to immediately begin looking ahead and planning for the future to make sure they’re prepared for what comes next—even if they have no idea what shape it will take.

It may feel like a time to sit and wait and see what happens, but in fact it’s a time to be proactive about the future—yours, your team’s, and your organization’s. Here’s how you can emulate the best leaders in planning through crisis.

Brainstorm. Gather the sharpest minds and most insightful thinkers in your organization to discuss what the next months and years may look like. Spend time together exploring a range of scenarios and tracking for each of them how you can move the business and its people beyond the crisis.

Discover opportunities and threats. In the discussion of each possible scenario, include a big-picture assessment of possible opportunities and threats, grounded in awareness that the crisis is changing not only your organization but also your industry and your customers.

Create certainty about priorities. You can empower people through uncertainty if you hold true to the values and priorities that drive your team’s mission and communicate those values and priorities clearly and often. When everything is shifting, people need a North Star to navigate by.

Lead with speed and agility. In unpredictable times you don’t have the luxury of playing wait and see—you must be proactive and able to move quickly and confidently in a new direction, with the willingness to pivot and make adjustments as events unfold.

Learn from the present while planning for the future. As a crisis is unfolding, you’re learning something new in every moment. Make sure the most current information and trends are reflected in your strategic planning.  This crisis will recast many companies in ways the owners, the board and the senior executives never imagined.  The future is going demand flexibility from everyone in the organization… survival depends on it.

Gain commitment from your people. Especially if you’re faced with moving in a new direction, your people need to fully commit to the vision and plan. 

That means it can’t be a top-down initiative—their voice and involvement are an important part of the process. Leadership based on collaboration, not control—trusting that people are smart and know what to do—fosters the commitment and energy your team needs to tackle the crisis and to continue a journey of growth when it’s over.

Connect vision to mission. Any new vision must meet two criteria: it must be inspiring and it must be tightly aligned with your organization’s purpose.

It’s easy in difficult times to become paralyzed by the day-to-day challenges. But it’s the leaders who think ahead with courage and vision who will achieve long-term success.

The future is already taking shape.  Bold new visions and ideas for the work environment are being implemented for the restart of America’s business.  Visionary thinking has spawned many cutting edge ideas for the future of work.  Now is the time to seize on the opportunity for change.

Many companies are not going to return to pre-COVID-19 work patterns. Here are a few of the long-term implications: 
  • People are not going to return to offices five days a week, which will crush commercial real estate and adjacent dependent businesses.
  • A competitive flattening curve for jobs, opening opportunities globally to hire the best people who can work remotely.
  • A shift toward more structured work processes and documentation, so that it can be done effectively from anywhere.
  • Changing patterns of access to talent and job standardization will lower wages, making firms more profitable.  
Lead from within. The best leaders are always building on what is happening today to create a successful future. When a crisis hits, they keep their fears to themselves but share their courage and vision with those who can help make it happen.



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