No one should underestimate the effort and energy it has taken for business leaders to manage the challenges faced during the past 8-12 weeks.

As operations, hopefully, start to stabilise after the initial white heat of lockdown, leaders are starting to look at what all this change means for their organisations’ strategy, structures, systems and operations.

Leaders must also remember to invest the same time and energy into addressing the intangible aspects such as team dynamics, company values and culture. 

Over the next few weeks CBO will be releasing a suite of insight papers aimed at helping leaders and organisations map their rebuild and recovery path from Covid-19. In this short post we will look at three key questions that leaders may want to consider asking as the exit from lockdown moves closer.

Are we focusing on the right things for our organisation?

Now is the time to take a step back and consider the strategy. When Covid-19 started to hit businesses, programmes and projects were likely to have been put on temporary pause or the plug pulled completely.

• Does the strategy need to be paused or revised in the short term to reflect the changes brought on by Covid-19?
• Will the changes have a longer term effect on the organisation and how it operates?

We will shortly be releasing an insight paper aimed at advising how organisations can deliver a proven method for prioritising projects and change to ensure the right things are being worked on.

Have we stabilised our operations for the mid to long term?

Organisations and their employees have been under immense pressure in recent weeks. Not only have they had to adopt and embrace day-to-day probable dramatic changes to business operations and remote working, but they have also had to deal with the personal impact of lockdown.

Leaders should be shifting their focus to stabilise these new ways of working to make sure they are sustainable for what is likely to be an extended period of time.

Operations and efficiency will be another area that CBO will focus on and we will be releasing an insight paper to provide our thoughts on what core operations could look like in the coming months and years.

Are we supporting our people and teams effectively?

Unfortunately some organisations are facing difficult short-term decisions to ensure survival, putting people on furlough or having to let them go completely. Others are managing to avoid this but nevertheless need to invest effort in supporting and retaining their people through this crisis.

Business functions may remain the same; operations, resourcing and the underpinning team structures could change as a result of changes in strategy, improving processes and ways of working.

Leadership teams should already be looking at the impact these changes will have on organisation structure. This needs to be done hand in hand with the more intangible aspects of soft skills and team dynamics. Now, more than ever, you need to act as a coach and leader for your teams, providing support and advice and helping them adapt.

Employees will need to find a working style that best suits them, while recognising this may differ from the styles of other people in their team. How will people need to adapt? Who might need specific support?

Some of the team at CBO have recently qualified as Change Management practitioners, we will be looking at how good change management skills can be applied to helping people and teams deal with the changing business and operational landscape caused by Covid-19.

Please stay connected to ensure you don’t miss out on our insight papers. If you are interested in learning more about CBO Projects or would like to discuss any of the topics in this article, please contact Philip Smith at Philip.Smith@cboprojects.com.