50 Voices in uncertain times April – Sept 2020

50 voices in unprecedented times

April – September 2020

The story

During 6 months of the Covid -19 pandemic I asked 50 UK and international business leaders and decision makers the following questions about how the pandemic has effected their outlook for the future:

• What is your greatest need?
• Your greatest challenge?
• What is your greatest opportunity?
• Your next step?

The business leaders and decisionmakers came from global enterprises, professional and financial services, art and creative industries, technology, hospitality, healthcare, retail, entertainment, manufacturing, politics and civil society. I wanted to know what their priorities and opportunities were.

This is what I found

“Prepare to adapt and survive. Market will be interesting – opportunities and tipping points.”  A Voice 25 June 2020

Overall, there was a sense of total uncertainty balanced with the momentum of great resilience and resourcefulness. Everyone was getting on with things in the most advantageous, innovative and resourceful way. They had to take on the unknown and make the best out of an unpredictable situation. Employees furloughed, working remotely or on location it created an insecure and complex environment and future.  This was an even greater challenge for hospitality, travel and high street retail who suffered an immediate loss of income. 

“When starting out it was the need to help producers and farmers distribute online. Supporting and working with local communities and producers, building a platform. It took off big.” A voice 02 Sept 2020

There was some amazement in how well and smooth the forced changeover to remote working and virtual meetings had been. At the same time awareness of how the lack of human in-person and team interaction without normal social cues created new and different demands on leadership, strategic priorities and direction.

The Greatest Need

“Time and cash, always that.” A voice 02 Sept 2020

It is a changing paradigm. With remote working and no real timeline there was an instant need to create redefined working practice using innovative ways to develop their business offerings, streams and interaction to keep order books full over the coming months and years.

Even if we are fine for work now as well as financially the test will be in October and in March next year.” Several voices April – Sept 2020

For others their greatest need was how they responded to unprecedented demand and record growth by recruiting more talented agile staff who are ready to evolve and take on the unknown. Several interviewees said there was an added pressure in making decisions when building the teams for an unsure future.

Financial business especially were not helped by government management, its lack of clarity and communication. The constant changing made managing the present and future difficult.

For some it was a need to rethink their businesses and own career paths. Either voluntarily or forced they had to reflect about their situation and change.

“Focus changed, I decided to write a book about my parents. If COVID-19 restrictions had not arrived the book would probably not been written.” A voice 14 Sept 2020

The Greatest Challenge

“With COVID -19 it is suddenly a different scenario. Risk profile has changed and how to manage change.” A voice 07 July 2020

The voices agreed it was hard to take the temperature, maintaining quality of interaction and delivery when unable to bring people together in-person and dealing with constant change. They found it meant the challenge was to “stay level headed” but at the same time “pulling it off” by managing people’s expectations, balancing support and direction in the middle of transformation. With a combination of using the right time and the right language to get everyone onboard the digital journey. When delivering high quality and time critical services the question was how to best manage demand as well as resources. In big multidisciplinary teams this was even more pressing, one needed to keep the ethos of common purpose, as well as the feeling of being connected and motivated.

With uncertainty about most things there is the challenge to recruit, onboard, train and hang on to the best and most talented staff. Thinking ahead to post pandemic times with the probability of people working remotely 3-5 days a week, there just is no roadmap. We cannot forget that relationships with customers and clients have changed and there is a need to keep responding to their new and different expectations.

The Greatest Opportunity

“Working from home gives you more time for yourself. Easier in many ways to structure your work. Flexible working – balance work, home and life structure. Connecting with work life balance.” A voice 18 June 2020

A great opportunity, making sure to take advantage of the new landscape and a post COVID-19 environment was mentioned to me by many. There was an opportunity to embrace a new openness in people and bravery in briefs and ideas, making smart use of technical innovation and rapid digitalisation that created new and growing market opportunities. One could throw off old baggage and enter the world of the future with bigger ambition and acceleration, by being strategic and tactical in how to communicate and interact. In response to the pandemic there were opportunities for a solid growth strategy stimulated by new demands, wants and needs, resulting in expansion and growth into new and specific markets. Thus fast moving transformation demanded that one had to be sure to resourcefully and creatively take advantage of new experiences, the new changing mind sets and opportunities.

“Realising we can hire and work with people and partners anywhere in the world getting the best talent and calibre.” A voice 01 July 2020 

Next step

“Find a way for a hybrid model from before and how we are going forward. A real model for going forward. From before Covid-19 when we met in-person to during lockdown and now when all meetings are online and virtual. Finding a workable and successful model.” A voice 06 June 2020

We all know that when the pandemic crisis hit the world there was an immediate, intensive and sharp learning curve for everyone in leadership trying to be in step with an unpredictable future. We found with a gradual move towards our “new way of life” will we continue working and appreciate everyone’s resourcefulness, collaboration, diversity and stamina?

With the majority of office employees able to work remotely a next step was to begin imagining and planning for the return to the office and workplace, without knowing the new threshold, be it high or low, and to start thinking about what’s next? Making the best out of a surreal situation where companies had to throw out their strategy and start again, with the need to create a better, a more purposeful and considered strategy. In other words, building continued resilience and resourcefulness by evaluating what worked well and how it could be maintained and strengthened.

To start thinking forward, keep going and not lose control.

“Culture building in a new world. Make visible experiences from the old, orientation in and towards the new.” A voice 11 Sept 2020

Where are we going from here – conclusion and reflection

During 2020 we courageously pulled through the shock waves of uncertainty and unprecedented demands created by COVID-19. We showed a readiness to change and rose to the challenge of changing rapidly when need be. 2020 became a year to discover remote working on scale. By and large our human, work and business resourcefulness demonstrated remarkable resilience and inventiveness. While the path to recovery remains uncertain, it’s clear the pandemic’s effects have accelerated fundamental shifts that were already starting to take place.

Seize the moment

Companies that can anticipate the challenges and opportunities may well be able to shape the recovery path rather than simply waiting to see the outcome. They will begin and prepare for flexible working and allow it to become a quality solution independent of whether we are remote or essential and key workers.

“A quality work culture is possible – treatment of staff, standards, training, benchmarking, business model.” A voice 07 August 2020