As we progress into organizational recovery mode after the covid-19 crisis hit in 2020, resilient leaders recognize and reinforce critical shifts from a ‘today’ to a ‘tomorrow’ mindset for their teams. They perceive how major the pandemic-related market and societal shifts have caused substantial uncertainties that need to be navigated.
According to The Essence of Resilient Leadership report by Deloitte Insights, resilience is not a destination; it’s a way of being.
“A resilient organization is not one that is simply able to return to where it left off before the crisis. Rather, the truly resilient organization is one that has transformed, having built the attitudes, beliefs, agility and structures into its DNA, that enables it to not just recover to where it was, but catapult forward, and quickly.”
Many leaders must accept that the organisational recovery from covid-19 must now lead to a new economy and a way of working to suit our adapted future world of work.
The pandemic sent shockwaves through global economies, sectors, governments, financial institutions, treasurer’s offices, restaurants nonprofits and purses. Leaders will need to plan for wide variations on their financial position and needs, all of which are dependent on the disease’s progression, the level of government stimulus, and pace of economic recovery.
“They will also need to evaluate their ability to handle a potential mounting debt burden and the impact this will have on government and financial institutions.”
Trust as a catalyst of organizational recovery
Great leadership requires even greater followship – and followship is nurtured by trust. Indeed, many leaders have built a significant bank of trust from deftly navigating through the early frenzied unpredictable stages of the crisis.
So, what is next?
Define your destination. Companies that rely on conventional wisdom may discover that the world they thought they knew is no longer there when they arrive.
Organisations need to follow these four rules:
- Define the destination – Determine what steps you need to take to make your business successful after the pandemic.
- Anticipate outcomes – Stakeholder-focused outcomes is key here.
- Run Sprints – Use agile principles to navigate uncertainties. The organization must traverse in the journey from its current state of the destination.
- Judge your timing – Consider the right time to transition to recovery mode.
One thing is for sure, all organisations, across the globe are dealing with the same business headaches and need to cultivate resilient leadership. Invest in this, and extraordinary results will be yielded.