In the face of this unknown with the “back to normal”, Business Contingency Plans will need to be put into place to adjust and adapt with the (likely) disturbances on the road of the business recovery with either their staff, customers or supply chain.
Readiness, awareness and adaptability are likely to be of the greatest importance.
To meet such requirements, more than ever, having clear ideas, ensuring that the vision and the associated strategy can be understood and shared by all, are the key challenges awaiting leaders in this « return to normality ». For the executives to demonstrate a real control of the situation, bringing on board their managers as well as the whole team and reassuring the stakeholders, shareholders, customers, financiers and suppliers alike, is crucial.
To do this, leaders have some “classic » solutions available: consulting or mentoring, market watch and literature as well as staff training. Acting as potential leverage for their teams, these methods, essentially rooted in the past or present, find their limits when it comes to enable the leaders to be and stay ahead of their game.
Transition management may also be a solution but, beyond its cost, its recourse may be an admission of “weakness” with the lack of internal resources and dynamic required to carry out the handling of this “back to normality”.
At the end of the day, the only sure thing is that the initial impulse and its momentum must come from the very top, each day in a consistent and transparent manner.
For each executive, the opportunity to (fully) assert their leadership
If we take the measure of the months ahead for all managers, the stakes and opportunities are numerous:
1. Keeping a cool head in front of some of the surprises likely to come up by being prepared,
2. Drawing a (new) desirable future for themselves, all the teams and their company,
3. Taking the necessary step back to prioritise actions enabling an efficient execution of the strategy,
4. Affirming and/or adjusting their leadership in the light of tomorrow’s goals,
5. Embedding anticipation and adaptability in their daily routine, including the introduction of anti-conformism to explore new territories (in the company as well as outside).
All these aspects are the core foundations and benefits of executives’ Business Coaching to capture the full potential of this crisis exit.
The neutral and benevolent conversation (1) between the Business Coach and the leader allows to see the bigger picture, to end the isolation and, above all, to look for solutions, if needed “out of the box”. Broadening the range of possibilities enables a more serene and effective leadership.
Above all, the objective for any leaders is to “be in the best possible shape” to handle the whole spectrum of the company’s management (strategy, sales, HR, governance, organisation, finance, marketing, R&D, …).
With the Business Coaching ROI more widely acknowledged by the (growing number of) leaders who have used it, no one will question why Roger Federer or Usain Bolt are still working with a coach despite their incredible achievements….
Working with a Business Sparring Partner is a lot of things but surely not a sign of weakness…
(1) When you have a conversation with another person or a group of people, you listen closely and respond appropriately, so that your conversation is a true exchange of ideas, not just people waiting for their turn to talk. A good conversation makes you feel heard, satisfied, and maybe even more informed.