Across the world, leaders are taking action to protect their employees and keep their organization afloat amidst the COVID-19 crisis, while at the same time trying to position themselves for the new normal that will emerge after the battle against the virus has been won. Navigating through the crisis happens on three levels – leadership level, business level, and societal level – and they all respond to a different logic.
At the leadership level, the first task is to build a credible narrative that creates an atmosphere of safety and continuity. The paradox is that at the same time we must also be sensitive to the economic situation, make dispassionate, analytical decisions, and then explain these decisions to the organization as explicitly as possible.
The business level focuses on the lessons learned during the active phase of the pandemic. The focus should not only be on scaling operations to the crisis and its aftermath. Instead, we should view the current situation as a living laboratory, an unprecedented opportunity to find new business and revenue models that are more sustainable and less vulnerable to new, inevitable disruptions in the future.
The third level to consider is the societal level. The crisis has served as a wake-up call, demonstrating that nations, nationalities, governments, and structures still matter. This gives businesses and other organizations something to ponder upon when they think about their positioning in regard to society and their role in it.
If you are interested in learning more, there is an exclusive material available, where Pekka Mattila tells how to navigate your organization through the crisis in more detail. Download the material from below.