2 minute read
INDUSTRY CONFIDENTIAL
One should never assume. But, in this case I am confident in assuming that during each any every strategic planning session you’ve ever sat in on, not one of you included “Traversing a Global Pandemic” as one of your 2020 goals. However, here we are, almost two months in and many of those strategic plans you worked so hard to craft have all been placed on a shelf. I do not need to remind you of the challenging hardships that many organizations are facing. Your organization is most likely included in the mix.
And now, regardless of whether we are ready, we are all preparing for a new normal while the country opens back up in phases and it’s time to start making preparations. Still before we begin slashing away at our current strategic plan or quickly throwing together next steps, let’s be sure to focus. Here are three things you and your organization can do before you start planning for activity in a post pandemic world.
Find your calm. Locate and accept where you, your employees, and your organization are at emotionally, financially and structurally. Then accept this as fact, without judgment. You will be more efficient and effective in your planning efforts if you are acting from a place of calm and acceptance rather than conflict or resentment.
Review your strengths. Take time individually and as a group to look back through your history, and the history of your organization, for other times when you endured significant adversity. This is not the first time you have survived a major obstacle and it likely won’t be your last. Remember your tenacity. It’s in there.
Get interested to get creative. We all need to think differently right now, drawing on creativity, originality, and imagination. Creativity is not fostered when coming from a place of fear but rather it thrives when it orginates from curiosity. To get yourself into that mindset, start by getting truly curious about what comes next for you and your organization.
As you enter into this post COVID-19 phase, making the time to get yourself and your team in the right mindset, accepting life as it is right now and assessing your current state will set up your approach to determine a strategy with precision and certainty.