At the risk of stating the obvious: COVID-19 has hit hard. The economic impact of this crisis will be unprecedented in our life-times. Many companies are struggling for their survival, and the stock market is in free fall, impacting markets globally.
The day will come though, when all this will subside. And as controversial as it may sound, we believe that this is the moment when leaders should look beyond the storm to what may lie beyond for them and their company if they are intent on turning the current challenges into an opportunity for growth.
How to turn this drastic shift to remote work into an advantage? Company leaders should consider the following three steps:
1. Step back from crisis mode
In the initial stages of the crisis, leadership was required to provide day-to-day guidance necessary to steer through unknown territory and help their employees adjust to the new way of doing business in a new reality.
But as various parts of a company are slowly settling into the “new normal”, the realization is creeping in that a “cookie cutter“ approach to implementing remote work strategies won’t work. The most effective way to collaborate virtually may look different from one team to another and from one business unit to another.
As much as it means to go against a natural tendency to control during a crisis, leaders should delegate and empower their teams to find creative ways to design a virtual teaming culture appropriate to their present needs. This is the time to trust: trust in your teams and organisation to manage… embrace it!
2. Press pause and reflect
This should free up a leadership’s energy to focus on the next steps and shift their attention to capturing and analysing the current situation. This is the time to draw out important lessons:
- How is remote work impacting our employees and productivity?
- How have our client relations and business processes been impacted?
- What aspects of remote work are working well and which ones aren’t?
- What opportunities has it created?
While a drastic shift to remote work is undoubtedly a shock to the system, especially for more traditionally operating companies, there may very well be areas of the business or teams that have fared well, possibly even tried out innovative approaches. Crises can also generate innovation and it takes a leader willing to observe and learn to notice them.
3. Dare to be a visionary
Uncertainties over its course and length prevail. And still, we dare leaders to carve out space and draw out a new vision based on the learnings of the first few weeks of the crisis.
There are two reasons not to delay formulating a vision any further. For one, while there is no knowing when the current restrictions will be completely lifted, it is certain that there is no returning to “business as usual”. The longer you wait, the longer you keep your company in a state of limbo of what that „new modus operandi“ will look like.
Secondly, a clear vision will provide much needed morale and support to your employees. The two dimensions of employee engagement that would benefit most are
- contribution – an employee’s understanding of their own contribution to the larger goals and how they fit into the organisation – and
- transparency – the extent to which employees can comprehend leadership decisions.
The aim is to turn the challenges of today into an advantage tomorrow by answering the questions: What would our “new modus operandi” look like? As we emerge from the current lock down, how can we integrate the virtual with the physical presence?
Advantage is built on vision.
The Virtual Academy conducts all courses based on an underlying strategic perspective. There are two new courses that teach your leadership how to excel as a virtual leader, and another how to work in teams efficiently. Ultimately, they will help you boost your company’s productivity.
