Effective leadership in a crisis - thoughts from Dr Liz Wilks, Asia Pulp and Paper

Dr Liz Wilks, European director of sustainability at Asia Pulp and Paper (APP)

In this month’s Big Ask we review what qualities are needed for successful leadership and look for grounded insight, clear thinking and plausible suggestions for dealers to keep their business effective through the next 6 months.

Turning A Page on Crisis and creating opportunity

By now, most businesses will already have adapted to the new reality; adapting business models and operations to address health and safety needs, implementing processes to secure and strengthen logistics and supply chains from shocks, and adjusting to more nimble decision making amid uncertainty.

These are some of our insights from navigating a pulp and paper business through a crisis which we would like to share with you and which may be useful in the coming months.

Cast a Wide Net

We now know that consumer behaviour can be predicted based on behaviours in radically different markets. The run on toilet paper rolls was first seen in China and Hong Kong, as fearful consumers rushed to hoard daily essentials. This same behaviour emerged in other cities around the world in the proceeding weeks, and in some places, continue today. At APP we have a diverse product portfolio from paper to hygiene products https://asiapulppaper.com/our- products.

As a dealer, ensuring that you have a diverse product range which has and will include hygiene products among other things is a way to help ride the storm as well as storing some products more than others and not relying on lean deliveries in case of supply chain delays.

Find the Opportunity

Crises are inevitably also opportunities. As a producer of essential products, our operations were not disrupted as much as other industries were. However, many of the other functions within our business had to adapt. Sustainability is an integral part of our business and we would need to continue this work, even amid local restrictions on travel. Our sustainability team has had to explore alternative means for conducting ground verifications, using remote monitoring technologies or working through emplaced teams. Some of these advancements were already planned as part of a broader modernization effort, but the pandemic presented an opportunity to fast track some of these initiatives.

The pandemic has also substantially changed consumer habits in the area of online shopping, and in the takeaway and home delivery in the F&B industry. This has thrown a spotlight on the growing problem of packaging waste and, in particular, plastics in food packaging. We have seen increasing interest in fully biodegradable packaging alternatives and have such invested in R & D in this area www.foopak.com.

As a dealer, if sustainability is already part of your strategy, there is no reason not to continue this, as we are seeing that consumers are more ready than ever for these products and services. If you haven’t embarked on this journey already now is the time!

Prepare with a “crisis plan.”

You can often prevent a crisis from occurring by being aware and having a plan of action in place in case something does go awry. Sit down with your team, talk about potential obstacles, and map out a crisis plan in advance. Revisit it regularly for modifications and additions. At APP this is something which is carried out regularly and also using our dashboard system https://sustainability- dashboard.com/.

Going Digital

As we enter more into a digital world don’t be afraid of setting online meetings with customers and suppliers. Active listening is a skill that becomes ever more important. Recently APP held a webinar update online for stakeholders, as given the current circumstances it wasn’t feasible for travel to SE Asia – see https://asiapulppaper.com/-/app-held-first-saf-webinar. Why don’t you hold an online meeting or webinar for your customers or suppliers? This is also a great way of bringing people together.

Always be learning

Embracing continuing education as a leader is critical. Remember that improving yourself improves your team and the company as a whole. Maybe it’s a a software class, or a workshop series on stress management. Lifelong learning doesn’t just help improve the business, but also improves you by keeping you sharp and up to date on the latest best practices. As a visiting professor this is something I’m seeing a lot however I also recently took a coaching course to understand better what makes me tick and certainly during lockdown have begun reading a lot more.

Know when to take a break.

Some crises involve fast and long action. Adrenaline from discovering the crisis can give you a lot of energy and clarity to start dismantling it right away, but the biggest crises can take time. Leaders know when to pause for both themselves and their team. The journey we are all on is not overnight and sometimes it is ‘the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination’ – Drake. So hopefully some of these insights from our own experience will help you along the way.

Dr Liz Wilks, European director of sustainability at Asia Pulp and Paper (APP)