As all of New Zealand is thrust back up the Covid levels, the bile of uncertainty is rising. Businesses, leaders, and individuals are faced with similar, yet different challenges this year from those we faced in 2020.
- Will house prices fall?
- Will interest rates rise?
- Will my business stay the same?
- Do I have the right skills for the future?
- What’s next?
There’s no doubt that we know more this time around.
For example, we have the technology to work remotely with little notice, we now know that we can do a lot more virtually than we ever thought possible, and we know it’s ok to not be ok. However, if 2020 was the year of uncertainty, then 2021 is a year when the only thing certain is uncertainty.
Looking back, the impacts of Covid-19 not only introduced new ways of working, but also introduced new words to business vernacular such as ‘zoom fatigue’, ‘hybrid working’, and who will ever forget the 2020 word of the year ‘pivot’?
To ‘pivot’ means to turn whilst connected or find a new angle (remember Ross from Friends and the couch?). Learning from the lessons of the GFC, businesses that chose to ‘pivot’ rather than stay the same, transformed their business model to adapt to the new context. In doing so, not only did they survive the impacts of the recession, but they are thriving.
To pivot successfully you have to be aware of what needs to change, build on your existing skills and capabilities, and commit to the future. This year is demanding more from leaders now than ever before. Advancing technology, and changes in the way people work and live, is transforming how successful organisations are led.
At Winsborough, we specialise in the business of leadership. We believe that all employees deserve better leadership and strive to help make this happen.
What does the ‘new normal’ mean to you and those that you lead? As a leader, if you are still doing what you’ve always done, there’s no better time to think about your development than right now. In 2021, the only thing certain is uncertainty, how will you ‘pivot’?
Photo credits: Unsplash.com (Markus Spiske, Daniel Oberg)