About time we all changed the way we did things. As the world takes baby steps in the post-pandemic period, it is essential to note that you are literally living through a historic revolution. Maybe it is time to invest in new lessons at work and reset strategy.
During the COVID-19 situation, we all had to make alterations in everything. Some of it was forced but necessary too. Between all this, the critical thing to notice is the height of innovation. We are gradually coming out of it, somewhat sane and productive. Humans are innovative, that’s for sure.
The whole of the business ecosystem has undergone many changes. In fact, some changes reflect everywhere in terms of work, between employee and the employer, between the company and the customers, between supply and demand too. The list is long, and we may have to keep adding on to it.
The New Normal
The pandemic has most likely made you change the whole course of your strategy. Or wiped it clean, maybe? But that’s okay. Perhaps now is the time to reconfigure your business strategies and operating models for a new reality.
So start carving a new path. As a manager, you need to make sure that you reduce and retire from some activities. But there will be several must-do practices that you must incorporate for security and stability. Get started with your pre- and post-pandemic strategies then.
Remember, in this new normal, brands are supposed to shift from response to recovery. The senior tech position holders in the company need to start finding multiple measures to ensure stability.
Post-pandemic Phases
These phases will differ from company to company. And honestly, on the fact how badly you have been hit or affected by the pandemic. There are companies that literally got struck by lightning, and their recovery will be different from the company, which is trying to stay afloat with losses.
Phase 1: Respond
This is the first step you need to take, regardless of where your business is at. Whether your ship is sinking, you start. Start by taking immediate actions and make sure that the essential functionalities remain unaffected. This could be a shorter period than other steps, but this is the one that requires maximum effort too. You need to analyze and find the corners that need immediate plumbing. Metaphorically, of course.
Phase 2: Recover
The first step is to always damage control. Then comes the next step that you take when things are comparatively stable. Not completely healed, but on the road to recovery. This is when you stabilize operations. Start by making a plan. Strategize through things, make buckets, and label them, pre and post stages. This will help you identify capabilities that you need to refactor, reopen, retire, budget, rehire, strengthen, and resupply if needed.
Phase 3: Renew
This is the post-recovery period. Brands must ensure that they are not rushing into this without proper recovery. A wound must heal, we all have heard that. So, let it heal. Let is recover. Your best practices can continue on-the-go. Once you have your recovery in place, you start rationalizing and strategize durable plans to execute. Start with operating in repeatable and scalable ways.
Use the emergent patterns from previous phases to merge with new ideas and make your way forward.
Reimagine Your Organization’s Future
It is important to note that the phases, as mentioned earlier, are not in a sequence. It is entirely possible for a renewal phase to overlap with the response phase. Why? Because not every organization has the same goals or even the same workflow pipeline.
These are tough disruptive times, it is possible for company leaders to take steps in every way just to stand ground. This is an essential approach. The best practice is to make sure you are rebuilding things from scratch. Because this is, as we mentioned before, a historic revolution. There is no coming out of this without reimagining your company’s goals and future.
Start recognizing better ways to operate and set objectives based on those new demands.
Prepare Yourself
None of us saw the coronavirus scare coming. But now that we are battling through a mass pandemic, don’t you think it is ideal to prepare ourselves? So weed out your weaknesses and position your business and company objectives better for the next disruption. You know, just in case there is a second COVID-19 wave knocking on our door.
The goal for leaders must be to create sustainable and adaptable strategies for their business, employees, shareholders, and customers. But before that, you must determine the loopholes and models in your business that need a fix. The risks that lie ahead of you and the strategies you will need to reassess.
It is always ideal in such scenarios to design and build specific protocols for every aspect of the business and the members of specific teams. Start by dividing work responsibly among groups, make the best possible use of remote working tools, highly adaptive tech tools, and techniques to recapitulate as your new normal emerges.
Lastly, Re-establish
As we mentioned before, there are some organizations that are trying to stay afloat. But there are some of them who nearly got knocked out of the park. For them, it is vital to retire and excuse some activities permanently. This could include letting go of many things in the ecosystem. So, reassess and reinvent. Because even if your business resettles, it won’t be a straight path. So, prepare for the worse.