Summary:
What will change in the field of leadership, communication, products, or services once this crisis is over? What behavior will change, and what needs will arise? In this blog, I try to answer these questions. I do invite you to think about this for yourself or your team.
Voor Nederlands, klik hier.
A few times a day, I receive an invitation to participate in a webinar, an online workshop, or to read a blog. Popular themes are to work (more productive) from home, to increase online visibility, to generate additional income, better focus, and homeschooling.
I also regularly receive an email with the question of how I am doing.
I am fine! Even though my calendar is empty, I experience a lot of peace. I am grateful to be able to spend so much time with my family.
Thousand things in uncertain times
These are uncertain times. If man has a problem, it is in his nature to make that problem of fear disappear as quickly as possible, for example, by looking for solutions.
I understand that many entrepreneurs now offer many services online and want to help others. An income has also disappeared for them, which calls for inventiveness.
Of course, some problems must be addressed in the short term. A befriended entrepreneur has €200.000 of fixed costs every month. He and others are very concerned about whether or not they can pay their staff. I understand that a lot of time is spent on getting more work. Fortunately, this is partly successful. But, I also hear stories about cutbacks by terminating employment contracts.
To what extent is it a reflex to generate as much turnover as possible and still achieve targets? I fear that after this crisis, entrepreneurs will work even harder and will try everything to catch up with financial goals.
Perhaps many entrepreneurs are going for quantity. Right now, it is time to start thinking about quality. That was the inspiration for this blog when I jogged with my son past a farm with a Dutch sign saying: “Eight is more than Thousand”. Perhaps the farmer referred to the number of cows. This proverbial saying comes from Low German (“Acht ist mehr as Dûsend (Taler)“). It means that the most important thing is to take good care of your business and that paying close attention to your business is worth a lot.
Then it is vital to have insight into what is going to change and what the needs will be of the consumer, the entrepreneur, or the employee once this crisis is over. For example, think of:
Habits
Most of our habits will come back after this crisis. It is expected that we will again travel (commute) eat out and work as we were used to do. A new habit only lasts when the benefit outweighs the effect of past behavior. What habit or what behavior will stick? It is still too early for me to answer this, but I will initiate and attend online meetings more often. It saves so much (travel) time. In this blog, you can read more about the importance of habits.
Products & Services
Until recently, I gave a lot of on-site training or saw clients face to face. Of course, I can (just like my colleagues) offer training and coaching online. Which products or services will my, and your customers need in the future? Maybe for me, that is a “blended” form of training and coaching that can take place partly online and partly offline. Or perhaps something completely different that is in line with my WHY.
Leadership
Now that many work from home, it can be challenging for a manager to lead a team. Right now, there is a need for more empathy and someone who can listen. How will it be after this crisis? What kind of leaders do we want or want to be? Should it still be directed management, or should teams become more self-managing? What skills does a leader need in the future? Is this someone who communicates the broad outlines and a vision or someone who actively participates? Does he or she do that online, offline, or is will this be a form of “blended” leadership?
Communication
Communication is now mainly via telephone, email, or online meetings (Skype, Zoom). I notice that, primarily, the latter forms of communication require different skills. After all, you are less able to see the body language of your conversation partner. It is more challenging to show that you connect with others, for example, by leaning in. You can also communicate more effectively here via DiSC. I think other skills will be needed in the future, or tools (hologram) will become available.
Things to keep in mind
I invite you or your team to think about what changes there are after the crisis and how you can respond sustainably. Think about the forms of leadership, products/services, and ways of communication.
A first step can be to find out what your (or your company’s) WHY is. What is the contribution and its impact on this world? If this is clearer, you may be able to determine for your career or your company what is of sustainable value. Then you know which important things to focus on (and not the thousand other actions).
What do you think will change for you after this crisis in terms of services, leadership, or communication? What are the things you are going to take care of? What is going to get the attention that is the most important to you or your company? Let me know in the comment field below. The other readers of this article and I are looking forward to reading from you!
Thank you for reading up to here & sharing this article with your colleagues, friends or family. And please SHARE this article with your network on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google + by pressing the buttons below so that they can also benefit from this article. You are welcome to copy parts of this blog if you state the source.
Have you seen an error in this article? Let me know! I am grateful!
